The plot thickens.
As you know, the roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, was torn off by Hurricane Milton earlier this month.
It doesn’t appear likely that the Rays will be able to repair their stadium in time to play there in 2025 — or at all, until they move into a proposed new stadium that’s supposed to be built near the Trop, opening in 2028.
Our SB Nation colleagues at DRays Bay have been keeping close tabs on this, and this morning they posted this article indicating that at least one commissioner in Pinellas County, Florida, where St. Petersburg is located, might want to pull the deal to fund the new stadium if the Rays don’t play their games in that county while the Trop is damaged. Here’s the money quote, which comes on the heels of a vote delaying the funding process for the new stadium:
Commissioner Chris Latvala motioned to delay the vote until the team answered that question, which could have jeopardized stadium plans and the surrounding $6.7 billion Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment project.
“One could make the argument that they’re (the Rays) kind of violating the spirit of the agreement that we approved two months ago if they go across the bridge or go to Disney World to play for the next three years,” Latvala said. “If the hurricanes hit three years from now, they would have to play their games in Pinellas County.”
Darby Robinson, a senior writer for DRays Bay, told me that Latvala is currently in the minority on this issue on the commission (one of only two “no” votes) and was “the most vocally opposed” to the funding, and says this could be “posturing.”
DRays Bay managing editor Daniel Russell, who wrote that article, points out that there are some seats on the county commission up for election next week. There aren’t too many possible places for the Rays to play next year (or for three years) that are in Pinellas County, and the election could change the face of the county commission:
Even if the Rays committed to staying in Pinellas County — presumably by committing to play home games at the Spring Training complex for the Phillies or Blue Jays, or by renovating downtown St. Petersburg’s Al Lang Field or the ruined Tropicana Field — the Rays could still face four No votes by November 19.
And, the article concludes:
If the bonds are not issued in a timely manner, the July 30 approval has an automatic termination provision of March 31, 2025.
So the Rays are in a tough spot here. They’ll need a place to play in 2025, and likely for the next three years, because it doesn’t seem likely that Tropicana Field is going to be able to be repaired in such a way that it could host baseball. But most of the likely sites for them to relocate — such as Disney’s ballpark in Orlando — aren’t in Pinellas County.
As always, we await developments.