The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of the teams left without a stadium to play at after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof at Tropicana Field. The repair plan that was announced on Tuesday revealed that the roof of the stadium would not be fixed in time for the 2025 MLB season and the team would have to find somewhere else to play their 81 home games. While there have been a few different places that have been under consideration, it appears that the Tampa Bay Rays will announce they will be playing at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Spring Training home of the New York Yankees in Tampa, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Let’s take a look at what this means going forward.
What are the benefits of the Tampa Bay Rays playing at Steinbrenner Field?
George M. Steinbrenner Field is one of the few minor league stadiums in the country that have the required MLB standard equipment, amenities, and facilities in place already. That makes Steinbrenner Field the best option as the fewest upgrades are going to be needed. The main takeaway though is that the Tampa Bay Rays are finally playing a season in Tampa, which has been a big cause of concern for their attendance number over the years. The Rays typically are in St. Petersburg, which is about 30 minutes away from the city of Tampa. Now, they are right across the street from Raymond James Stadium and in the heart of the city, which would attract more fans to the game.
The capacity at Steinbrenner Field is 11,026, which is the largest of any spring training site. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred wanted the team to stay in the Tampa Bay area and now he got his wish.
What are the downsides of playing at Steinbrenner Field?
The weather in Florida can turn on a hat, and this is a massive reason that both Tropicana Field and Loan Depot Park in Miami have a roof. According to Florida State League data, the Tampa Tarpons, the Single-A affiliate for the New York Yankees that play at Steinbrenner Field, averaged 6.4 postponements annually. This is something the Tampa Bay Rays have not had to deal with in St. Pete thanks to the roof but ultimately, they did not have a choice. The Pinellas County commissioners were hoping that the team would stay in the county by taking either the Philadelphia Phillies or Toronto Blue Jays spring training stadiums but ultimately will be playing at Steinbrenner Field in 2025.
This could also lead to potential issues with the city of St. Petersburg and the funding for the Tampa Bay Rays new stadium.
