Where will the Tampa Bay Rays play in 2025

[Motor City Sonics]

There is no perfect choice, but I really can't see them spending 9 figures to fix a stadium they are leaving in 3 years and they can't "remove" the roof because they have no drainage system and it rains in Western Florida almost daily in the Summer  (it did when I lived in Naples.....lightning storms every single day around 3-5 pm)

[Motor City Sonics]

My first choice would be the Yankees minor league park in Tampa.   Rays draw about 16 K and it's a 10K that I read somewhere could be expanded to 12-13 K capacity.   

But here's the problem.   Sharing.   I guess MLB could ask the Yankees (and have the Rays pay them) to have the minor league team alter their schedule to accommodate the already scheduled Rays. 

They can't ask the minor leaguers to play in the Florida sun all season.   

I guess the best/easiest option would be to have the Rays play in Miami and have to play a day game when the Marlins have a night game.  At least they can close the roof

Having them play in Oakland would be very embarrassing for MLB, so they won't do that.    I am guessing that Montreal's Olympic stadium would need a lot of work - and fast - to host a team.  What's been the upkeep the last 20 years?    There could be unforeseen border-crossing issues too.   

They could kind of do what the Blue Jays did in 2020 or what the A's are doing next year in their own minor league team's stadium. 

Nashville really wants a MLB team.    Maybe they could sort of "audition" for a team.  If that was the case, they might sell out almost every night and give the Rays the vibe they never get at the Trop.        But two MLB teams playing in Minor League stadiums could get embarrassing. 

Or - another interesting option would be the travelling road show, having the Rays play in several different locations (including Indy and Charlotte)   But that seems like it would be an incredibly unfair burden to those players.   

I've always liked the idea of MLB games being played in some neutral non-MLB cities.   Every team having a home and a road series at a non-MLB city, but owners sure wouldn't want to give up that money.   

I know some money was approved for repairs on the Trop, but has it started yet?   Seems like a terrible waste of money.   But don't worry, they'll find a way to make the fans pay for that, I guess. 

I'm still a little surprised they committed to staying in Tampa.   It's a team that's got a shot every year and they deserve better than the fanbase they (don't) get.  

 

 

Edited November 9 by Motor City Sonics

[gehringer_2]

32 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

My first choice would be the Yankees minor league park in Tampa.   Rays draw about 16 K and it's a 10K that I read somewhere could be expanded to 12-13 K capacity.   

But here's the problem.   Sharing.   I guess MLB could ask the Yankees (and have the Rays pay them) to have the minor league team alter their schedule to accommodate the already scheduled Rays. 

They can't ask the minor leaguers to play in the Florida sun all season.   

They might be able to work something out where the Rays play in the Tarpons stadium and the Tarpons play some at USF (3K capacity) to resolve conflicts. My guess is that MLB will exhaust every possibility to keep the games somewhere in the Tampa area.

[1776]

There was a delay on the bond issuance to pay for the stadium recently among the commissioners in St. Pete. The unanswered questions regarding the teams home for the next three years gave the commissioners pause and they are waiting for clarity on this. 
Additionally, it appears the election is going to alter the commission’s members. I have no idea what this means for the immediate future. If I understand correctly, if the commission doesn’t vote to approve the bond issuance by the end of March the new park deal is off. So who knows where they’ll play, now or in the future. 

[Motor City Sonics]

19 hours ago, 1776 said:

There was a delay on the bond issuance to pay for the stadium recently among the commissioners in St. Pete. The unanswered questions regarding the teams home for the next three years gave the commissioners pause and they are waiting for clarity on this. 
Additionally, it appears the election is going to alter the commission’s members. I have no idea what this means for the immediate future. If I understand correctly, if the commission doesn’t vote to approve the bond issuance by the end of March the new park deal is off. So who knows where they’ll play, now or in the future. 

Nashville here we come !

[1776]

On 11/9/2024 at 2:23 PM, Motor City Sonics said:

My first choice would be the Yankees minor league park in Tampa.   Rays draw about 16 K and it's a 10K that I read somewhere could be expanded to 12-13 K capacity.   

But here's the problem.   Sharing.   I guess MLB could ask the Yankees (and have the Rays pay them) to have the minor league team alter their schedule to accommodate the already scheduled Rays. 

They can't ask the minor leaguers to play in the Florida sun all season.   

I guess the best/easiest option would be to have the Rays play in Miami and have to play a day game when the Marlins have a night game.  At least they can close the roof

Having them play in Oakland would be very embarrassing for MLB, so they won't do that.    I am guessing that Montreal's Olympic stadium would need a lot of work - and fast - to host a team.  What's been the upkeep the last 20 years?    There could be unforeseen border-crossing issues too.   

They could kind of do what the Blue Jays did in 2020 or what the A's are doing next year in their own minor league team's stadium. 

Nashville really wants a MLB team.    Maybe they could sort of "audition" for a team.  If that was the case, they might sell out almost every night and give the Rays the vibe they never get at the Trop.        But two MLB teams playing in Minor League stadiums could get embarrassing. 

Or - another interesting option would be the travelling road show, having the Rays play in several different locations (including Indy and Charlotte)   But that seems like it would be an incredibly unfair burden to those players.   

I've always liked the idea of MLB games being played in some neutral non-MLB cities.   Every team having a home and a road series at a non-MLB city, but owners sure wouldn't want to give up that money.   

I know some money was approved for repairs on the Trop, but has it started yet?   Seems like a terrible waste of money.   But don't worry, they'll find a way to make the fans pay for that, I guess. 

I'm still a little surprised they committed to staying in Tampa.   It's a team that's got a shot every year and they deserve better than the fanbase they (don't) get.  

 

 

If you have about 30 minutes to spare and are really interested in getting some good answers to the questions you posed, give this podcast a listen. The host is painful but Closky is very informative here. There are a lot of unknowns but as a local guy in the business he pretty much covers all the options and their chances of happening. Mark Topkin is another solid source for this topic. 

 

[Motor City Sonics]

It will be Steinbrenner field in 2025.  

 

The interesting thing about this, is that the stadium night after night will be mostly full and there will be something called ATMOSPHERE, something they're not used to.      This could be quite a benefit for the team in some weird ways. 

 

Largest salary on the Rays is 10 million,  but the Rays are paying 15 million to play there.  

 

[theroundsquare]

It sounds like the $15M is coming from sources other than the Rays 

[oblong]

It's right across the street from where the Bucs play so traffic shouldn't be a problem locally.  It's a nice complex.  I was there in July of last year for a game that was eventually never played but we hung out and ate and walked around.  They recreated the Yankee monuments outside.  I was really looking forward to watching a game because the stadium is nice.  It looked like a mini major league stadium.  They have murals on the cement walls in the concourse of great Yankees.  

[Motor City Sonics]

Just now, oblong said:

It's right across the street from where the Bucs play so traffic shouldn't be a problem locally.  It's a nice complex.  I was there in July of last year for a game that was eventually never played but we hung out and ate and walked around.  They recreated the Yankee monuments outside.  I was really looking forward to watching a game because the stadium is nice.  It looked like a mini major league stadium.  They have murals on the cement walls in the concourse of great Yankees.  

Even though it's a minor league stadium, it's a WAY better atmosphere than the mausoleum they normally play in.   The biggest problem is, and I only lived in West Florida (Naples) for one Summer, but it stormed nearly every day.   The humidity off the Gulf builds so much it just bursts.  Amazing lightning storms (Hence: Tampa Bay Lightning).   They usually hit around 3 or 4 pm and then are done within 30-45 minutes, but then it gets even more humid.   So there is a high potential of rainouts or swampy field conditions from heavy rains, but I am sure all those minor league parks in FLA have top notch drainage systems.    Have they said where the Tarpons are going to play?   Can't make them play a bunch of day games in that heat?   I mean, they're young guys in top condition and a lot of the Latin American players are used to that, but that's a bit unfair to them.       

It was the best of all possible outcomes.   The only other viable situation, to me, was having them share Miami's stadium, but then you're moving the team away from it's (limited) fanbase.    

 

What would the Tigers do in a similar situation?    Toledo?      Can't retrofit Ford Field (at least I don't think so).    Wayne State's baseball field seats about 400.    

Was the Trop the last of that type of dome, that type of roof?      Seems like all the other indoor stadiums are retractable roof now.    

[1776]

Definitely looking bad for a Rays future in Florida. 

https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/tampa-bay-rays-get-horrible-news-new-stadium-deal-could-be-dead-leading-to-future-uncertainty-possible-relocation

[Motor City Sonics]

3 minutes ago, 1776 said:

Definitely looking bad for a Rays future in Florida. 

https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/tampa-bay-rays-get-horrible-news-new-stadium-deal-could-be-dead-leading-to-future-uncertainty-possible-relocation

Nashville is going to get their team.   

How crazy would it be if the Rays ended up playing in Oakland for a few years?  

Because if this deal is dead, MLB needs to decide in 2025 where this team is going and then start building a stadium somewhere, which means there is the potential for TWO major league franchises to be playing in minor league stadiums for at least the next 3 years.  

Nashville would certainly be at the top of the list for a permanent home.     You can bring up Salt Lake City,  Charlotte as the two other leading contenders.   After that you start coming up with some problematic places like Montreal, with a weaker Canadian dollar (although I have the sense that won't be the case in a couple of years).    Portland is a political nightmare.   They protest everything there, and as long as all drugs are decriminalized there is going to be a gigantic homeless problem and MLB will not go there because of that.  I think Indianapolis is a great spot, but the Cardinals, Cubs and Reds will never allow it. Northern New Jersey has the population and money but the Yankees, Phillies and Mets would block that.   So if baseball really wants to expand they have to solve the A's and Rays problems and probably need to start thinking about the Marlins and White Sox too.    To me, any expansion in the near future takes a hit if the Rays leave Florida.  

But hey, but nobody, I mean NOBODY saw issues with the A's and Rays coming, right?    

[Motor City Sonics]

The dream of mine is the Tampa Bay Rays move to Charlotte and Mrs. Garrett becomes their logo 

 

[gehringer_2]

31 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

Nashville is going to get their team.   

How crazy would it be if the Rays ended up playing in Oakland for a few years?  

Because if this deal is dead, MLB needs to decide in 2025 where this team is going and then start building a stadium somewhere, which means there is the potential for TWO major league franchises to be playing in minor league stadiums for at least the next 3 years.  

Nashville would certainly be at the top of the list for a permanent home.     You can bring up Salt Lake City,  Charlotte as the two other leading contenders.   After that you start coming up with some problematic places like Montreal, with a weaker Canadian dollar (although I have the sense that won't be the case in a couple of years).    Portland is a political nightmare.   They protest everything there, and as long as all drugs are decriminalized there is going to be a gigantic homeless problem and MLB will not go there because of that.  I think Indianapolis is a great spot, but the Cardinals, Cubs and Reds will never allow it. Northern New Jersey has the population and money but the Yankees, Phillies and Mets would block that.   So if baseball really wants to expand they have to solve the A's and Rays problems and probably need to start thinking about the Marlins and White Sox too.    To me, any expansion in the near future takes a hit if the Rays leave Florida.  

But hey, but nobody, I mean NOBODY saw issues with the A's and Rays coming, right?    

no issue with anything here  baseball wise but  FWIW, this Sept Oregon did roll back decriminalization 👮‍♀️. Sure though, that's only one brick in a wall of political goofy out there in terms of something like a stadium project. They've already had lots of money issues over the Trailblazer's arena, and that was even with Paul Allen's money doing the driving.

Edited November 16 by gehringer_2