MLB Eyes Clarity on Rays' 2025 Stadium Plans By Christmas amid Tropicana Field Damage

A plan regarding the Tampa Bay Rays home venue for 2025 should come before the calendar flips to the new year.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters, including Evan Drellich of The Athletic, that he expects a "pretty good plan in place" by Christmas for what to do with the team after its home, Tropicana Field, suffered significant damage in Hurricane Milton.

"They're still in the damage assessment mode," Manfred said, per Drelich "That needs to get done and obviously, it's not just the roof, there was damage internally as well. Won't know exactly what's going to happen until they complete that process. … It's just a guess as to how long it's going to be."

Manfred continued by saying that the league can get by using a minor-league park if needed and that the top priority would be keeping the team in the Tampa market.

"We can make it work in a minor-league park," Manfred said, per Drellich. "I think there's probably some flexibility in terms of what we do with the big-league schedule."

The full extent of the damage Tropicana Field took during the hurricane is unknown, but at the very least the roof was blown off and the playing field took significant water damage. The Rays are already in the midst of developing a new ballpark, so simply heading to a minor league park instead of repairing the current park could be a solid option.

The New York Yankees have an affiliate in Tampa and numerous other team's have spring training facilities in the area.