On October 9th, Hurricane Milton made a powerful impact on Florida's west coast. The winds were so strong that they completely destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field, the domed stadium that has been the home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays since 1998. According to a report by the Tampa Bay Times on October 15th, it was determined that the field could not be repaired in time for the team to play their 2025 season there. This came as a shock, especially when Pinellas County officials recently raised doubts about moving forward with the planned new facility that was set to open in 2028, leaving the team's future in the area uncertain.

A Troubled History

The story of the Rays perfectly exemplified the concept of "If you build it, they will come." Enthusiasts aiming to attract an MLB expansion franchise took the lead in constructing a domed facility (originally called the Florida Suncoast Dome) in St. Petersburg. It was completed in 1990 but had no professional sports tenant at that time. Baseball owners blocked the relocation of the San Francisco Giants to the area in 1992. It wasn't until 1995 that MLB announced its expansion into the Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg and Phoenix markets. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays then began playing at the newly renamed Tropicana Field in 1998.From the very beginning, the Trop was considered one of the least appealing facilities in North American professional sports. The team, which was renamed the Rays before the 2008 season, has almost always ranked last or next-to-last in the American League in terms of attendance throughout its existence. Despite a long period of innovative management and competitiveness that started in 2008 and led the team to reach the World Series twice, the stadium's artificial turf was not favored by players. The catwalks that held up the now-destroyed roof were positioned so low that they frequently interfered with batted balls during games. Additionally, there were no public transit options available for fans. As sports economist Andrew Zimbalist stated in The Tampa Tribune in 2013, "The Trop is a bad facility in a bad location."

2023 and Beyond

In 2023, the Rays announced an agreement to build a $1.3 billion retractable roof stadium in neighboring St. Petersburg, with $600 million in public financing. This seemed to secure the team's future in Florida. However, Hurricane Milton then intervened. After the Trop's roof was damaged, the league had to quickly find a stadium near the Tampa-St. Petersburg metro area to accommodate the team in 2025. They settled on the Yankees' 11,000-seat spring training facility in Tampa. But on November 19th, the Pinellas County Commission postponed a vote to issue bonds for the new stadium and did not allocate the estimated $55 million needed to repair the Trop for the Rays' final two seasons there in 2026 and 2027. Although the new stadium deal may not be completely dead, it has put the relocation of the franchise back on the agenda. As Rays owner Stu Sternberg said in the Tampa Bay Times, "The future of baseball in Tampa Bay became less certain after that vote."Franchise relocations require the support of 75% of the sport's 30 franchise owners. In the past, such moves have been hindered by turf wars related to attendance or TV rights. The 2023 decision to move the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas was the first relocation in nearly 20 years. Now, baseball may have to face another such situation. Potential legal battles between the Rays and the city of St. Petersburg, which is obligated to provide a stadium for the Rays in 2026 and 2027, are looming. As Tampa Bay Times sports columnist John Romano said in an interview with WUSF radio, "I think Major League Baseball in the Tampa Bay Area is at greater risk today than it's ever been."If the Rays decide to move, North Carolina cities like Charlotte and Raleigh, as well as Nashville, Tennessee, have been the subject of speculation. But this process is likely to take several years to unfold. In the meantime, the Rays will open their 2025 season in their temporary Tampa home on March 27th.