Author Topic: So where do the Rays play after Milton?  (Read 925 times)

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Offline Elvir Ovcina

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #25: October 17, 2024, 07:49:06 PM »
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.

They have 49 overlapping home dates, so it's more than half.  It's not a great situation.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #26: October 18, 2024, 08:56:36 AM »
They have 49 overlapping home dates, so it's more than half.  It's not a great situation.
as long as they can play the yankees, red sox, cubs, and dodgers in a big stadium, they could probably handle their normal draws in a minor league stadium, especially midweek.

Offline machpost

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #27: October 18, 2024, 09:14:58 AM »
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.
That stadium at Disney is a real gem. One of the better throwback designs in my opinion, but capacity is tiny at 7,500 and in my experience it was a nightmare getting in and out of there traffic wise during spring training games. I think it would take a ton of investment to get it up to MLB standards.

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #28: October 18, 2024, 09:19:05 AM »
That would so great if they played here.

Offline Dave in Fairfax

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #29: October 18, 2024, 03:58:02 PM »
I think if it's a choice between playing in an empty stadium in Miami and playing in a lower capacity stadium where their fans could actually attend, the Rays would prefer the latter. So that makes Steinbrenner (11,000), Ed Smith (8,500) and Joker Marchant (8,500) the best choices. The summer weather, both heat and unpredictability, is the bigger issue.

Offline varoadking

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #30: October 18, 2024, 04:19:54 PM »
I think if it's a choice between playing in an empty stadium in Miami and playing in a lower capacity stadium where their fans could actually attend, the Rays would prefer the latter. So that makes Steinbrenner (11,000), Ed Smith (8,500) and Joker Marchant (8,500) the best choices. The summer weather, both heat and unpredictability, is the bigger issue.

Steinbrenner makes all the sense in the world...just have to do something with the A ball Tarpons that play there...

Offline welch

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #31: October 18, 2024, 04:24:37 PM »
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.

Rays can plat a 1pm day-game in Miami if they collide.

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #32: October 18, 2024, 05:47:32 PM »
Rays can plat a 1pm day-game in Miami if they collide.
They would be better off going to Charlotte or Nashville. Similar to what the NO team did after Katrina hit. Places are starving for MLB.

Online imref

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #33: October 25, 2024, 10:27:57 AM »
Manfred wants to use a spring training or minor league site near Tampa if the Rays can't open the season at home:
https://www.wtsp.com/article/sports/mlb/rays/where-will-rays-play-tropicana-field-damage-hurricane-milton-update-tampa-bay/67-f287af36-0fa6-4eb3-a74c-b7ac6ce6af88

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #34: October 25, 2024, 10:38:19 AM »
A minor league park is probably ok for a year. But there will be lots of rainouts and unhappy players and fans in the heat and humidity when it doesn’t rain. For instance MLB has long had the ESPN game as the only one on Sunday night. Are they really going to make the Rays play outdoors on a Sunday afternoon?  And then what happens until the new stadium is ready.  Says 2028 now but that could slip. Looks like they will need to repair.

Online HalfSmokes

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #35: October 25, 2024, 10:42:37 AM »
The brokest team in baseball is not paying hundreds of millions to fix a park for a couple of years.

Online imref

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #36: October 25, 2024, 10:59:02 AM »
There are a lot of unknowns right now:
- Cost of repair
- Insurance coverage
- Time to repair

It is entirely possible that they could come up with some sort of temporary repair that gets them back into the Trop at some point in 2025.

Online HalfSmokes

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #37: October 25, 2024, 11:02:41 AM »
I want them in a spring trading facility just for the hilarity of one team in a aaa park, one in a spring training park, half the teams with no tv deals and the richest three or four teams falling over themselves to sign a player to a half a billion dollar deal

Online imref

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #38: November 07, 2024, 09:47:59 AM »
Looks like they may try and play some games in the stadium without repairing the roof. Via MLBTR:

Quote
The city of St. Petersburg took a step toward potentially fixing up the stadium recently, however, asJohn Romano of the Tampa Bay Times writes that the St. Pete city council agreed last week to spend up to $6MM in order to create a temporary drainage system and waterproof exposed areas of the stadium. Romano adds that this mitigation process figures to take up to eight weeks, though the process (and the related spending) could be halted if the stadium is declared impossible to salvage

There's no drainage system so if it rains, there's nowhere for the water on the field to go. This might be a temporary fix in lieu of fixing the roof that could allow them to play some games in the park. Full repair estimate is $39 million, so that's not going to happen.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #39: November 07, 2024, 10:18:17 AM »
Looks like they may try and play some games in the stadium without repairing the roof. Via MLBTR:

There's no drainage system so if it rains, there's nowhere for the water on the field to go. This might be a temporary fix in lieu of fixing the roof that could allow them to play some games in the park. Full repair estimate is $39 million, so that's not going to happen.
$39 million or $139 million? $39 million doesn't sound like that much for ballpark work.

Offline Senatorswin

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #40: November 07, 2024, 11:53:51 AM »
Looks like they may try and play some games in the stadium without repairing the roof. Via MLBTR:

There's no drainage system so if it rains, there's nowhere for the water on the field to go. This might be a temporary fix in lieu of fixing the roof that could allow them to play some games in the park. Full repair estimate is $39 million, so that's not going to happen.

Seems like a no brainer not to put a roof back on.

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #41: November 07, 2024, 12:06:44 PM »
Seems like a no brainer not to put a roof back on.
I don't think the MLBPA will allow them to play outdoors there outside for too long. Miami got away with it for years because they had good drainage.  The City is on the hook to provide an adequate facility.  And apparently they reduced their insurance coverage last year to save a few hundred thousand dollars.  I don;t think the city has a choice but to fix it.  And the deal for the new park hasn't been voted on yet. 

https://www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/where-will-rays-play-2025-major-leaguer-has-concerns-over-outdoor-venues-1980138

https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2024/11/4/24286903/rays-tropicana-field-repair#:~:text=The%20same%20article%20says%20the,they%20could%20have%20had%20more.

Online imref

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #42: November 07, 2024, 01:00:16 PM »

Offline machpost

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Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #44: November 12, 2024, 08:24:44 PM »
https://www.tampabay.com/sports/2024/11/12/tropicana-field-damage-assessment-st-petersburg-city-council-hennessy-construction/

$56 million.  Sounds like support is being lost for the new stadium based on reading this.

Online imref

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #45: November 12, 2024, 08:35:10 PM »
😳

Offline Senatorswin

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #46: November 12, 2024, 08:53:42 PM »
https://www.tampabay.com/sports/2024/11/12/tropicana-field-damage-assessment-st-petersburg-city-council-hennessy-construction/

$56 million.  Sounds like support is being lost for the new stadium based on reading this.


Wow, if they don't approve the bonds to build the new stadium you would think that's the end of baseball in Tampa/St. Pete. It would also delay any expansion since it's believed there will be no expansion until Oakland, which has been settled, and Tampa are settled.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #47: Yesterday at 09:52:59 AM »
https://www.tampabay.com/sports/2024/11/12/tropicana-field-damage-assessment-st-petersburg-city-council-hennessy-construction/

$56 million.  Sounds like support is being lost for the new stadium based on reading this.

it's insured, so it may be the county is out less than $25 million.

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #48: Yesterday at 10:37:08 AM »
it's insured, so it may be the county is out less than $25 million.
The deductible is $22 million.  They had higher coverage but chose to lower it to save a couple hundred thousand. 

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2024/11/05/800043.htm

"Local news outlets reported that St. Petersburg, home of the Tampa Bay Rays and the domed Tropicana Field, in March reduced the policy limits on the stadium from $100 million to $25 million. The reduction, along with a $22 million deductible, saved the city about $275,000 in annual premiums, WUSF public radio reported."

Online HalfSmokes

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Re: So where do the Rays play after Milton?
« Reply #49: Yesterday at 10:44:47 AM »
25 million with a 22 million deductible? they were actually paying for 3 million in coverage? That's can't be right?