Tampa Bay Rays seek new home stadium for 2025 season

Oct 16, 2024

Jack Aylmer Anchor

By Jack Aylmer (Anchor), Mirlie Larose (Producer), Zachary Hill (Video Editor)

The Tampa Bay Rays may be forced to find a temporary home stadium for the 2025 season. Their regular stadium, Tropicana Field, may not be ready in time for the Rays’ season opener against the Colorado Rockies on March 27, 2025, according to Tampa Bay Times.

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Hurricane Milton caused critical damage to the stadium’s roof, which was shredded by high winds. This exposure led to extensive water damage inside the stadium.

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Officials are currently evaluating the full extent of the damage. A complete engineering audit is underway, and a significant insurance claim is expected, but both will further delay the recovery process.

As of now, the Rays’ plans for the start of the season remain unclear. Several minor league ballparks in the region could serve as temporary homes, though most of these do not have roofs – an essential feature for the Rays, given the area’s frequent rain and intense summer heat.

Some have suggested the team reconsider the “Sister City Plan,” an idea proposed in 2022 that would have seen the Rays split their home games between Tampa Bay and Montreal. Though the plan was shelved by MLB, it has resurfaced as a potential solution.

Another option under consideration is sharing Miami’s LoanDepot Park with the Miami Marlins, but that could present scheduling conflicts between the two teams.

At this point, the Rays have not made an official decision regarding where they will play the 2025 season opener.

Tags: baseball, Florida, Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton, MLB, natural disaster, Sports, Tampa

[Jack Aylmer]

IT LOOKS LIKE THE TAMPA BAY RAYS MIGHT BE IN SEARCH OF A NEW HOME STADIUM FOR THE 2025 SEASON.

ACCORDING TO THE TAMPA BAY TIMES, TROPICANA FIELD ISN’T EXPECTED TO BE READY IN TIME FOR THE RAYS’ SEASON OPENER AGAINST THE ROCKIES ON MARCH 27TH OF 2025.

THE MOST CRITICAL DAMAGE WAS TO THE ROOF OF THE STADIUM.

IT WAS SHREDDED BY THE HIGH WINDS, THE EXPOSURE LED TO EXTENSIVE WATER DAMAGE.

OFFICIALS ARE STILL EVALUATING THE FULL EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE. A COMPLETE ENGINEERING AUDIT OF THE STRUCTURE AND A SIGNIFICANT INSURANCE CLAIM ARE IN THE WORKS, BUT IT WILL FURTHER DELAY THE RECOVERY PROCESS.

RIGHT NOW, IT’S UNCLEAR WHERE THE RAYS WILL PLAY TO START THE SEASON.

BUT THERE ARE OPTIONS AVAILABLE.

THERE ARE SEVERAL MINOR LEAGUE BALLPARKS THAT MIGHT SERVE AS TEMPORARY HOMES–, BUT MOST OF THOSE DO NOT HAVE ROOFS–SOMETHING THE RAYS WOULD LIKELY NEED.

WITH THE NEED FOR A TEMPORARY HOME NEXT SEASON – SOME ARE SUGGESTING THE TEAM REVISIT A DECISION MADE BY THE MLB BACK IN 2022.

THE RAYS’ “SISTER CITY PLAN”WAS AN IDEA THAT WOULD HAVE HAD THE TEAM SPLITTING FUTURE HOME GAMES BETWEEN THE TAMPA BAY AREA AND MONTREAL.

IDEAS OF SHARING MIAMI’S LOANDEPOT PARK WITH THE MARLINS ALSO CAME UP, BUT THAT COULD POSE SCHEDULING CHALLENGES.

WE’LL KEEP YOU UPDATED AS WE LEARN MORE ABOUT WHERE THE TEAM COULD START IN 2025.

FOR SAN, I’M JACK AYLMER