Rays Want Tropicana Field to Be Repaired for 2026 MLB Season After Hurricane Damage

The Tampa Bay Rays are now hoping to get Tropicana Field repaired in time for the start of the 2026 MLB season after it suffered significant damage due to Hurricane Milton.

Per Colleen Wright of the Tampa Bay Times, Rays president Matt Silverman said in a Dec. 30 letter to St. Petersburg City Administrator Rob Gerdes they "support and expect" the city to repair the stadium based on their current use agreement because of the logistical and revenue challenges that would come with playing only a partial season at the Trop.

"It is therefore critical that the rebuild start in earnest as soon as possible, that a realistic completion schedule be developed quickly and that the City diligently pursue the reconstruction as required by the Use Agreement," Silverman wrote in the letter.

The Rays and St. Petersburg city council have been at odds about using public funding to repair the stadium.

After initially voting on Nov. 21 to approve more than $23 million in funds for Tropicana Field, the city council reversed its decision that same day.

Rays co-president Brian Auld told the council members the decision puts the future of Tropicana Field and their new stadium plans in doubt.

"I can't say I'm confident about anything," Auld said.

The Rays have plans for a new $1.3 billion stadium in the Gas Plant District they wanted to be ready by 2028, with the St. Petersburg city council and Pinellas county commission voting to approve a combined total of $600 million in funding, but the team has asked for further negotiations due to what they say are "substantially" increased construction costs due to delays by the county that will make it unlikely to open before 2029.

Wright noted that Silverman's letter doesn't contain any mention of following through with their deal to build a new stadium, with a March 31 deadline to for the Rays and their development partner to meet "certain benchmarks" or the deal will automatically terminate.

If Tropicana Field is repaired, the Rays are obligated to play three more seasons at the stadium.

Hurricane Milton ripped off the roof and damaged parts of the interior at Tropicana Field when it made its way through Mexico and parts of the southeastern United States in early October.

The Rays are going to play home games during the 2025 season at George Steinbrenner Field, where the New York Yankees hold spring training. It's also the home of the Tampa Tarpons, the Yankees' A-ball affiliate.