• Loading stock data...
Saturday, September 6, 2025
Fox Analyst and Media Entrepreneur Greg Olsen to Speak at Tuned In Get your ticket now!

Where Could Rays Play in 2025? Here’s What We Know About Options

  • Though not confirmed, it seems unlikely the Rays will open the 2025 season at Tropicana Field.
  • Local options for a temporary venue all have various issues that will need to be overcome.
USA TODAY

Just when the Rays finally settled their long-term facility issues, a natural disaster raised new, short-term questions about where the team will play.

Hurricane Milton last week rendered significant damage on Tropicana Field, the Rays’ home ballpark, most notably tearing the roof off the 34-year-old facility. A week later, damage assessment is still being conducted, and there has been little in the way of official statements from either the club or MLB. But at least two things are certain, significantly complicating the situation:

  • Extensive rehabilitation will be required, including replacement panels on the metal frame of the roof, as well as other structural components and lesser issues such as signage.  
  • The ballpark is not designed for outdoor use. There is no drainage system underneath the artificial turf field, and many areas now exposed to the elements were not weatherproofed. 

Last week, the Rays said that “over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field.” As that process continues, though, the Tampa Bay Times reported it’s already a foregone conclusion the Rays’ scheduled 2025 home opener on March 27 will need to be played elsewhere

Looking Into the Future

This past summer, the Rays completed agreements with local jurisdictions to build a new $1.3 billion ballpark, also in St. Petersburg, Fla., and that facility is set to open in 2028. But that, of course, still leaves the question of the start of next season unresolved. Much like the often-fraught situation with the A’s playing for the next three years in Sacramento, any consideration of another venue for the Rays will involve numerous factors, including obtaining union approval, staff-oriented considerations such as relocation, and being somewhere accessible to fans. 

Among the potential temporary options in the local area: 

  • Charlotte Sports Park (Port Charlotte, Fla.): This is the Rays’ spring training complex, located about 90 minutes south of the Tampa area. It’s an open-air ballpark, bringing in the normal challenges of Florida weather, and obviously not of MLB regular-season caliber. But there is obvious team and fan familiarity with the facility.
  • ESPN Wide World of Sports (Orlando): The Rays began their 2023 spring training here while Port Charlotte recovered from damage levied by Hurricane Ian. The club also played a total of six regular-season games there in 2007 and 2008. But the Disney-owned complex is highly sought-after by youth teams, and finding the needed available dates could prove a challenge.
  • TD Ballpark (Dunedin, Fla.): This is the spring training home of the Blue Jays, and it hosted some of that team’s games in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. But this facility, like the Tampa area’s other spring training ballparks, presents the same issues around diminished seating capacity and the lack of a roof, and it would also require further upgrades to meet MLB standards for regular-season play. 
  • LoanDepot Park (Miami): This is the closest MLB facility to Tropicana Field. This option carries many complications, however, including relocating team staff and the extensive number of overlapping home dates between the Rays and Marlins in the 2025 schedule. 

MLB’s forthcoming offseason storylines already included the A’s saga, the ongoing bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group, and the free agency of Yankees outfielder Juan Soto, but the difficult situation surrounding the Rays—including how the club and league respond—now ranks very high on that list.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) and linebacker C.J. Hicks (11) shake hands while leaving the field following the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. Ohio State won 14-7

How Ohio State Rebuilt Its NIL Strategy in the Rev-Share Era

The Buckeyes are staying “aggressive” in the new NIL landscape.

Fox, ESPN Cry Foul Over Big Nielsen Number Expected for YouTube’s NFL..

Fox and ESPN executives criticized Nielsen’s use of custom measurement for YouTube.
Blue Jays
exclusive

MLBPA, DraftKings Agree to Settle NIL Suit

MLBPA said DraftKings and other sportsbooks improperly used players’ NIL.
Dec 21, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston (12) makes a 12-yard touchdown catch in front of Detroit Lions defensive back Dwight Bentley (41) in the fourth quarter of the game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
exclusive

Marques Colston Wants You to Invest in Sports Assets With Him

The former NFL star is launching a fund anyone can invest in.

Featured Today

Dec 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) gets ready to take the field prior to a game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

How Brazil Game Fits Into NFL’s Plans for World Domination

Friday night’s Chiefs-Chargers game in São Paulo is big by design.
Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrate their touchdown pass during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field.
September 2, 2025

TV Ratings Just Changed Again. The NFL Will Be the Big Winner

Nielsen’s new viewership system will have a big impact on sports.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) after a touchdown catch against Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.
August 30, 2025

The Most Expensive Roster Year in College Football History

The House settlement created revenue-sharing—and a big NIL loophole.
August 26, 2025

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.
Aug 22, 2025; Bridgeview, Illinois, USA; Chicago Stars FC forward Jameese Joseph (8) passes the ball during the first half of a match against the North Carolina Courage at SeatGeek Stadium.

Chicago Stars FC Move to Evanston After 12 Years in Bridgeview

Stadium plans beyond the 2026 season aren’t solidified. 
Dec 10, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; A general view of the Delta Center before the game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Minnesota Wild.
August 19, 2025

Utah’s Sports Boom Expands Into Music, Emulating Atlanta

The Jazz and Mammoth owner strikes a major deal with Live Nation.
August 28, 2025

As CFB Programs Add Corporate Field Logos, Are Jersey Patches Next?

Texas is adding a sponsor’s logo to its football field this season.
Sponsored

Trailblazer Cal Calamia Is Racing for ‘Advocacy, Storytelling, and Performance’

The marathoner wants excellence—not just inclusion—to be the goal for non-binary athletes.
August 18, 2025

Browns $2.4B Stadium Plan Runs Into Airspace Turbulence

The team’s proposed stadium is deemed a threat to nearby airport operations.
Sofi Stadium
August 14, 2025

Los Angeles Olympics Will be First to Sell Venue Naming Rights

The decision breaks with a longstanding Olympic policy.
Nov 30, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; General overall view of the Dallas Cowboys logo at midfield during an NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
August 14, 2025

Arlington Pays Off Its Cowboys Stadium Debt 10 Years Early

Another major NFL venue retires its public debt far ahead of schedule.
Fans watch as players make it into the 18th hole during round three of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 8, 2025. Arizona Republic
August 13, 2025

Country Club Initiation Fees Soar With Golf’s Popularity

In many areas, would-be members are joining decade-long wait lists.