The Tampa Bay Rays will play at Steinbrenner Subject, the Tampa-based spring coaching residence of their division rival New York Yankees, for the 2025 season after Hurricane Milton tore the roof off Tropicana Subject.
Steinbrenner Subject, situated in northwest Tampa and down the road from the Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium, seats 11,000 and serves as the house for the Yankees’ Class A affiliate Tampa Tarpons.
The Rays had thought of different amenities within the surrounding metropolitan space, however Steinbrenner Subject was essentially the most major-league-ready choice, and the Yankees and Rays struck a deal that may pay New York to be used of the ability, sources instructed ESPN.
“It’s singularly the most effective alternative for our followers to expertise 81 video games of main league Rays baseball,” Rays proprietor Stuart Sternberg stated. “As troublesome as it’s to get any of those stadiums as much as main league requirements, it was the least troublesome. You are going to see Main League Baseball in a small setting.”
The Rays will stay in Port Charlotte, Florida, for spring coaching earlier than transferring into Steinbrenner Subject simply days earlier than Opening Day on March 27.
Tampa Bay will use the stadium full time; the Tarpons are anticipated to make use of different fields within the space for the 2025 season. Coming off an 80-82 season and fourth-place end within the AL East, Tampa Bay is anticipated to compete for a playoff spot in 2025 with the return of ace Shane McClanahan from Tommy John surgical procedure.
“Given the numerous challenges attributable to Hurricane Milton, I admire the arduous work and collaboration between the 2 groups that allowed the Rays to make the most effective choice for subsequent season,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred stated in an announcement. “This end result meets Main League Baseball’s targets that Rays’ followers will see their crew play subsequent season of their residence market and that their gamers can stay residence with out disruption to their households.”
Following the harm from the Oct. 9 hurricane — which tore a lot of the fiberglass roof off the domed stadium and would value $55.7 million to restore for it to be prepared by the 2026 season, in keeping with a report this week from the town of St. Petersburg — the Rays scrambled to discover a new residence for 2025.
The franchise has a deal to construct a brand new stadium close to Tropicana Subject that’s set to open in 2028. Whereas different amenities within the space have been thought of for this yr, Steinbrenner Subject — presently present process a major improve to its residence clubhouse — wanted the fewest modifications to succeed in main league requirements.
Sutter Well being Park, the Sacramento, California, stadium the place the Athletics will play for at the least three years earlier than their deliberate transfer from Oakland to Las Vegas, has wanted substantial renovations to arrange it for the 2025 season.
The final crew to play in a minor league facility was the Toronto Blue Jays, who moved their regular-season video games in 2020 to their spring residence in Dunedin, Florida, and later to Buffalo, N.Y., due to COVID-related restrictions in Canada.
As soon as often called Legends Subject, Steinbrenner Subject opened in 1996. It’s named for longtime Yankees proprietor George Steinbrenner, who ran a shipbuilding firm in Tampa and died at his residence there in 2010. One in every of his sons, Hal Steinbrenner, is the crew’s managing common companion.
“This can be a heavy raise for the Yankees. This can be a enormous ask by us and baseball of the Yankees,” Sternberg stated. “[Hal Steinbrenner] didn’t waver for one second. I could not have been extra grateful.”
Steinbrenner stated in an announcement that the Yankees are “joyful to increase our hand to the Rays” and famous that the crew and his household have “deep roots” within the Tampa Bay space.
“In instances like these, rivalry and competitors take a again seat to doing what’s proper for our group,” Steinbrenner stated, “which is constant to assist households and companies rebound from the devastation attributable to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.”
Data from The Related Press was used on this report.
