MLB Wants Rays To Stay In The Tampa Area Following Hurricane Damage To Tropicana Field

The Tampa Bay Rays are in a bit of a pickle for next season after Hurricane Milton did some serious damage to their home stadium, Tropicana Field, but according to reports, Major League Baseball knows where they would prefer to see the Rays play next season while the Trop undergoes repairs: in the Tampa Bay area.

One of the most memorable images from Hurricane Milton slamming into Florida's Gulf Coast was seeing shreds of the Stadium's fiberglass roof flapping in the wind.

Of course, the Rays — who have plans to build a new ballpark near their current home, but work on that won't start until 2025 with plans for them to move in ahead of the 2028 season — will need a place to play next season if the Trop will be out of commission.

According to ESPN, MLB Commissioner Ron Manfred told The Varsity podcast that he hopes they can figure out a way to keep the team in the Tampa Bay 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. "The easiest thing is always to stay in the market where the clubs are anchored, if we can manage it."

Tropicana Field's roof sustained some serious damage thanks to Hurricane Milton. (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)

Of course, the Rays are uniquely positioned in that there are a bunch of spring training facilities in the region that could potentially serve as a temporary home for the Rays if they needed to.

Another really good option would be for the Rays to play about an hour and change up I-4 at Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. They've got a decent-sized stadium there that used to be the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves. 

In 2023, the Rays played a pair of regular-season games in the stadium, which currently doesn't have any current professional tenants.