Tropicana Field unlikely to be ready for Rays’ 2025 opener?
Sep 6, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Rays sound increasingly likely to need a new home, at least temporarily, for part of the 2025 season.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times wrote this week that it “seems certain” that Tropicana Field will not be ready for play for the scheduled March 27 home opener. Topkin notes that assessing damage to the interior of the stadium has been difficult due to safety concerns, as there are questions about the structural integrity of the struts that held the roof in place. There are indications of other damage inside the buildings, including roofs removed from team offices.
The teflon roof of the stadium was effectively destroyed last week by the high winds of Hurricane Milton.
As a result, it is difficult for the Rays to begin making decisions on where they will play next season. The team does not yet have a clear idea of whether they will need a home on a temporary basis, or possibly for the entire season and beyond. That decision will have to be made before the start of the season, and will have to take a lot of considerations into account. While there are an abundance of spring training and minor league stadiums in central Florida, none have a roof, and most would require some upgrades to host an MLB team for a lengthy period.
The Rays are planning to move into a new stadium in St. Petersburg for the 2028 season. That has raised questions about whether the team will even bother returning to Tropicana Field depending on the severity of the damage.
