The recovery is underway in Florida from Hurricane Milton.
But the damage from the storm is creating some tough decisions.
And a Florida team was faced with this awful situation after Hurricane Milton.
Tampa Bay Rays stadium suffers serious damage from hurricane
Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast south of Tampa Bay with winds that peaked at 180 miles per hour.
Tropicana Field, the home of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Tampa Bay Rays, suffered severe damage from the storm.
High winds tore the roof right off the stadium which allowed rain and debris to cover the stadium.
The fiberglass roof was not sturdy enough to hold up against sustained high winds.
Tropicana Field will not be ready for the Opening Day on March 27 due to damage sustained during Hurricane Milton, per @TBTimes_Rays.
Where the Rays will play in 2025 is TBD. pic.twitter.com/MoHjYP83z4
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 15, 2024
This might be the first post-hurricane video we’ve seen from someone inside Tropicana Field
eerie pic.twitter.com/DiVc93RmDw
— Rays The (@RaysTheRoofTB) October 23, 2024
The next regular season of baseball does not kick off until late March of next year.
Tampa Bay’s home opener is scheduled for March 27, 2025, against the Colorado Rockies.
But the damage to Tropicana Field is so extensive that there is no way it will be repaired in time for next season.
The Tampa Bay Rays will have to spend next year playing somewhere else.
A search for a temporary home for the Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays proposed splitting their season in 2022 between Montreal and Tampa, but the idea was rejected by MLB.
The proposal was to play part of the season at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, the former home of the Montreal Expos before the team relocated to Washington, D.C. after the 2004 season and became the Nationals.
But Olympic Stadium is undergoing repairs until 2028 which will make the stadium unusable.
“Until 2028, the field of play will be within a construction site and therefore not open to the public,” Olympic Stadium communications officer Anik Parisé said.
Playing at the stadium of the Rays Triple-A team in Durham, North Carolina was another option.
The Durham Bulls said they could not host their parent club because of scheduling problems and other logistical issues.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league’s goal was to keep the Rays as close to home as possible during an appearance on The Varsity podcast.
“We’re hopeful that we can figure out something in [the Tampa Bay area] for them and that the repairs can be done in a way that allows them to resume playing,” Manfred said. “The easiest thing is always to stay in the market where the clubs are anchored if we can manage it.”
Spring training facilities in Florida for the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Detroit Tigers have been mentioned as potential temporary homes.
The Yankees play at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa which is the largest Spring Training Stadium in Florida with 11,026 seats.
“The one thing I can tell you for sure, is they’re playing next year. We’re going to find them someplace to do it,” Manfred said.
Tampa is scheduled to move into a new billion-dollar stadium at the start of the 2028 season.
Hurricane Milton has left the team and its fans wondering what comes next after the worst-case scenario happened.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
