Rob Manfred Hopeful Rays Can Play in Tampa Area in 2025 After Tropicana Field Damage

After the devastating damage to Tropicana Field following Hurricane Milton, there is still uncertainty over where the Tampa Bay Rays will play home games during the 2025 season.

However, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said on an episode of The Varsity podcast that he's hoping the team can remain in the Tampa area.

"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, per the Associated Press. "The easiest thing is always to stay in the market where the clubs are anchored, if we can manage it."

Tropicana Field was constructed in 1990 and the Rays have played there since their inaugural season in 1998. The hurricane's winds destroyed the translucent fiberglass dome amid other damage to the facility. The AP noted, "a number of spring training sites around the Tampa Bay area have been suggested as temporary homes."

The Rays were expected to remain at Tropicana Field during the construction of a $1.3 billion ballpark in an adjacent location that is planned to open at the beginning of the 2028 season. The city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County approved the stadium's construction as part of a larger downtown revitalization project.

St. Petersburg spokeswoman Alizza Punzalan-Randle said an outside firm has been hired to do a complete analysis of the damage at Tropicana Field, and the city filed a claim with its insurance carrier, both of which are necessary steps to determine when the ballpark will be safe to reopen.

"We will have more information on next steps once the analyses have been completed and the remaining roof has been removed," Punzalan-Randle said.

The AP noted that there's been talk of the Rays sharing the Miami Marlins' stadium, which would likely present scheduling challenges. Spring training sites used by the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers have also been suggested as possibilities.

Manfred said the league is committed to finding a viable solution for the Rays.

"The one thing I can tell you for sure, they're playing next year. We're going to find them someplace to do it," Manfred said on the podcast.