Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, was hit hard by Hurricane Milton. Its roof was damaged by winds in excess of 100 mph, turning the indoor venue into an open-air stadium and leaving the Rays scrambling to plan for their 2025 season.
Tampa Bay is scheduled to host the Colorado Rockies on March 27, 2025. However, according to the Tampa Bay Times, Tropicana Field is “certain” to be unready in time for the first game of the new season.
More news: Watch: Hurricane Milton Rips Roof off Tropicana Field, Home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays
Complicating the issue: the Rays had already planned to vacate the stadium by the 2028 season. In July, the Pinellas County Commission approved the Rays’ agreement for a new ballpark in St. Petersburg’s Historic Gas Plant District. Construction on the ballpark, located just to the east of Tropicana Field, is expected to begin in January.
More news: Rays Might Not Have Tropicana Field Repaired In Time For 2025 MLB Season
The Athletic reported that the City of St. Petersburg, which owns Tropicana Field, said in a written statement: “we are tremendously grateful that no one was injured at Tropicana Field. In the coming days and weeks, the city will work with the Tampa Bay Rays to thoroughly assess the condition of the ballpark and chart a path forward.”
More news: Rays Issue Heartfelt Statement About Hurricane Milton Damage to Tropicana Field
What that path looks like is up in the air. According to the Times, there will be a lengthy list of options, maybe 50 locations long, with some more suitable based on length of stay. And all come with concerns such as weather, location, facilities and/or scheduling conflicts based on the primary tenant.
Here are a few options for the Rays as they contemplate where to begin the 2025 season:
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 28: The field is seen during a rain delay before the Clemson Tigers play the Miami Hurricanes for the ACC Baseball Championship game at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on May 28, 2023 in Durham, North Carolina. The venue could host Tampa Bay Rays games until Tropicana Field is repaired.
Eakin Howard/Getty Images
1. Durham Bulls Athletic Park
The home of the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate, Durham, N.C. is less than two hours by plane and would keep the team on the East Coast. Players are familiar with the venue, fans are familiar with the players, and the seating capacity (10,000) is relatively large for a team that averaged 16,515 fans last season.
2. Charlotte Sports Park
Located 80 miles south of St. Petersburg, the Rays’ spring training facility makes the most logistical sense as a temporary home. Players and team personnel are familiar with the venue, as are Rays fans and visiting teams. The stadium’s capacity (6,823) presents an issue, however.
3. Wide World of Sports Complex
The Rays played two regular-season series at the largest baseball venue in Orlando more than a decade ago, and hosted games there for part of spring training in 2023. Its 9,500 seats and relative proximity (90 miles northeast) perhaps make it the Rays’ most likely temporary home.
4. Doak Field
The home field of the North Carolina State baseball team was recently renovated and could theoretically be expanded beyond its current capacity of 2,200. Why Raleigh, N.C.? The city is hoping to lure an expansion team, with wealthy benefactors and potential ballpark renderings all waiting to show the world the city is ready for MLB.
5. Olympic Stadium
In 2019 the Rays explored a “sister city” partnership with Montreal in which the Rays would play some of their “home games” in the Expos’ former city. MLB rejected that plan, but could resuscitate it in a pinch. A Jays-Mets exhibition game in 2014 drew more than 50,000 fans to Olympic Stadium, and some prominent locals believe MLB could return to the city on a longer-term basis.
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