The Tampa Bay Rays I don't have a home for the 2025 season. Tropicana Field was destroyed by Hurricane Milton on October 9th. The roof was completely destroyed, meaning repairs would cost more than $55 million. Even the city of St. Petersburg decides to do this The stadium will not reopen until 2026says the city council report. That means the Rays will be without a ballpark next year and possibly in 2026 and 2027, and a planned new stadium won't open until 2028.
So here's the question: Where do the Rays play now?
Keep in mind that most spring training facilities are used by minors year-round and use of these parks would obviously require a revision to the schedules of affected MiLB teams. It's a chore, but ultimately that's what it is The product is at the top of the food chain and receives first place.
Here are some reasonable options.
BayCare Ballpark (Phillies Spring Training/Class A)
The favorite is here assuming a deal can be negotiated with the Phillies, and generally commissioner Rob Manfred would step in and force a deal if it's in baseball's best interest.
This ballpark is located in Clearwater, in the Tampa Bay area, making it geographically appropriate. The capacity is only 8,500 and the facilities will not be up to par Players, but we won't have full MLB-sized stadiums here ready to be thrown into the mix. It’s a “take what you can get” scenario.
A Tampa Bay Times report notes that Pinellas County politicians would prefer the Rays stay in the county, making Clearwater the best option.
Steinbrennerfeld (Yankees Spring Training/Class A)
This actually seats over 11,000 people and is located on the Tampa side of the bay, which we've heard for years would increase attendance. If you've ever flown over Raymond James Stadium – home of the Buccaneers – You saw that ballpark across the street.
This isn't in Pinellas County, so the location may not matter to the people paying to repair and rebuild the Rays' ballpark, but otherwise it would be a good fit.
TD Baseball Stadium (Blue Jays Spring Training/Class A)
We've already seen Major League Baseball here when the Blue Jays couldn't play in Canada during COVID before temporarily moving to Buffalo. The ballpark seats 8,500 people and is located very close to the Trop (just over 20 miles away). Located just north of Clearwater, Dunedin satisfies the desire to move within the county.
LECOM Park (Pirates Spring Training/Class A)
The Pirates' spring home is in Bradenton, at the southern end of Tampa Bay and about a half-hour drive from the Trop, mostly via the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Perhaps one downside here is that this ballpark is incredibly old. It was built in 1923 and has been renovated several times, most recently in 2013. It seats 8,500 (apparently a very popular number).
Charlotte Sports Park (Rays Spring Training/Class A)
A decline in attendance as it only seats 7,670. Of course, a big plus point about this stadium would be that it is the Rays' spring training home, so there would be no need to move after the transition to the regular season. However, it is much further south, in the Port Charlotte area, which is almost equivalent to Fort Myers. It is about 80 miles from Tropicana Field.
However, given that the facility belongs to the Rays, this cannot be ignored. It might actually be more likely than LECOM, even if the latter is much closer to Tampa Bay.
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (Orlando)
The big plus here is that it's non-sociable, so there's no need to play minor league musical chairs. The park is also set up for spring training and minor league games, so temporarily accommodating the Rays for the regular season wouldn't be a huge adjustment. The Brave held spring training here from 1997 to 2019, and the Rays were only there for spring training in 2023 after Charlotte Sports Park suffered hurricane damage. The ballpark is called The Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports and seats 9,500.
This is the furthest location from Tropicana Field that we mentioned, about 90 miles inland.
Montreal
No.
There is a large group of remaining Expos fans who desperately want a team back in Montreal, and the Rays front office seemed to be flirting with the city – including the crazy idea of splitting the franchise between two cities so far apart – only to then get a new baseball deal in St. Pete.
So I'm sure some would float the idea. It just doesn't make logistical sense.
