It was October 9, 2024. The rays experienced a big blow after Tropicana field was destroyed by Hurricane Milton. The roof of the dome -shaped stadium was almost completely scammed and damaged a lot of the interior. Of course the games had to be moved to another place. The Tampa Bay Rays found an interim house in the George M. Steinbrenner Field.
The Rays play in the spring training house of New York Yankees and enjoy an impressive season of 2025. Standing second in the Al East with a record of 45-35, look clear for the post-season. For their current series against the royals, they won 5-1 and 3-0. That lands them over seven victories from the ten games, opposite the Orioles, Mets, Tigers and Royals.
Their attack and pitching have become much stronger. One of their pitchers, Drew Masmussen, yielded strongly if he has an ERA of 2.45 with 72 strikeouts with a 0.96 Whip. And their 1B, Jonathan Aranda, hits an average OBP of .414 on an .331. That’s just a bit behind Aaron Judge!
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So, while the play -off of the rays rises (70% according to Fangraphs), given his accommodation capacity, the current stadium looks gloomy. The solution? Ken Rosenthal of the athletics revealed on Thursday that the Rays and Major League Baseball had had initial discussions about their potential destination after the season.
‘Rays have had preliminary conversations about potential play -off games for home with the competition“ posted FOX Sports: MLB on their official X handle. According to Rosenthal, the Steinbrenner -Veld can organize the Al Division Games and the Al Wild Card series. But for the championship series? The competition can insist on change.
The rays had early conversations with MLB about where they could play their home games in the ALCS and World Series if they get this far this year, per @Ken_rsenthal
Tampa Bay is currently a competition behind the Yankees for the first place in the Al East and holds the best wildcard. pic.twitter.com/bmaccmwqr
– Fox Sports: MLB (@Mlbonfox) June 25, 2025
Although most MLB stadiums can organize at least 34,000 people, the Temporary House of the Rays is only just over 11,000. As Rosenthal noted, “Logistical worries can force a switch to a large stadium if the Rays went on to the American League Championship Series and World Series.“
Now, first things first, in the A-Ball facility, there will be fewer gate coupons. The players will suffer considerably because they will not receive the shares after the season, because otherwise they will receive 60% shares of the gate income. Moreover, the production will also be low after the season due to the limited capacity. In fact, the temporary employment channels can also experience problems.
Is one out of it?
What can MLB do to solve the challenge of the Tampa Bay Rays?
TBH, nobody wants to bring themselves into a state of competitive advantage. And the rays are no exception there! Playing on a neutral site for a postsean game may not be something they are looking forward to. The alternatives then? Loompot Park and Truist Park, respectively the home parks of the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves, are perhaps the best choices.
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The distance between Loandewot Park and Tampa is not too far. The 223 mile piece can be easily covered, which lasts about five and a half to six hours. And let’s tell you a surprising fact. Loompot Park is the only one who has not organized a baseball play -offs so far.
On the other hand, Truist Park has a capacity of approximately 41.147 and the design of the stadium can maximize the experiences of fans. But this one is a bit far away from that of Loompot Park.
In the meantime, the Tampa Bay Rays expect the Tropicana field to be ready by next season. According to reports, Stuart Sternberg and a Jacksonville Real Estate Developer are currently discussing the sale of the franchise. Only if the deal is successful can the club look for a new stadium that must be built.
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For the rays it is perhaps their sixth playoff appearance. And if it happens, there is no doubt that they will want to play for their home fans.
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