Could the Tampa Bay Rays Need an Alternate Home For 2025 Season?

The roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays MLB team, was torn off by Hurricane Milton's powerful winds. Satellite imagery from Maxar shows the destruction on Oct. 10, 2024. / Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For reference: A recent article in 'The Athletic' indicated that the Minnesota Twins needed five months to repair the old Metrodome after it was damaged by snow in 2010. Even at that timeline, which isn't necessarily the same, the Rays would be pushing the ability to make it back to Tropicana Field by Opening Day next season.

Further complicating the matter is that the Rays are planning on playing in a new stadium in 2028, so there really isn't the motivation to fix up the stadium for just a few years of play, especially if the price tag grows on this fix.

So what are the options for the Rays if they don't want to fix the stadium or can't return there?

1) The Rays could play some games at their spring training facility in Port Charlotte, but that's only a 7,500 capacity park. Even with the modest crowds that the Rays get, that's not enough. However, we did see the Toronto Blue Jays play a portion of the 2021 season at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla, because of COVID concerns in Canada.

This state-of-the-art facility features a 360 degree fan-friendly pedestrian concourse, a luxury hospitality suite level, two outfield berms, a children’s play area, an outfield bar, and practice fields. The stadium seating capacity is approximately 7,500.

There is the reported ability to add more seats at this facility to make it more than 10,000.

2) The Rays could play in Durham for the season and utilize their Triple-A facility (Durham Bulls) while displacing the Bulls somewhere else. That ballpark has a capacity of 10,000. The Blue Jays also played a portion of 2021 in Buffalo in their Triple-A facility, so there is precedent.

3) An article from the Sporting News suggests that the Rays could potentially play in Tampa at the Yankees spring training facility as well. That seats more than 11,000. The problem with these outdoor venues is the insane heat in Florida, which could make it extremely difficult to play in and draw fans to the ballpark.