So where do the Rays play after Milton?

[imref]

The Rays released a statement that they are still evaluating damage to the Trop. Rather than rebuild it, why not just play the next 2 years in Oakland?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Do the As still have a claim to Oakland? Is it now just SFG territory?

[imref]

Bowden says it’s a nine figure cost to repair the Tropicana roof.

[imref]

Tampa says the field won’t be ready for opening day. I assume they’ll share Miami.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Crowd control nightmare

Tampa says the field won’t be ready for opening day. I assume they’ll share Miami.

[imref]

They really should go to Oakland for a year. They’d have a fan base there forever as a result.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Nah . . .  Montreal has the Olympic Stadium and it is closer to the rest of the AL East.

I'd buy tickets if they played at RFK.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Tampa says the field won’t be ready for opening day. I assume they’ll share Miami.

Crowd control nightmare

I think they could play at the same time as the Marlins and the stadium could accommodate all the fans of all 4 clubs, unless it was the Yankees or another team with a big road fanbase.

[OfftheBat]

Nah . . .  Montreal has the Olympic Stadium and it is closer to the rest of the AL East.

I'd buy tickets if they played at RFK.

Good point, however the provincial government of Quebec decided to do renovations to the Olympic Stadium this year. Renovations won't be done until 2027-- bad timing for baseball fans in Montreal.

I think that the Rays will probably play in some minor league facility for the start of the 2025 season.

[imref]

Nah . . .  Montreal has the Olympic Stadium and it is closer to the rest of the AL East.

I'd buy tickets if they played at RFK.

RFK is in worse shape than the Trop.

I wonder if the Super Dome would be an option?

[varoadking]

Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees have a great spring training facility in Tampa...they wouldn't even have to add any seats...maybe take some out...

[imref]

Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees have a great spring training facility in Tampa...they wouldn't even have to add any seats...maybe take some out...

11,000 seats. That would certainly work if MLB and the MLBPA would approve it.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

IIRC, the Rays have a pretty good TV deal. They averaged 16,500 this year, 17700 in 2023 and around 14000 in 2022. If they add some temporary stands for another 2000 seats or so, the Yankees ballpark might do. One thing that happens is, if you aren't guaranteed a day of the game seat, then you buy season tickets. They Rays could probably jack up prices if they wanted.

[machpost]

RFK is in worse shape than the Trop.

I wonder if the Super Dome would be an option?

The Alamodome in San Antonio is also convertible to baseball configuration:


And I wonder where Jim Bowden got that "nine figures" number for the repair of Tropicana Field's roof.

[machpost]

IIRC, the Rays have a pretty good TV deal.

They are one of the teams that Bally Sports has dumped after this season: https://www.wusf.org/sports/2024-10-03/ballys-plans-to-drop-tampa-bay-rays-broadcats

[Natsinpwc]

I think the problem with an outdoor park is the summer heat and rain every afternoon and/or early evening. Maybe the Disney stadium in Orlando for some games?

[OfftheBat]

The Alamodome in San Antonio is also convertible to baseball configuration:


And I wonder where Jim Bowden got that "nine figures" number for the repair of Tropicana Field's roof.

Maybe he got that number from Montreal? The official announced budget is approx. CAD $1Billion so around USD $725M, i.e. nine figures, to repair the Big O's roof; they just got started repairing it this past Summer.

[Slateman]

Put them in the Coliseum

[nfotiu]

IIRC, the Rays have a pretty good TV deal. They averaged 16,500 this year, 17700 in 2023 and around 14000 in 2022. If they add some temporary stands for another 2000 seats or so, the Yankees ballpark might do. One thing that happens is, if you aren't guaranteed a day of the game seat, then you buy season tickets. They Rays could probably jack up prices if they wanted.

They are one of the teams losing their Bally's TV deal this year.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Maybe try out Charlotte or Nashville in a minor league stadium?

They have a deal in place with St Pete for a new stadium, right? I suppose they could play in port charlotte where they have a facility while the new stadium is built. Seems like a waste of money to repair the trop roof if the trop is already doomed.

[Senatorswin]

Maybe try out Charlotte or Nashville in a minor league stadium?

They have a deal in place with St Pete for a new stadium, right? I suppose they could play in port charlotte where they have a facility while the new stadium is built. Seems like a waste of money to repair the trop roof if the trop is already doomed.

I agree. Seems crazy to spend money like that to repair a stadium that will only be used a few years.

[blue911]

Hiram Bithorn is available.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Hiram Bithorn is available.

play there and 15 years later the world series is a lock.

[Elvir Ovcina]

Maybe try out Charlotte or Nashville in a minor league stadium?

They have a deal in place with St Pete for a new stadium, right? I suppose they could play in port charlotte where they have a facility while the new stadium is built. Seems like a waste of money to repair the trop roof if the trop is already doomed.

The Rangers' old stadium still exists as well and hasn't been radically reconfigured (unlike Turner Field), but it's right next door to the current one.  I suspect it'll be Miami at least for every series that doesn't conflict with the Marlins. 

But this is not likely a 2025-only issue, so something near Tampa Bay or in Central Florida is going to get renovated or expanded for the next couple of years.  The Rays used the Disney park for ST a couple years ago and it has no permanent tenant, so they could do construction all summer if they wanted.

[Count Walewski]

I know when I was growing up in Chicago, the Cubs and White Sox were never allowed to have home games at the same time so that one team could use the other's stadium in an emergency. And this was actually invoked once where Wrigley Field had a problem with concrete falling from the ceiling and the Cubs played a few home games at US Cellular Field. I also know that, these days, that rule is gone and both teams definitely have home games on the same day all the time now.

I assume there is no such rule in Florida and that the Rays have some home games on the same day as the Marlins do. If the Trop is truly unusable (and it sounds like it is) then the Rays are going to have multiple home stadiums this year, none in Tampa Bay.