The Tampa Bay Rays will play their postseason games at Steinbrenner Field if they make it there, according to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. Steinbrenner Field is used as the New York Yankees’ Spring Training stadium, but the Rays have played their home games there this season due to damage to Tropicana Field. If the Rays made it to the American League Championship or World Series, that could lead to some interesting scenarios.
Tampa Bay Rays Stadium Doesn’t Have a Big Capacity Limit
Steinbrenner Field has a capacity of 11,000. If the Rays make a deep playoff run, the number of tickets the league will be able to sell will be much less than in a regular year. According to Steve Gardner of USA Today, MLB holds a large sum of tickets for stakeholders and participants, and if those were to be cut into the players’ share of revenue they receive for the postseason.
Manfred insists that the Rays will play the games at home if they make it, despite the potential financial problems the league could run into. The Rays are 46-36 this season, and are currently 5.5 games out of the division and 1.5 games out of the AL Wild Card. They are right on the outside looking in, so everything being discussed is just hypothetical.
Looking Toward The Future
Manfred said the plan is for Tropicana Field to be ready for Opening Day 2026, but he will make arrangements if it is not. Manfred wants to keep the tradition and integrity of the Postseason and World Series the same, which means the home team plays in their home stadium no matter the circumstances.
An argument could be made that if the Tampa Bay Rays made the World Series, the league could move the Tampa Bay Rays to a team’s stadium that has been eliminated from the playoffs. That way, the financial and fan attendance wouldn’t be an issue. Either way, there’s quite a bit of time before the playoffs start, and there’s no guarantee the Rays will even make it. Let alone the World Series.
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