Rays unveil stadium renderings for proposed $1.3B project

Tropicana Field Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

If you build it, they will come? Rays unveil stadium renderings

By Zach Wadley | Last updated May 31, 2024 12:18 PM ET

One of baseball’s worst ballparks might soon be a thing of the past. The Tampa Bay Rays have unveiled renderings of a new $1.3 billion stadium that could be coming to downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. The organization plans to discuss the stadium in a city council meeting June 12.

The renderings are the first detailed look at the proposed ballpark, which Tampa Bay hopes to begin construction on in 2025 with the goal of opening the stadium for the 2028 season. The stadium will have 30,000 fixed seats with nearly 70% of the seats in the bottom two levels, including 15,000 in the lower level.

Welcome to a whole new game day experience. The design for the ballpark takes cues from a pavilion, with the front porch opening up to a main plaza and community gathering space within the #HistoricGasPlantDistrict.

Learn more: https://t.co/CeIeP9mD31 pic.twitter.com/XkNCv1HGKU
— The Historic Gas Plant District (@HistGasPlantSTP) May 30, 2024

“Our baseball park will be the most intimate and inviting in the sport,” said Rays president Matt Silverman
Edit Sign Edit Sign Edit Sign . “The park is designed to bring our fans as close to the field as possible, to create a distinctive, compelling game experience.”

Located in the Historic Gas Plant District, the planned stadium would have a fixed roof and artificial turf – two things the Rays currently have in their home stadium, Tropicana Field. The stadium would have the smallest capacity in the MLB, but that would still represent increased capacity from Tropicana Field, which seats 25,025 when the upper deck is closed.

In 2023, the Rays’ average attendance was 17,781, which was an increase from 2022’s figure of 13,927 people.

The ballpark is the anchor piece in the “Here To Stay” project, which aims to revitalize the Historic Gas Plant District. Along with the ballpark, the area will feature residential units, retail space and office space.

Tampa Bay has played at Tropicana Field since the franchise’s inception in 1998. In 2023 it was named the worst ballpark in the MLB by Sports Illustrated and for the past two seasons it’s been voted the second-worst by USA Today.

Here's some perspective on today's attendance of 19,704 at the Trop: according to @Stathead, it's the lowest (non-Covid year) attendance for a postseason game in 104 years. Last one below 19,704 was Game 7 of the infamous 1919 World Series in Cincinnati.
— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) October 3, 2023

In October 2023, the Rays made headlines for the wrong reasons when they posted the lowest attendance for a playoff game in 104 years. Despite the attendance issues, the new stadium will be built in the same area as Tropicana Field.

Zach Wadley

Zach Wadley's sportswriting career began at the age of 12 when he started covering Little League games for his local newspaper. Since then, he's worked in the sports information field where he merged his love of writing, social media, and broadcasting. He is a graduate of Anderson University (IN).

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