Fastball

Commissioner Rob Manfred Has Target Date For Tampa Bay Rays Ballpark Update

The Commissioner has spoken with regards to when the league wants an update on the Rays plans for 2025.

Brady Farkas

A general view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove during the seventh inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.
A general view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove during the seventh inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. / Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images
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The Tampa Bay Rays are dealing with more than just roster questions this offseason. They are also dealing with very serious questions about where they are going to play in 2025.

After Hurricane Milton badly damaged Tropicana Field just weeks ago, it's been reported that the Rays are almost certain to need an alternate venue at the outset of 2025. In fact, they may need to play somewhere else for the entire season if the structure is deemed unfixable. Further complicating things is that the Rays are planning to open a new building in 2028, so fixing up the old one just might not be worth it.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred certainly understands the plight that the Rays are in, but he says he wants to know the plans for the organization by the Christmas holiday.

From The Athletic:

"I think by Christmas they gotta have a pretty good plan in place, and there’s a lot to that."

MLB commissioner RobManfred has targeted late December for the Tampa Bay Rays to decide on the stadium they’ll call home when they open in 2025.

If the Rays need a new venue for any portion of 2025, there are plenty of minor league and spring training stadiums available in Florida. The Toronto Blue Jays facility in Dunedin has been floated as a possibility, as has the Yankees' Tampa affiliate site.

There is also a converted soccer stadium in the area that is a possibility. Durham (home of the Rays Triple-A affiliate) and Montreal have been ruled out.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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