Prominent MLB Insider Says "There's No Easy Answers" For Tampa Bay Rays Ballpark Issues

According to recent reports, it seems highly unlikely (if not downright impossible) that Tropicana Field will be ready by Opening Day (March 27, 2025). The roof was blown nearly entirely off during recent Hurricane Milton and there is damage to the interior of the structure as well.

As a result, there are a number of options potentially on the table for Tampa Bay, but they all come with a degree of risk of some uncomfortable issues.

First off, fixing Tropicana Field is going to cost several millions of dollars (maybe even $100 million). Do the team and city want to foot that bill, especially when there are other more necessary things to be done in town? Furthermore, do they want to foot that bill knowing that the Rays are going to be playing in a new ballpark in 2028?

The Rays could play in a minor league stadium nearby, but there are issues about weather (Florida has notorious summer rains), schedules (other teams already play there) and seating capacity. Furthermore, as Rosenthal points out, the idea of both the A's and Rays playing in minor league stadiums is not an appealing one to Major League Baseball.

The Rays could try to play in Miami and share the stadium with the Marlins, but fan support and schedules create problems there too.

This is just one of many big questions that baseball needs to answer this offseason.

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