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TAMPA BAY—Despite all setbacks and delays, the Tampa Bay Rays appear firm in their stance on staying in Tampa Bay or somewhere in the vicinity. Although the deal previously in place with the city of St. Petersburg was placed on hold, options with Tampa Bay itself are likely more feasible. There has even been talk about Orlando being a possible destination.
With the ongoing repairs to Tropicana Field and the current deal in place until 2027, the Rays must desperately look for a new deal to remain in the area. The roof was torn off during a hurricane. There will likely be a new deal to remain in Tropicana Field until approximately 2029 or 2030, since it’ll take several years to come up with a new stadium plan and make a deal with either Tampa Bay or St. Petersburg.
Is it possible that the deal in place with St. Petersburg will eventually be back on track? A stadium in downtown Tampa Bay or somewhere in the outskirts of the city is a challenge given the amount of space available. A move to downtown Tampa Bay would be the preferable option in terms of accessibility and attracting more fans to a new stadium if it were possible.
The team should consider a larger stadium if at all possible. Although the team’s budget may not allow for a stadium that rivals the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, or Yankee Stadium in New York City, it should at least have a larger seating capacity than Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, or Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
Although it would be a relatively small increase in seating capacity as compared the these venues, an ideal size would be something comparable to San Diego’s Petco Park, which has a capacity of approximately 42,500 fans. The venue cost approximately 411 million dollars to complete.
Such a venue is a better and more realistic alternative than, say, Denver’s Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, which has a seating capacity of over 50,000 fans.
The city of St. Petersburg and the Rays would probably agree to something closer to a 38,000 to 39,0000 seating capacity once the parties can reach a new deal. It would be slightly larger than Fenway Park, but not necessarily come at the cost of Petco Park. Given the team’s limited budget and the challenges faced by getting Tampa Bay residents to agree to some sort of tax increase in an already expensive area, a deal fie a stadium that’s slightly smaller than Petco Park is probably the best alternative moving forward.
Although simply renovating Tropicana Field could be on the table, the venue’s location and lack of a drainage system make it unlikely that Tropicana Field will be the long-term home of the Rays. A new stadium, complete with a high-quality drainage system that compares to Progressive Field, is a must. Adding a retractable roof could be a challenge, but it may also need to be included in the plan, which will mean the new stadium will come at an already exorbitant cost. This means that a stadium of over 40,000 capacity is likely not realistic. At most, the new stadium, once agreed on by both parties, will have to be no more than 39,0000 seats.
The team doesn’t appear intent on leaving the state of Florida at all. Although there was some speculation that the Rays would consider leaving Tampa Bay to bring the Montreal Expos back, there’s little to no talk about this at this time.
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[…] the season started for the Tampa Bay Rays, the question was where they were going to play their home games. That was answered when the New […]