Tropicana Field deemed unplayable, so Rays will play 2025 in a spring training stadium

In October, most of Florida was ravaged by Hurricane Milton. The Greater Tampa Bay area was one of the places hit the hardest by the tropical storm, and the damage caused to Tropicana Field, the home of the Rays (located in St. Petersburg), meant that the viability of the stadium for the 2025 season was up in the air.

Recently, the team has officially decided that "The Trop" will be unplayable next year, unveiling a repair plan that should restore the park by 2026. However, that means the Rays will need a home for next season, and a home they have found.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays will actually play in Tampa next season. The team has reportedly reached an agreement with the New York Yankees to play at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is the spring training venue of the Bronx Bombers.

The stadium is the largest of all spring training parks, seating upwards of 11,026 people. It comes equipped with 13 suites and a host of other amenities that were introduced during a $40 million renovation in 2017.

For a temporary, one-year hiatus away from home, the Rays probably could have done worse. Actually playing in the city listed on their jerseys is sure to bring some goodwill to a demographic they've had trouble drawing interest from over the past few years (many Tampa residents refuse to make the trek to downtown St. Petersburg for Rays game), and Steinbrenner Field is a nicer facility than the other alternatives that had been floated around.

However, losing the enclosed "dome" aspect of Tropicana Field is sure to cause some problems, as severe weather events like heavy rain or heat waves could cause a lot of postponements and delays for the team's home games.

Fans will be quick to think of another team moving to a small capacity ballpark in 2025 when hearing this news, as the Athletics will be playing in Sutter Health Park in Sacramento while awaiting the erection of their new permanent home in Las Vegas. While it's unfortunate that the MLB will have two teams playing in substandard stadiums next season, the circumstances are vastly different.

The Rays have been forced out of their home due to a natural disaster, and moved quickly to locate a suitable solution that kept them in the Tampa Bay area, despite others calling for them to look for residence elsewhere. The A's, meanwhile, were pulled out of their home in Oakland by an avaricious, neglectful owner who evidently remains more interested in his bottom line than fielding a competitive team or respecting the fans who drive revenue for the franchise.

Nevertheless, assuming all interested parties sign off on the Rays' temporary home, all stadium disputes will have been settled for the 2025 season. Hopefully, come 2026, Tropicana Field will be up and running again, with a few improvements to help bring fans back to the team's games.

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