Where to Play, Ray(s)? (Part 1)

In this multi-part series, I take a look at where the Rays could play in 2025 (and beyond). Today, I look at options across Florida.

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Background:

On the evening of October 9th, 2024 a Category 3 hurricane named "Milton" hit the state of Florida near the barrier island of Siesta Key. The barrier island is fewer than 50 miles (by the way a crow flies) south of Tampa, and fewer than 35 miles to St. Petersburg. This close proximity put the home of the Tampa Bay Rays- Tropicana Field- as a staging area for lineworkers to stay ahead of the storm.

However, this being near the direct path of the hurricane ultimately led to the stadium's fiberglass roof being shred into pieces. (And the re-staging of lineworkers elsewhere.) This is in addition to extensive damage to the interior of Tropicana Field, which was likely not designed to withstand hurricane conditions after being sheltered under a roof since its opening in the Rays inaugural season of 1998.

At the current moment, it is being reported that the projections just to fix the roof itself would be in the tens of millions. That cost, in addition to how there have already been discussions about the Tampa Bay Rays relocating to a new field after their lease runs out in 2028, has led the Rays, and the MLB, to have to find a new option for a stadium in the near future (2025) and for the next few seasons (2026 and 2027).

So, where could they play?

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Option 1: LoanDepot Park (Miami, Florida)

My first option for where the Tampa Bay Rays could spend their 2024-2025 season is likely the first option most people would think of. Florida is lucky to be home to two MLB stadiums (or, I guess, one now) and this shift to playing in Miami for a year seems extremely reasonable.

This also isn't unprecedented. For two straight years, in 1974 and 1975, the New York Yankees played their home games at Shea Stadium! If a team with the prestige and history of the New York Yankees can be temporarily moved out of their ballpark during construction and renovation, a team that is less than 30 years old can do the same.

However, this would pose a number of challenges for the MLB as the schedules for both the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins have already been released for the 2025 season. This becomes a serious logistical nightmare of trying to reschedule games that present a conflict with the shared stadium. To better paint this picture, as of right now, the Rays are scheduled to play at home on March 27th, 29th, 30th, and 31st. The Miami Marlins are also scheduled to play at home on March 27th, 29th, 30th, and 31st. (And, I can only imagine how many more series and games they have overlapping throughout April to September.)

While this seems like the most obvious solution, the timing of this situation prevents this from working out. If Tropicana Field cannot be salvaged by 2026- or the Rays do not find a viable long-term option for 2026 and beyond- the sharing of LoanDepot Park could become a serious option. However, for 2025, it seems like the MLB will likely look elsewhere to avoid the scheduling headaches.

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Option 2: George M. Steinbrenner Field (Tampa, Florida)

As recently at 2020, an MLB team did not play their home games in a traditional MLB stadium. Due to precautions and restrictions surrounding COVID-19, the Toronto Blue Jays were unable to host home games at the Rogers Center for the 2020 season. Instead, they moved to Sahlen Field (Buffalo, NY) for a season, playing in their Triple-A affiliate's home ballpark.

Additionally, the MLB approved for the Oakland Athletics to play their home games at Sutter Home Park (Sacramento, CA) for three years between 2025-2027. This ballpark is usually used by the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A affiliate, Sacramento River Cats, but will be shared while a new ballpark is built for the Athletics in Las Vegas.

With the movement to minor league ballparks being a viable temporary option for MLB teams, one idea would be to keep the Rays in Tampa and relocate them to George M. Steinbrenner Field. This would depend on the agreement of the New York Yankees, but the stadium is the spring training home for the Bronx Bombers and does come pre-equipped to the MLB standards. It would also inconvenience the Yankees Single-A affiliate Tampa Tarpons, but that'd be the least of the MLB's concern.

You may ask: Why use the Yankees spring ballpark and not the Rays? It's simple dollars and cents: George M. Steinbrenner Field seats 11,026 while the Rays spring training ballpark (Charlotte Sports Park) only seats 7,670. Keep in mind, the Rays managed an average attendance of only 16,515 fans last season as well. The capacity of George M. Steinbrenner field would almost be perfect for average Rays game attendance figures. (And, if approved quickly, I'm sure the Yankees could find a way to sneak in a few more seating areas.)

If this move doesn't sound interesting to you, just think about this: The Rays would have to pay and/or lease the stadium from the Yankees for regular season use. If the going rate was, lets say $50M per season, that could easily cover the first year of a new Juan Soto contract.

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Option 3: "Band on the Run" (Various, Florida)

Think to the history of baseball in the USA. After an MLB season would be over, many of the game's great players would continue to play baseball across the country on barnstorming trips. Those teams never had a "home" stadium, and instead they were "Barnstormers" who would play exhibition games wherever they could. Beyond the traditional MLB, think also about the Negro Leagues, almost all of whom had to field barnstorming teams themselves to keep their seasons afloat. So many of the legends of baseball history have played baseball in this way: Babe Ruth, Bob Feller, Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, and- most notably- Satchel Paige. (The Baseball Hall of Fame has a great write-up on the history of barnstorming, which you can read about, here.)

If you think this was also ancient baseball history, barnstorming was still happening into the early 1960's, only about 60 years ago. Now, think about how cool it would to see an MLB team do something similar.

Florida is home to half of the MLB's spring training facilities, including the entire AL East (Yankees = Tampa, Orioles = Fort Lauderdale, Red Sox = Fort Myers, Blue Jays = Dunedin, Rays = Saint Petersburg), along with the AL's Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and Minnesota Twins. (As well as the entire NL East- Mets, Phillies, Marlins, Braves, and Nationals- and the Pirates and Cardinals.)

What if, for games against teams with facilities in Florida, of which would encompass 50 of the Rays 81 scheduled home games, they played at their opponents spring training home ballpark? (It helps that the Rays are hosting the Mets, Phillies, Marlins, Braves, Pirates, and Cardinals for interleague play this year.) It would be a barnstorming-lite type of baseball. A true old-school approach to the sport.

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These are just three options... stay tuned for more ideas tomorrow!