Rays will need a temporary home for 2025 season amid stadium damage

The Tampa Bay Rays and Major League Baseball are going to have to figure out a temporary home for the ballclub for the 2025 season.

The Rays' home stadium, Tropicana Field, is going to need extensive repairs following damage that was sustained during Hurricane Milton just a little more than a month ago.

A three-week damage assessment report provided to the St. Petersburg City Council found that the stadium will need $55.72M in repairs, which would not be completed until just before the 2026 season.

That means the Rays will not be able to play in the stadium for the entirety of the 2025 season.

It was already expected that the stadium might not be ready for at least the start of the season, but there was at least some optimism that at least part of the home schedule could be maintained. That appears to be unlikely.

More than $23M of the repairs are projected to repair the roof which was blown off during the storm. 

More details, from The Athletic:

“Overall, the stadium appears structurally sound and would be a viable candidate to continue to serve the city (should they so decide) in providing continued service following hurricane damage repairs,” Hennessy Construction Services wrote in the conclusion of their report.

The report also found that the administrative areas were affected by wind and water damage. Audio and visual systems were affected, and a new playing surface will be needed. The building’s exterior was “mostly intact” with the majority of the damage to the fabric roof and portions of the exterior metal panel system.

All of this creates a lot of complicated scenarios for both the Rays and the league.

The Rays are scheduled to move into a new stadium for the start of the 2028 season, which leads to the question of whether or not the city — or the team — want to invest that much money in fixing a stadium that would only be used for two seasons (the 2026 and 2027 seasons) and could not be used at all this season.

If they do not, the Rays are going to have to find a temporary solution that extends beyond this season.

Even this season is going to be problematic.

There are several minor league and spring training facilities close to Tampa — including in Tampa — but all of those venues would need significant upgrades to make them Major League ready for regular season games. There is also the issue of weather and the daily rain showers that take place in Florida, as well as the heat and humidity.

Temporarily relocating the team to other cities seems like the most likely short-term outcome. The Rays' Triple-A team plays in Durham, while Charlotte, Nashville and even Montreal have been speculated as potential spots.