The Rays launched a press release on X at this time within the wake of Hurricane Milton passing by way of the Tampa and St. Petersburg space. “In the course of the previous couple weeks, our beloved metropolis, area and state have been impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton,” the assertion says. “We’re devastated by the harm incurred by so many. Our precedence is supporting our neighborhood and our workers. We’re lucky and grateful that nobody was damage by the harm to our ballpark final night time. Over the approaching days and weeks, we count on to have the ability to assess the true situation of Tropicana Subject. Within the meantime, we’re working with legislation enforcement to safe the constructing. We ask to your persistence at the moment, and we encourage those that can to donate to organizations in our neighborhood which might be helping these straight impacted by these storms.”
Clearly, a sports activities stadium is just not the highest precedence with a tragedy of this magnitude, however it’s nonetheless a narrative with relevance to Main League Baseball that might affect the upcoming season. Drone footage shared on X by Ryan Bass of Bally Sports activities Florida clearly exhibits important harm to the roof, with virtually all of it ripped off, shredded into items which have fallen to the sphere beneath.
Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Instances, membership workers have begun the method of assessing the harm. Topkin notes that, because of the presence of the roof, the stadium was constructed with no drainage system. That signifies that water harm is a priority for so long as the roof is broken and the sphere uncovered to the weather.
The Rays are planning to open a brand new stadium adjoining to the Tropicana website however not till the 2028 season. As such, they might want to assess the playability of the Trop for the 2025 by way of 2027 seasons. They’re scheduled to open the upcoming marketing campaign at house on March 27, internet hosting the Rockies after which the Pirates for 3 recreation every.
As famous by Topkin, the Rays might probably transfer to a different location quickly, if crucial. He cites the instance of the Blue Jays, who weren’t in a position to journey to Toronto on the heights of the pandemic because of journey restrictions in 2020 and 2021. Throughout that point, the Jays performed at their minor league services in Dunedin and later in Buffalo.
Whether or not the Rays should observe the same path or can return to the Trop by Opening Day 2025 will naturally rely upon the severity of the harm and when it may be repaired. The membership will undoubtedly be offering additional updates within the coming days and weeks.
