Rays Stadium: A Stadium Conundrum

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The Tampa Bay Rays now know how much it will cost to fix Tropicana Field. It will be $56 million dollars. The city of St. Petersburg will have to find a way to come up with that money. The Rays are the tenants of Tropicana Field, and the city is the landlord. Hurricane Milton severely damaged Tropicana Field. At the time Governor Ron DeSantis had sent power linemen to stay to go out and restore power once the roof was torn off and some sides of the stadium took damage. This damage comes just shortly after the Rays got their new stadium deal done. This will now push back the new stadium’s opening and the construction’s start. It will take two years to get the stadium fixed. That means the Tampa Bay will have to find a new home.

The new stadium will cost 1.3 billion to build and is slated to open in 2028. With the stadium, there will be other developments around the stadium. Those developments will be apartments, office space, hotels, and more. Many were not for the stadium deal. There will be a county vote on the sale of stadium bonds on November 19th. That is just a few days away. Listening to local sports radio, many have asked why Stu Sternberg isn’t spending any money. He is not responsible for it. Many do not like him but at the end of the day, he knows how every penny will be spent. At this point, there has not been a word for Sternberg. The Rays are trying to find a place to play for the next two years.

It will be at a minor-league stadium at Steinbrenner Field formerly known as Legends Field. This is also home to A affiliate the Tampa Tarpons who are the affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Rays are paying the Yankees $15M for the use of the stadium. It has more seats and maybe the Rays could also add seats. It will have to be approved by the MLB and the Yankees. This would be very close to Raymond James Stadium home of the USF Bulls and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When the calendar turns to the fall, it will be interesting to see how parking will work.

The biggest question is when the repairs will start. When it comes to the cost many thought it would be more than $56 million. The city has a $25-million-dollar insurance policy on the stadium. That will factor into the cost. The team is coming off a season that many say was disappointing. This was the first time in three years the team did not make the postseason. President of Baseball Operations Eric Neander has many things on his plate. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he looking to help the Rays and gave them a deadline which they have now met. Let’s see how everything works out for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Where will the Tampa Bay Rays play in the next two years? Leave a comment below.

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