Hurricane Milton not only tore the roof off Tropicana Field: It upended all planning for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, potentially killing a St. Pete facility, and forcing the team to play the 2025 season at the minor-league Steinbrenner Field.
When last we checked in, the Rays came to an agreement with St. Petersburg and Pinellas County on a $6.5-billion redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District, with a new $1.3-billion Rays ballpark the centerpiece. The Historic Gas Plant District sits adjacent to the Tropicana Field site, so the new ballpark would be built adjacent to the existing Trop. The Rays and Hines would lead the development, with the Rays promising $700 million toward the new ballpark, with Pinellas County issuing $312.5 million in bonds and St. Petersburg issuing $287.5 million in bonds. But votes from each body to issue the bonds were delayed in October thanks to Hurricane Milton.
That delay happened to push the votes from the prior county commission, where a 5-2 majority supported the Rays project, to a situation where the bonds could be voted down by a 4-3 margin. That uncertainty led the Rays to pause the ballpark-planning process and will likely delay and potential opening to 2029 at the earliest. From the Tampa Bay Times:
[Commissioners Chris] Latvala’s saber-rattling and the bond delays caused the Rays to push the pause button on Tuesday with their development partner (Hines), architect (Populous) and other entities that were in the process of setting up close to 100 employees to relocate to Pinellas County for extended stays.
While it’s possible to amend the development deal or renegotiate a new one with city and county approval, the financing component would change if the ballpark’s opening is pushed back to 2029, or later.
Even a one-year delay could cause construction costs to increase. On a $1.3 billion stadium, a 10% increase would mean an extra cost of $130 million for the Rays. The team is also looking at significant losses of revenue for as many as four seasons (2025-2028) while the team plays in smaller-capacity minor league stadiums if Tropicana is not repaired.
Interestingly, the Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment plan is not contingent on a new ballpark. Hines and the Rays can move forward with that plan and move the team elsewhere.
Which leads us to the second part of the Rays’ ballpark challenge: The Rays will play the 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field, spring-training home of the New York Yankees. While the team considered Charlotte Sports Park and the Ballpark at Disney’s Wide World of Sports–both considered too far afield by MLB officials–the decision was made to stay in Tampa Bay, even it meant setting up shop at a ballpark highly branded as home to a decided divisional rival. The Rays will pay the Yankees $15 million in rent (after all, we are not communists)–the cost of one D.J. LeMahieu or 2.5 Zack Littells, as no Ray is set to make $15 million in 2025.
“We deeply appreciate that the Yankees have graciously allowed us to play at Steinbrenner Field for the 2025 season,’’ Rays Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg said via press release. “The hurricane damage to Tropicana Field has forced us to take some extraordinary steps, just as Hurricanes Helene and Milton have forced thousands of families and businesses in our community to adapt to new circumstances as we all recover and rebuild.’’
“We are happy to extend our hand to the Rays and their fans by providing a Major League-quality facility for them to utilize this season,’’ said Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner said via press release. “Both the Yankees organization and my family have deep roots in the Tampa Bay region, and we understand how meaningful it is for Rays players, employees and fans to have their 2025 home games take place within 30 minutes of Tropicana Field. In times like these, rivalry and competition take a back seat to doing what’s right for our community — which is continuing to help families and businesses rebound from the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.’’
“Given the significant challenges caused by Hurricane Milton, I appreciate the hard work and collaboration between the two teams that allowed the Rays to make the best decision for next season,” Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred, Jr. said via press release. “This outcome meets Major League Baseball’s goals that Rays’ fans will see their team play next season in their home market and that their players can remain home without disruption to their families.”
But let’s say Pinellas County decides to move forward with ballpark bonding, albeit a plan that pushes an opening to 2029. It is highly unlikely we’d see the Rays play four season at Steinbrenner Field. Even though we will see plenty of upgrades to the ballpark in 2025–new lighting, new field, expanded clubhouses–at the end of the day it is an outdoor Florida ballpark (hello 4:45 p.m. rains) built for spring training/minor league ball. The Toronto Blue Jays couldn’t wait to leave TD Ballpark for a Triple-A ballpark in Buffalo because of these limitations during COVID times.
That means we could see a temporary fix to the Tropicana Field roof, costing upwards of $65 million, giving the team a home until a new ballpark opens. It could mean a move to a Triple-A ballpark outside Tampa Bay–Jacksonville, Durham, Nashville–or it could mean a permanent move to a market like Montreal, where the Rays already explored MLB play and a new ballpark. In short, the Rays have plenty of options in the long term–it’s just the short term that sucks.
Renderings courtesy Tampa Bay Rays.
RELATED STORIES: Tropicana Field roof shredded by Hurricane Milton; Rays face plenty of ballpark decisions; Rays ballpark talks heating up across Tampa Bay; Sternberg: Yes, I’m committed to a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark; In surprise, Tampa Bay Rays attendance up 28 percent this year; Four plans for Tropicana Field redevelopment, including Rays pitch, received by St. Petersburg; St. Pete makes another run at Tropicana Field redevelopment; Tropicana Field site development halted; new bidding to include Rays ballpark; Manfred once again calls for sense of urgency about new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark; Manfred: Rays ballpark search now requires “sense of urgency”; Rays pull plug on joint Tampa/Montreal tenancy after MLB Exec Council decision; Rays envision a pedestrian-friendly Ybor City ballpark; Another Ybor City site considered for new Rays ballpark; Is Tampa ballpark bid gaining momentum?; It’s back: Rays revive Ybor City ballpark plan