2. Tampa Bay Rays
Much like Rogers Centre, Tropicana Field opened in 1990 as the stadium of tomorrow. After missing luring the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants, the place was empty until 1998 for baseball.
Built away from any public transportation and in a part of St. Petersburg away from the highways, bad attendance and horrible sight lines made fans grumble for a new park ten years ago. Even with pennant-winning teams, the Rays are perennially at the bottom of American League attendance. With a lease not allowing the team to consider options away from St. Petersburg and fans staying away in droves, the future of keeping the franchise in Florida depends on a new stadium somewhere.
A roof is essential. Between the humidity and heat that Florida is known for, any new place cannot be like what the Rangers have now. Considered one of the worst playing surfaces in baseball, the Rays will never be more than a second-class franchise unable to sign free agents or keep their homegrown talent unless they have a new stadium.
With places such as Montreal hungry for baseball, here is hoping Tampa finds a solution keeping their true fans happy.
Next: Untangling NoCal's Mess