Where Will The Tampa Bay Rays Play?

[@choatican]

The Alamodome would work. Its America's backup sports venue for hurricane disasters.

[@pb4ugo19]

Steinbrenner field makes the most sense. They also have fields across the street they can utilize. Work something out w/ the city & the Yankees. Keeping them in Tampa is their best bet.

[@baseballamerica]

There are definitely benefits from a market and traffic flow perspective.

[@BobThompson-y9p]

It is unlikely that insurance is going to pay a lot for the roof. The roof was in bad shape and was only supposed to last for 25 years. It had lasted 34 years, so it will be considered as having little value. Think of how much money from insurance you would get for a 34 year old car. The Dunedin complex for the Blue Jays has covered field for batting practice and covered pitching mounds, it is newly built.

[@BachBeethovenBerg]

Brodie Brazil did a video showing slits and cracks and patchwork in the roof before the hurricane from this past season. One slit would probably have been enough to start the process of the roof shredding during the hurricane. I kind of wonder if the state of disrepair prior will disqualify insurance. I can't image the insurance company didn't know about it already...

[@NicEeEe843]

It’ll get paid, just might not be worth it in general to do so in the first place

[@FloridaManPat]

Come to Orlando!!

[@rdh11201]

I would wager that the Trop is ultimately declared a total loss. Once they fully assess the structural damage to the roof support systems, the ancillary water damage to foundation, electrical, HVAC, potential mold sources, etc., they'll say it's way beyond a new roof. It can't be deemed "worth" saving for eventual razing in just a couple of years. Forget about any part of the 2025 season--the question is can this building even be reopened for 2026? It's hard to imagine that a repaired Trop for '26 and '27 is the best available solution. (Although given the nature of these things, '28 might already have been a bit optimistic for the new building.) The insurance company and the policyholders might cut a deal that makes more sense for all by NOT repairing the building--which will likely cost far in excess of the insurance benefit here. Marc has skillfully reported that the team is liable for any costs not covered by insurance. Do we really think they'll put more money into this dump while financing construction of the new stadium and village/whatever? Maybe in an odd way it can speed up the completion of the new stadium. But if you've ever dealt with a storm related property insurance claim--this will take a while (by deliberate design). As in, next calendar year at the earliest just to settle the claim. Does anyone know who their main insurer is? You know, one 'could' theoretically imagine an 'all of MLB' solution to a real crisis like this where the Rays got some kind of special cash support or other collectively sourced dispensation for being homeless due to an act of God--but the Oakland situation makes that impossible doesn't it? The corporate sponsorship and suite revenue are HUGE deal that not many others are mentioning so thanks for that. This is a fascinating story. Please keep us updated. Great video.

[@dougfowler1368]

Agreed, this isn’t a hailstorm damaging a roof and you get a new one. I'd be worried about the struts. Politically, too, why rebuild when the whole area needs help. Unless insurance pays everything and they can play this year. The Home Drpot line was great.

[@alexthebasilisk]

As a Rays fan, Montreal is the last place I’d want them to play. Bromfman conspired to try to steal the team once already

[@TOTN17]

The Roof of State Olympique is undergoing major repairs next year so it can't be used for 2025 anyway

[@jimd2791]

You guys should watch Brodie Brazil’s blogs on the Rays. One of his proposals was Oakland Coliseum. He said play the games at 3-4pm. Don’t be sure who’s responsible for the roof repairs. Some say the team is responsible for any overages above what the insurance coverages.

[@VeteranCapybara]

The Rays playing home games in Oakland would be a logistical nightmare for the rest of the AL East.

[@DIMP11]

You move Cleveland to the East, Texas and Houston to the Central and Tampa Bay (ans they would be in Oakland) and Kansas City to the West, all temporarily but maybe for 2026 and 2027 only since 2025 is already scheduled. As for 2025, Tampa (Yankees spring training field) for the early months and Buffalo for the summer months would be the best solution…..in my opinion.

[@chriss3246]

There is an airport next to Port Charlotte, FL that the rays could use if they go play at their spring training facility. It’s Punta Gorda airport PGD. Big airliners like Allegiant airlines fly in and out of there every day.

[@kellynch]

Yes, but it's an outdoor stadium. You don't want to play day games outdoors. I go to minor league games in Bradenton, and even night games in July and August are brutal. And this doesn't even include the fact that it rains almost every afternoon.

[@masashi_tashiro]

Port Charlotte is perfectly fine as a spring training location. It is utterly unsuitable as a temporary, season-long home of a displaced MLB franchise.

[@dougfowler1368]

Why hasn't anyone mentioned college stadiums? Am I spoiled by Ohio State? I'd think they'd have bigger stadiums with more of what they need plus motels, community size, etc. Just put up a screen a la the Dodgers in the Coliseum and you can use a football one. The point about the Bucs shows football may be easier. But I'd think they'd have good baseball ones, too.

[@travisn346]

The challenge here in Tampa is the weather. The heat, humidity and thunderstorms are brutal from May through mid October. Even with a covering, the humidity is a deal breaker. The Bucs home games in September are tough to sit through.

[@wi54725]

MLB wants the team to play east of the Mississippi River, and they want them to play where the possibility of 20 games delayed by rain and 10 postponed won't be there. I have heard from baseball people that Truist Field in Charlotte is out due to it being too overly hitter friendly, even more than in Denver. It looks like the option number one is Nashville, where MLB makes no secret that the Music City is their number one location for expansion, unless Dave Stewart's investment group buys the White Sox and moves them to Nashville. Rays' front office personnel visited Nashville multiple times when it was looking like they would not secure a new stadium deal. First Horizon Park in Nashville is one of the five best AAA facilities, but it only seats 10K, of which 1,500 are on a grass berm in left-center field. That park can be expanded by 5,000 to 7,500 with the installation of temporary outfield bleachers. Option number two is ironically Chicago at The 78 campus, where Jerry Reinsdorf wants to have Chicago build him a new stadium. A baseball field has been constructed on the site to be an example for how great a new park in the South Loop area could be. Temporary seating could be installed to provide 15-16K seats. But, both the Cubs and White Sox would have to approve. In breaking news today, the planned developer of The 78 development pulled out of the deal today. I am perplexed as to why the Louisiana Superdome hasn't been considered. Baseball has been played there, and the dimensions were not squeezed like in makeshift venues. I think it was 325-421-325 dimensions. Of course, there has to be a reason why the city lost its AAA minor league team and hasn't had pro baseball since 2019. I'd say Nashville is the best option, and it can be a great gauge for potential expansion or for a Nashville White Sox team in 2028 or 2029. Ironically, there was a Negro League Nashville White Sox in 1920.

[@Matthew6248]

A renovation to the Superdome made it a mainly football only stadium

[@Art_V101]

Pointless to repair anything,play three years at ESPN,add some bleachers and start building the new stadium asap!!

[@TOTN17]

If the new stadium is still to go ahead then I would have the Rays play in Buffalo for 2025 as Sahlen Field was upgraded for the Jays a few years ago cause of covid from 2026 until the new stadium is built have the Rays groundshare LoanDepot Park with the Marlins

[@NicEeEe843]

Bruh and just rip the team away from Tampa?

[@baseballamerica]

I think they will try to stay in market or close to the market if at all possible. If the Rays go to somewhere like Buffalo, it's going to significantly reduce the amount of attention the team gets in the Tampa/St. Pete market for the next couple of years.

[@DIMP11]

Stay in Tampa until mid June and then Buffalo to end the season. They should do this each of next few years until new stadium is built. This way they stay relevant and partial. If Montreal's stadium is available as of 2026, maybe sub them in for the Buffalo portion of the schedule.

[@pocketfullgold]

Baseball is a total disaster in Florida. Move both teams out. And people thought that crappy stadium could withstand a hurricane? How dumb can you be?

[@theblackhood4812]

We’d love to have them in Oakland so we can further prove to MLB they fucked us over letting Fisher abandon us, without question we’d pull through and show why we deserve to have Major League Baseball in Oakland

[@NicEeEe843]

Oakland didn’t just lose baseball because of John, it lost all its teams because it’s a city in disarray and complete shambles. I feel for the city, but these teams aren’t going to get new stadiums in a completely now ghetto city. I wish it wasn’t that way but it is

[@GravityFalloutPines]

They should sell to Joe Lacob who can play in the Colosseum until a new ballpark is built in the Bay Area and Tampa Bay can be an expansion team when they're ballpark is ready😊

[@SpencerRogers-ku3gr]

No goddamned way.

[@dragongeraldb]

I know, let them move so our community can fix St.Pete.

[@Octopusmaster]

Move next door when the new Stadium is built. 😊

[@njmaxrocks]

This is just the next step towards permanent relocation to Charlotte or Orlando

[@SpencerRogers-ku3gr]

The team needs to be relocated to Tampa. No more attendance issues.

[@baseballamerica]

They just signed a stadium deal that keeps them in St. Pete for decades

[@TOTN17]

@@baseballamerica The Fallout from Hurricane Milton could see those plans cancelled

[@weatherlou]

@@TOTN17unlikely…that’s not how business deals work…

[@tleblanc349]

Is there any talk of the rays and MLB doing a deal to lease Raymond James and configure it for baseball

[@juanguerrero1468]

Let face it. Rays are not playing in the trop. anymore, it's ironic that the A's and rays , who had stadium issues are in this situation

[@baseballamerica]

The irony is that this happened right after the Rays locked up a long term stadium solution.

[@JJCooper36]

So where would you all like to see the Rays play while their home park is repaired?

[@daviejz6698]

Montreal.

[@stevep8445]

@@daviejz6698not an option. They are replacing the roof and doing other upgrades. Montreal won’t be available for 4 years

[@ChrisDavis-zt6zb]

There has been a lot of talk here in NC about the Rays coming to play at the ballpark of their AAA affiliate in Durham. I'd love to see that happen but I think the chances are pretty much non existent. If I had to bet on it, the Rays will find a spring training facility in Florida to use for a few seasons.

[@kellynch]

@@ChrisDavis-zt6zb A lot of the spring training stadiums are used for minor league affiliates. I can think of 3 in the Tampa Bay area that are not: Port Charlotte (the Rays' own ST stadium), Ed Smith (Sarasota - where the Orioles play ST) and North Port (where the Braves play ST). But they're all open air stadiums and it rains here in the afternoon. A lot.

[@ChrisDavis-zt6zb]

@@kellynch Understood. I'm sure weather is a factor in all of this due to intense summer heat and the rainouts that will likely happen. It all makes sense. My dream would be for the Rays to play in Durham NC for 3 seasons while the new ballpark is built in St. Petersburg but it's exactly that- just a dream. I'm sure the Rays organization will do everything they can to keep the team in Florida and rightfully so. If I were betting on it, they'll find someplace. It will be interesting to see what they eventually come up with.

[@AW-dq2oo]

Fort Myers makes sense

[@tleblanc349]

JetBlue

[@sen6728]

I hear Oakland needs a new baseball team!

[@CurtisDavis-ok1eq]

Ha, Predictable!

[@VeteranCapybara]

Anywhere they play will be nicer than The Trop

[@mikeh1242]

its too hot and humid there

[@johnlembo7894]

Why does it take this guy five minutes to ask a question? Spit it out, dude.

[@mikeh1242]

The scoreboard was a joke anyway

[@gerardosantiago3960]

Miami r san juan r dominican republic national stadium r orlando

[@waynestein3081]

Knock down trop build new stadium there and still nobody will show up and play at steinbrenner field make yankees visiting team

[@weatherlou]

…and would still be 80% Yankees fans as there are more of those in Tampa anyways!😂

[@JimH-ey4ov]

Who cares? Maybe they could take over Target (Budget) Field now that the Twins are officially a little league bunch of has beens! Seriously, they could move to Siberia or Tibet or Uganda.

[@toddcribbs6844]

I've seen so many of these videos about the Tampa Bay Rays stadium I'm getting really sick of this stuff quit it because number one they're going to have a new stadium in St Petersburg so delete this video

[@baseballamerica]

We talked about the new stadium for 2028. But there is a very important question of where they will play in 2025-2027.