The baseball offseason is still on the horizon, yet speculation is already swirling around one of the season’s major free agents: the Tampa Bay Rays.
Due to damage from Hurricane Milton, the Rays will not be able to kick off the 2025 season at Tropicana Field—their home since 1998. Now, two main questions linger: how long until repairs are complete, and does St. Petersburg, the stadium’s owner, have the resources and resolve to fix the damage?
Heads Up: A Possible Rays Relocation Site Has Been Dropped from Consideration.
While the long-term fate of Tropicana remains uncertain, it’s clear that the Rays need an alternative home in the short term.
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This situation has sparked discussions about potential relocation spots for the team.
Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala has suggested that the team remains in Pinellas County.
On the other hand, Philadelphia 76ers executive Daryl Morey threw out an idea for a Canadian move, tweeting: “I say Toronto to complete the home swap agreement with the Raptors,” referencing the Raptors’ temporary stay in Tampa during the 2020 NBA season.
I say Toronto to complete the home swap agreement with the Raptors
— Daryl Morey 🗽🏀 (@dmorey) October 16, 2024
Meanwhile, an opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune floated the idea of a new stadium that would add a third Major League Baseball team to Chicago, alongside the Cubs and White Sox.
Paul Sullivan suggested creating a temporary baseball venue on The 78, a 62-acre site in the South Loop, which could host around 12,000 fans if the Rays, MLB, Chicago, and developers could collaborate effectively.
This proposal comes on the heels of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium confirming it won’t be available for use in 2025.
Fair Warning: Rays May Not Get Tropicana Field Repaired in Time for the 2025 Season.
“Until 2028, the field will be within a construction zone and not open to the public,” stadium communications officer Anik Parisé informed the Tampa Bay Times via email.
Previously, Montreal was viewed as a potential destination for the Rays due to a 2019 proposal of a “sister city” partnership, which would have seen the team sharing its games between Tampa and Montreal. However, MLB ultimately nixed that plan.