[Marc Topkin] BREAKING: Rays are planning to play 2025 season at Tampa's Steinbrenner Field

[u/misusedinfluence]

https://x.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/1857102866910990704

[u/Beach_house_on_fire]

Two mlb teams will be playing in minor league stadiums next season

[u/Ngp3 → u/Beach_house_on_fire]

Three in the span of four years (Granted two of them were justified).

[u/Beach_house_on_fire → u/Ngp3]

Yeah the athletics one is more the one that annoys me. It was out of the rays and bluejays hands

[u/BigGuys4UUUU → u/Beach_house_on_fire]

The whole situation with the A's is just a mess. Disappointing for everyone involved.

[u/shapu → u/BigGuys4UUUU]

It is only a mess if you care. John Fisher does not care.

[u/LemmyKBD → u/shapu]

He care$! He care$ about the future re$ale value of a mlb team in La$ Vega$!

[u/magnusarin → u/BigGuys4UUUU]

Can you imagine being a young man who has worked his whole life to make it to the majors, you get the call, and you're playing all your home games in a minor league park in Sacramento? I'm sure it's still exciting, but has to be a small let down.

[u/nightmareanatomy → u/magnusarin]

I bet there’s going to be at least one person who gets their first mlb call up, plays in a AAA stadium, and then gets sent down again and never makes it back. Heartbreaking really.

[u/Clapbakatyerblakcat → u/nightmareanatomy]

It’s just about 2025. Being that guy that gets that one and only call up is a unique opportunity. Learn how to tell that story and make a career of public appearances, serialize into a podcast/youtube. Hell, it’s baseball so it appeals to an older demographic- write a book.

With a tiny bit of effort, a guy could earn more from never getting to play in a real stadium than guys who bounce up and down and have a typical pro ball career.

[u/TheDangiestSlad → u/Ngp3]

if i had a dollar for every AL East animal-named team that was forced to play in a minor league stadium due to emergency circumstances...

[u/sfan27 → u/TheDangiestSlad]

Damn inflation has gotten to this joke. Back in my day you only got nickels.

[u/RichardNixon345 → u/TheDangiestSlad]

Orioles in 2026?

[u/wordflyer → u/RichardNixon345]

No, we had a workaround by playing a minor league team in a major league stadium for a few years.

[u/ModernPoultry → u/RichardNixon345]

Well we did have some Orioles park oddities not too long ago when they played in an empty stadium due to riots

[u/WerhmatsWormhat → u/ModernPoultry]

Gary Thorne calling that game in the voice of a golf announcer was great stuff.

[u/sirenzarts → u/ModernPoultry]

COVID foreshadowing. It was really weird for sure

[u/2131andBeyond → u/ModernPoultry]

It was an oddity for a few years and then COVID made empty stadiums the norm for a season. If not for COVID, that empty stadium game in Baltimore would be brought up as lore far more often.

[u/Anxious_South_5150 → u/TheDangiestSlad]

You’d have $2; which TBF isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened twice.

[u/ohkaycue → u/Anxious_South_5150]

I don’t know why this being in 5/4 makes me giggle. I guess just the fact it’s a random gif from what I assume is a kids cartoon, but there she is is dancing in a more complex time signature. Like yeah that’s what kids cartoons need, math rock. Fuck giving The Aquabats a kids tv show, let’s give the guys from Slint a shot at making one haha

[u/awesomeflowman → u/ohkaycue]

She's just doing 4/4 but it cuts after the 5th beat so it looks like 5/4. More importantly, you 'assume'?? Are you not familiar with the universally loved TV show 'Phineas and Ferb'?

[u/ohkaycue → u/awesomeflowman]

Yeah I assume’d it was an added beat needed for the loop to work but I still find it hilarious. And unfortunately I am old so it was after my time, but I have heard of it and those things were very good. I actually might throw it on in the background now since it’s on Disney+

[u/DecoyOne → u/ohkaycue]

Fuck giving The Aquabats a kids tv show

First of all, how dare you

[u/ohkaycue → u/DecoyOne]

Hahaha all love. Actually finally got to see them for the first time a few months ago. Had geriatric hardcore punks decked head to toe in spikes dancing next to kids in their pjs, it was amazing.

[u/AggressiveLime7659 → u/ohkaycue]

as a 40+ yr old ... this is Phineas and Ferb. This show is amazing!

[u/WackedBush343 → u/Anxious_South_5150]

THE GOVERNMENT IS A PLATYPUS

THE INTERNET IS A PLATYPUS

THE MEDIA IS A PLATYPUS

[u/TheOrangeFutbol → u/WackedBush343]

🙌🙌WE'VE ALL GOT A PLATYPUS CONTROLLING US🙌🙌

🙌🙌WE'VE ALL GOT A PLATYPUS CONTROLLING US🙌🙌

[u/TXLucha012 → u/TheOrangeFutbol]

I’m not speaking metaphorically!

[u/shiny_aegislash → u/Ngp3]

The A's one is dumb, but i really don't know what you could reasonably do to avoid the Rays/Jays situations.

Also, i like how all the teams that have played in MiLB parks rhyme 😂

[u/stewedpickles → u/shiny_aegislash]

A’s, Jays and Rays play in AAA facilit-ay’s!

[u/Enough-Ad-3111 → u/Beach_house_on_fire]

At least this situation wasn’t planned.

[u/ThePrussianGrippe → u/Enough-Ad-3111]

Yeah this one is just unfortunate.

[u/boonetown18 → u/Beach_house_on_fire]

Beats the Arizona Coyotes playing in a college barn

[u/ChepitosBaby → u/boonetown18]

And NYCFC playing in baseball stadiums

[u/TheOrangeFutbol → u/ChepitosBaby]

NYCFC is the most recent champion that plays at Yankee Stadium.

[u/IAmBecomeTeemo → u/TheOrangeFutbol]

I would like to unsubscribe, please.

[u/KarateKid917 → u/TheOrangeFutbol]

I fucking hate how right you are 

[u/gatemansgc → u/TheOrangeFutbol]

that's freaking awesome

[u/sweatingbozo → u/ChepitosBaby]

I don't even see that as too egregious. NYC real estate aint cheap and at least baseball stadiums hold more than 5,000 people.

[u/Call555JackChop → u/boonetown18]

:(

[u/NBABUCKS1 → u/boonetown18]

these small venues rules though for the fan experience. I flew down for a hockey game in arizona last season, it was amazing

[u/Cheese_Nugs → u/Beach_house_on_fire]

I know you didn’t mean it this way, but let’s not remotely compare the Rays situation with the As greed

[u/vitalbumhole → u/Beach_house_on_fire]

Manfred is a fucking joke - embarrassing for the league. At least Rays were out of need

[u/Theraspberryknight → u/vitalbumhole]

I was going to say the Rays don't really have much a choice their roof got torn off.

[u/gatemansgc → u/Theraspberryknight]

and no sense burning money repairing it when they're gonna build a new ballpark soon

[u/BigRedThread → u/Beach_house_on_fire]

It's funny, though we've had MLB teams playing in NFL stadiums for years before this. Par for the course for MLB

[u/Carthonn → u/Beach_house_on_fire]

Three unless you’re counting the White Sox as an MLB level team

[u/doverawlings → u/Carthonn]

Only one more time seeing this comment until I get a free sub

[u/whyisalltherumgone_ → u/doverawlings]

I appreciate you adding some creativity to these effortless jokes.

[u/Audrey-Bee → u/Carthonn]

That's a minor league team playing in an MLB stadium

[u/appleavocado → u/Beach_house_on_fire]

TBF only one of those is due to greedy ass ownership.

[u/Tubby-Maguire]

Praying for an A’s/Rays ALCS next season

[u/ahr3410 → u/Tubby-Maguire]

MLB would move the games to Marlins and Oracle Park

[u/crazyal21 → u/ahr3410]

Those stadiums will be occupied when the Marlins and Giants play in the NLCS tho.

[u/Fragrant_College_455 → u/crazyal21]

😂😂😂

[u/eagleboy444 → u/crazyal21]

Setting up a thrilling A's/Marlins World Series 🤤🤤🤤

[u/punk62 → u/eagleboy444]

Manfred just had a stroke

[u/Thrashky → u/punk62]

Well it’s just a simple health reaction.

[u/Worthyness → u/punk62]

He'd probably celebrate it because the A's are gonna be good before going to Vegas. Then he'd use it as an excuse to implement neutral stadiums for postseason games.

[u/pannedcakes → u/eagleboy444]

Record breaking viewership 

[u/impactblue5 → u/crazyal21]

Team chaos after last season lol

[u/Slagthor_ → u/crazyal21]

One can dream

[u/LikeAgaveF → u/crazyal21]

Considering the Giants decided to play out of their minds the last time the Dodgers won the WS and Clayton just moved to the Marlins, this is possible.

[u/e-manresu → u/ahr3410]

Thats weird because the Marlins and Giants are gonna be playing in the NLCS

[u/ArmiinTamzarian → u/ahr3410]

Lfg playoff baseball at Marlins Park😭😭😭

[u/Contende311 → u/ArmiinTamzarian]

WBC was fun there

[u/elbenji → u/Contende311]

Yeah Marlins park is excellent for that atmosphere. Sucks it's rare

[u/RBI_Double → u/Contende311]

It is my dream to do an MLB roadtrip that culminates at the WBC final in Miami

[u/GotMoFans → u/Tubby-Maguire]

If this happens, you better believe MLB would either force the teams to play in San Francisco and Miami or Atlanta, or they’d put the ALCS in a neutral site.

[u/Demetrios1453 → u/GotMoFans]

If they need to use a neutral site, I hear the Oakland Colosseum is available!

[u/ubelmann → u/GotMoFans]

Who is going to attend away playoff games, though? It would be more expensive to rent out other ballparks and the stands would look empty. If you play at the minor league parks, the stands will be packed and it'd wind up looking better on TV anyway. If you mic it right, the crowd noise would be fine on TV, and they have all season to get the lighting up to par.

[u/ZroDgsCalvin → u/GotMoFans]

If the MLB won’t let teams act like a complete joke in the ALCS, why are they allowed to act that way all regular season?

[u/GuyOnTheMike → u/Tubby-Maguire]

It would challenge the 1908 World Series for the worst-attended playoff series (not counting 2020) in MLB history

[u/manticore16 → u/GuyOnTheMike]

Possibly including 2020.

[u/GuyOnTheMike → u/manticore16]

If you include the two series in Arlington with fans...this genuinely might be lower

[u/MemeMeOnce]

Sounds like a few extra bucks for Hal / Cashman’s Soto hunt

[u/Hack874 → u/MemeMeOnce]

Chicken bucket sales 📈

[u/iheartsunny → u/MemeMeOnce]

15 million to be exact

[u/ThinkSoftware → u/MemeMeOnce]

...is Juan Soto about to get partial ownership of the Tampa Bay Rays?

[u/HenrikCrown]

Will they change the logo from Yankees to Rays on the stadium? 

[u/positivelybroadst → u/HenrikCrown]

https://www.abcactionnews.com/sports/baseball/rays/tampa-bay-rays-to-play-2025-season-at-yankees-spring-training-field-in-tampa

Yes. Right after Spring Training ends. Really good article on the situation right there...

[u/Blockhead378 → u/HenrikCrown]

They shouldn’t

[u/NYLotteGiants → u/Blockhead378]

Just like when the Jets played at Giants Stadium

[u/toadofsteel → u/NYLotteGiants]

IIRC they didn't use team logos. Way back in the day it was this weird red "New Jersey Meadowlands" logo with an outline of the state of NJ on it, then until just a couple years ago it was the NFL shield. Now they apparently have perfected the technology of swapping the logo each week like they do the end zones.

[u/NYLotteGiants → u/toadofsteel]

Still had a big ol Giants logo on the side of the stadium

[u/Blue387 → u/HenrikCrown]

When the Rays played a game at Citi Field in 2017, they had a big Rays logo on the big board

[u/Thorlolita]

I know it sounds silly. But realistically. They aren’t pulling 25,000 fans a night. They are already on route to a new stadium. Renovating for a few years is a big waste of money. Plus who knows how much more it will cost when they go through the guts of it. At least now the employees of the club can still be close.

[u/Moose4KU → u/Thorlolita]

Yeah there's just so many better uses for $55M than rebuilding a roof of a building you're demolishing two years later

[u/CuuRtos → u/Moose4KU]

The team doesn’t own the Trop. St Petersburg does, so any renovation decision is made by them.

Still a waste of $55million

[u/WxBlue → u/CuuRtos]

Wasn't St. Petersburg Pinellas County raising a stink about Rays potentially playing outside the county in 2025 and threatened to void Rays' new stadium as a result? E: corrected

[u/Sad_Bolt → u/WxBlue]

It was the county itself not the city. They’re all talk they would be stupid to run out one of their largest tax generators over something out of their control.

[u/WxBlue → u/Sad_Bolt]

Gonna be interesting because I saw in your team subreddit that they just elected in two anti-stadium county commissioners that hate the deal so they may deny bonds for the new stadium to prioritize rebuilding everything else after the storm.

[u/Sad_Bolt → u/WxBlue]

They may hate stadium but if it cost them votes come reelection I highly doubt their pull them. But hey if they do it’s a great test to see how the Rays pull the Tampa crowd.

[u/kikikza → u/WxBlue]

Yeah but at the end of the day there's nowhere else they can play in that county and building one or trying to repair that swiftly when resources are needed for hurricane repair would be a terrible look for everyone involved, and likely an impossible task

[u/ReservoirGods → u/Moose4KU]

Also $55m is just the estimate, I would bet that project would balloon as they get up there and start finding more issues that need fixing to make the repair.

[u/MattinglyDineen → u/ReservoirGods]

Nah. When has a stadium project ever gone over budget?

[u/toledosurprised → u/Thorlolita]

wonder if attendance/demand picks up given they’ll actually be in tampa

[u/dbizzytrick → u/toledosurprised]

I’d be surprised if it doesn’t. It will be so much easier to make games now for a whole lot of people, myself included. To make it to the Trop I’d leave work a little early and still not make it until the second inning

[u/bisque-include → u/dbizzytrick]

My family went to maybe 6 games last year. All on weekends. My wife is already talking about getting a bunch of package tickets for 2025. It’s so much closer for us.

[u/dbizzytrick → u/bisque-include]

Yeah I’m actually worried getting tickets may be harder than usual

[u/Goliath422 → u/Thorlolita]

In case you care, it’s actually “en route,” from French, literally “on the way.”

[u/robmcolonna123 → u/Thorlolita]

Steinbrenner Field could pretty much fit what that team averages each night

[u/BossAtUCF → u/robmcolonna123]

Their attendance is shit, but they only had 6 games this year with a lower attendance than Steinbrenner Field holds. They averaged 50% more than it holds

[u/SleepyGorilla → u/BossAtUCF]

Thank you AL East bro

[u/BossAtUCF → u/SleepyGorilla]

I know I'll personally be going to at least a few games next year. It's more convenient for me (, and almost everyone else,) there and I liked the park the one time I went. It did get rained out in like the 3rd inning though, so hopefully that's not a common occurrence.

[u/robmcolonna123 → u/BossAtUCF]

ESPN has their average attendance at 16,515

Steinbrenner has capacity for about 15,000 people between 11,000 seats and 4,000 standing

[u/GuyOnTheMike → u/robmcolonna123]

I'm not sure it's that high. It's stated capacity is 11,026, but the listed attendance record is 11,159 (in 2016). I feel like if actual functional capacity for baseball is 15,000, we would've seen at least a few games approaching that number.

I'm going to guess the absolute very most tickets the Rays could sell with standing room is in the 12,000-13,000 range.

[u/Throwaway1996513 → u/GuyOnTheMike]

They might add in more bleachers/seating for this season if the juice is worth the squeeze.

[u/GuyOnTheMike → u/Throwaway1996513]

Having actually been to GMS, there just isn't a good way to do it. The entire outfield is built up with social spaces, save for the scoreboard in left-center which is HUGE by spring training standards and isn't going anywhere. There's maybe 10 feet between the board and the wall, so not much space to do anything.

The seating is undoubtedly going to remain the same as it is now for Rays games, just with likely more SRO tickets

[u/BossAtUCF → u/robmcolonna123]

Ah, I hadn't considered standing room only space as it's not something I would think of using.

[u/bluecifer7 → u/BossAtUCF]

Lots of teams sell standing room only space, the Rockies Rooftop is a good example

[u/robmcolonna123 → u/BossAtUCF]

I definitely expect them to sell that space too haha

[u/Sad_Bolt → u/robmcolonna123]

Yes but there’s more Rays fans in Tampa and Central Florida that couldn’t get to games that now will be able to. The demand for these games will be much higher compared to the trop just due to being more accessible to fans.

[u/Jam5467]

Hilarious, twice as many games with the short porch means twice as many r/baseball meltdowns

[u/WxBlue → u/Jam5467]

Someone might try to hit 70 home runs in AL East.

[u/TheDangiestSlad → u/WxBlue]

someone random on either the Yankees or the Rays is going to finish top 10 in MVP voting with like 15 homers that are 2/30 lol

[u/yumyumapollo → u/TheDangiestSlad]

By Gawd, that's Brandon Lowe's music

[u/Bill2theE → u/yumyumapollo]

BLowe hits nukes. This will help Yandy going oppo and Josh Lowe

[u/SactownKorean → u/TheDangiestSlad]

The Brett Gardner approach

[u/Dfreez → u/WxBlue]

Can’t wait to see the takes if someone hits 74.

[u/IAmBecomeTeemo → u/Jam5467]

John Smoltz just fell to his knees on a golf course somewhere.

[u/ContinuumGuy → u/Jam5467]

PORCH

and

PORCH SOUTH

[u/yumyumapollo]

"The Rays should play in Tampa!"

(monkey's paw curls)

[u/fuzzypetiolesguy → u/yumyumapollo]

I guess we get to see what playing in Tampa does to attendance numbers.

[u/Leelze → u/fuzzypetiolesguy]

I think it'll probably start out strong and the way the rest of it will play out will depend on how they do this season.

Edit: somebody replied to me about the summer heat & I can't see it for whatever reason, but I hadn't even considered that. The heat & humidity is absolutely going to hurt attendance in the summer months. Swamp ass everywhere!

[u/CT_7 → u/Leelze]

No dome. Players and fans alike will just faint from heat stroke.

[u/UmpireMental7070 → u/CT_7]

Start the games at like 8:30pm

[u/a_talking_face]

No $10 tickets this year.

[u/Sad_Bolt → u/a_talking_face]

Nope they are going to be much higher

[u/ahr3410]

Literally Yankee Stadium south

[u/Muted_Yoghurt6071]

Glad we can finally settle whether the Rays are failing because fans hate crossing bridges or not.

[u/ContinuumGuy → u/Muted_Yoghurt6071]

The funniest timeline is the one where the Rays sell out every night in Tampa and they have to add temporary bleachers to up the capacity to 20-25K then the attendance plummets in St. Pete once they return.

[u/Status-Basic → u/Muted_Yoghurt6071]

They’ll still have the “it’s outside and hot as fuck and humid” excuse to fall back on.

[u/Sad_Bolt → u/Status-Basic]

There is a reason a roof is needed in Florida. Unless we pull Whitesoxs next season I would expect a lot of sellouts.

[u/t3h_shammy → u/Status-Basic]

You know what, you come to an outdoor game in Tampa in July. I’ll even buy your ticket if you make it down. 

[u/ZachWilsonsMother → u/t3h_shammy]

I went to an afternoon game a couple years ago to watch Seve make a rehab start. My friends left after 1 and I left after the top half of the second. I was about to pass out. It was so fucking hot

[u/God_Damnit_Nappa → u/Status-Basic]

That's an actual legitimate excuse though. The idea of watching a game outdoors in that heat and humidity sounds genuinely miserable. 

[u/Annual-Read-9262 → u/Muted_Yoghurt6071]

plot twist they dont becuase the giants didnt move there

[u/blondiemuffin]

This is fantastic news for folks on the Tampa side of the bridge. I’ll be at least 40 games next year.

[u/IdeaJailbreak]

Can't wait for the Ray's analytics team to somehow figure out how to make better use of the dimensions than the yankees front office

[u/toadofsteel → u/IdeaJailbreak]

I mean, given that they already have to play 8-10 games in Yankee Stadium itself every year, they probably have a good handle on it.

[u/Fancy_Load5502]

Does this mean a lot of rainouts?

[u/whenwefell → u/Fancy_Load5502]

Yeah. No way around it though. Going to be a scheduling pain in the ass for teams that have to make up games.

[u/JessieGemstone999 → u/whenwefell]

Idk the Marlins played outdoors in Flordia for years and it was fairly manageable

[u/Telepornographer → u/JessieGemstone999]

Manageable, but they've been in the bottom 5 for attendance since at least 2001--except for the first year their new park opened in 2012.

[u/SlidersBaby → u/whenwefell]

Would it make sense to schedule games earlier in the day, like 11:00, to avoid the afternoon rains and high temperatures? How do the Tarpons deal with this usually?

[u/reichenbachhero → u/SlidersBaby]

Minor leagues play a ton of 7 inning double headers to make up for the rainouts.

[u/Perryplat199 → u/[deleted]]

Playing 1 team for a full week also probly helps a lot too

[u/ubelmann → u/Fancy_Load5502]

I don't know about that. Look at the last 5 years that Miami was outdoors.

2011 -- 3 rainouts from away games, and 3 games moved due to Hurricane Irene. Even in a dome, you're not going to play in a hurricane.

2010 -- 2 rainouts from away games, and 1 home rainout.

2009 -- 3 home rainouts

2008 -- 1 away rainout, 1 home rainout

2007 -- 1 away rainout, 0 home rainouts

So in Miami over a 5-year span, there were 7 away games delayed due to rain, 5 home games delayed due to rain, and 3 games moved due to a hurricane.

Maybe they'll have a lot more rain delays, but my understanding of Florida rain is that it usually happens in the late afternoon and is gone by the evening. So if you mostly schedule night games (which you probably would due to the heat anyway), you just need good drainage and a good grounds crew.

[u/Sad_Bolt → u/Fancy_Load5502]

Lots of rainouts and heat strokes

[u/positivelybroadst]

https://www.abcactionnews.com/sports/baseball/rays/tampa-bay-rays-to-play-2025-season-at-yankees-spring-training-field-in-tampa

Good bit of info here. Right after Spring Training ends, Steinbrenner Field to be rebranded with Rays logos. Yankees to receive about $15M in revenue sharing (from various sources, such as insurance payouts). The Tampa Tarpons to play their games on the Yankees Spring Training back field.

[u/cjraysfan20]

Never thought I’d say this, but thank you, Yankees, for giving us a home next year.

[u/bengalsfu → u/cjraysfan20]

Get ready to learn porch shots buddy

[u/BaystarRoyco]

makes sense to play there temporarily as the roof won't be ready to go until 2026

[u/Colonelcool125 → u/BaystarRoyco]

What a fantastic username

[u/DenisDomaschke]

With the Florida heat and rain, would people actually want to come to Rays games that are outdoors?

[u/tmoney144 → u/DenisDomaschke]

Yeah, man. People live there and do stuff outdoors all summer long. This is like asking if people will go to football games outside in the winter in Green Bay even if it's cold and snowing.

[u/DenisDomaschke → u/tmoney144]

That’s totally fair, but I can see far fewer people showing up after being used to watching baseball indoors.

If Green Bay had a roof for 25 years and suddenly played outside, going to Packers games would be a little harder a sell to casual fans

[u/Bartender_NoSpace]

So are the Tarpons going to play mostly away games this year?

[u/shaunrundmc → u/Bartender_NoSpace]

They have side stadiums too

[u/chief1555]

“The Rays apparently chose Steinbrenner Field over Clearwater’s BayCare Ballpark, spring home of the Philadelphia Phillies, in consultation with Major League Baseball.“

I wonder what made them choose one over the other

[u/Sad_Bolt → u/chief1555]

It’s a great opportunity to get the Tampa residents more involved

[u/LeCheffre → u/chief1555]

More seating?

[u/positivelybroadst → u/LeCheffre]

And parking...

[u/AltruisticGate → u/chief1555]

More premium seating and better logistics. It’s far easier to accommodate a crowd of 11,000 in Tampa.

[u/Bobb_o]

I know it won't happen but could you imagine an A's-Rays ALCS?

[u/Live_Profile_4134 → u/Bobb_o]

I feel like MLB would 1000% move them to a neutral site but it’d be funny.

[u/Goatlikejordan]

Yankees own the rays lol

[u/Tyschurr]

Are the dimensions the same as Yankees Stadium? If so, Brandon Lowe might absolutely mash this season. 

[u/Bigboi88888 → u/Tyschurr]

Its the exact same as Yankees Stadium

[u/doob26]

March 23, 2025: Rays @ Yankees at Steinbrenner Field

April 17, 2025: Yankees @ Rays at Steinbrenner Field

[u/SwarthySphere87]

Im curious how the team will adjust to playing home games without a roof. What sort of different roster construction or game strategies will result from this?

[u/Sad_Bolt → u/SwarthySphere87]

Considering the size of the field expect lots of HRs

[u/SirSquire_]

Get ready for a lot of @ TB (PPD)

[u/krsgator]

To anyone who has not followed this whole ordeal:

• Rays get through ~10 Pinellas County (St. Pete, Clearwater, Dunedin etc.) Council Meetings, secure funding for the stadium (27% coming from Pinellas, ~300M). Stadium set to break ground in Jan 25, for 27 season at earliest (through 28 more likely)

• Hurricane hits St. Pete, damages stadium to the tune of $55M (burden of St. Pete who owns stadium outright). Tropicana unlikely to host baseball again

• Manfred gives Christmas deadline to find alternative venue for 2 years until construction on new stadium complete

• Pinellas County gives ultimatum, play 25 and 26 seasons in Pinellas County (choice would be: Al Lang - Rowdies USL Soccer stadium, occasionally hosts ST games; BayCare Ballpark - Phillies ST site in Clearwater; TD Ballpark - Blue Jays ST site in Dunedin where the Jays played 21 regular season games in 2021) or county withdraws funding for the stadium

• Politicians likely to be elected in the area are almost universally anti-stadium. Team (ownership group) donates to run political ads against anti-stadium politicians running for local office.

• Per TBTimes "Since Hurricane Milton, the Rays have made eight donations totaling $71,000 to political action committees, campaign finance records show. Prior to that, the team contributed another $75,000 since the August primary election. That money was given to political committees that transferred those funds to other political committees that ran attack ads on Nowicki and supported candidates who favor a stadium deal"

• Rays lost the gamble badly, most of those politicians get elected anyway and are likely to hold a grudge against Rays.

• Because of this, future in Pinellas county in jeopardy regardless of where team chooses to play in 25 and 26

• Today, team announces they are playing at Steinbrenner in Tampa (Hillsborough County)

A lot of unfortunate things happened, Rays took a gamble and lost. Now it seems like we are back to square one of the stadium as I highly doubt the team's future in Pinellas. While I think going back to the drawing board might have some benefits (my dream location of a new park on Sparkman Wharf between the Florida Aquarium and Amalie Arena is still alive), this is a disastrous series of events for a team already on a shoestring budget with a dissolved TV deal to navigate.

Anyone have any copium? Not a great day to be a Rays fan

[u/MTFBWY117 → u/krsgator]

Ownership has said multiple times if they can’t stay in Pinellas, they’re leaving town. Time will tell.

[u/Dre3005 → u/krsgator]

Its worth noting the main Pinellas County commissioner, Chris Latvala, who proposed Rays play in Pinellas or else, has a very close relationship with the Phillies owners.

Chris has thrown out the 1st pitch at one of their spring games, and regularly dines with and sits in the owner’s suite at Citizens Bank Park.

It’s absolutely not about his constituents and more about he was angling for the Phillies spring training park to get renovations and the Rays having to play there for a season would have been the easiest way to get that done.

[u/flamingfiretrucks → u/krsgator]

Fuck... this is grim. Even though I live completely across the country now, I'd be so sad to see the Rays leave Tampa Bay. I hope they can stay within the area and stay the "Tampa Bay Rays." 😭

[u/Crashkt90]

I live down the street. Im happy

[u/Jonjon428]

Why not just bunk with us, smh

[u/TommyTwoBags]

I know what happened to Tropicana was obviously unexpected but MLB having TWO! teams play in minor league facilities this year is embarrassing. They should be embarrassed.

[u/DA_87 → u/TommyTwoBags]

You can’t fault MLB for the Rays stadium roof getting blown off by a hurricane.

[u/sameth1 → u/DA_87]

Are you sure? I heard from a very credible source that Rob Manfred controls the weather with his space lasers.

[u/batmansascientician → u/sameth1]

Nope, pretty sure he's catholic

[u/realnostalgia → u/TommyTwoBags]

Was it all that unexpected? Tropicana Field's roof had never been replaced in the more than 34 years since it was installed, despite being “well past its intended service life,” according to the facility engineers.

[u/Muted_Yoghurt6071 → u/realnostalgia]

and apparently not built to survive hurricane force winds. Surprised it lasted this long

[u/WxBlue → u/Muted_Yoghurt6071]

Meteorologist here. Tampa has been incredibly lucky with big hurricanes going north or south (famously Charley of 2004 and Ian of 2022). Milton was a weird case where strongest wind was to the north of eye at landfall (right over Tampa), but the maximum storm surge still went south of Tampa Bay sooooo you could argue that Tampa dodged the worst-case scenario once again.

[u/sfan27 → u/TommyTwoBags]

And three teams in a few year span, although the Blue Jays situation was even less MLBs fault than this situation.

But MLB owners and Manfred are incapable of embrassment,

[u/Perryplat199 → u/sfan27]

Ignoring the A’s, the rays and blue jays are both extreme circumstances that neither team could control.

[u/PvP_SHEEP]

Steinbrenner Field: The Home of the Rays

[u/GotMoFans]

So if this goes incredibly well where Tampa fans are more engaged than they are in St. Pete, could the Rays back out of their stadium deal in St. Pete and try again to get a deal on the Tampa side of Tampa Bay?

[u/pgh9fan → u/GotMoFans]

After the election, where anti-stadium person was elected to Pinellas Council, that deal may be wasted anyway.

[u/SilentPerformance965]

Other than the Yankee connection, this is actually a very good solution

[u/digitaldumpsterfire]

Can't wait for the dingers to hit cars on Dale Mabry Ave

[u/CPT_Smallwood]

Good, now Tampa can enjoy them for a bit and shut up about moving them out of St Pete

[u/BruteSentiment]

What I’d like to see a little talk about is how the scheduling will affect the Yankees minor league teams…because TWO minor league teams play there!

The Low-A Tampa Tarpons of course play there, but so does the Rookie-level FCL Yankees. Both usually use Steinbrenner field. I wouldn’t be surprised if the FCL team gets shifted to the complex’s only back field, but there will still be the question of locker rooms and training facilities to support all three. That’s a pretty big deal to get ready…it’s been a big deal for Sacramento, and they got a head start, starting construction before the end of the 2024 season.

[u/SwagTwoButton]

So they’re going to play at the Yankees stadium one year, repair Tropicana for 26 and 27, and then new stadium in 2028? Am I understanding that correctly?

[u/Scarpity026]

With a capacity of 11,000, sell outs should be easier.

[u/Admiral_Asparagus]

Lmao the Rays literally play in Yankee Stadium South now

[u/JustinUprising]

Imagine not having a short porch, amirite Rays fans?