MLB wants clarity on Trop status by Christmas

LOS ANGELES — Major League Baseball is hoping to know by Christmas whether Tropicana Field will be playable to begin the 2025 season after the roof was torn off by Hurricane Milton earlier this month.

Speaking before Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday, commissioner Rob Manfred said the process to determine whether timely repairs for the Tampa Bay Rays‘ stadium are feasible is ongoing.

“They’re still in the damage-assessment mode,” Manfred said. “They’re trying to figure out how bad the damage is that needs to get done, and obviously, it was not just the roof.”

Manfred indicated there are several options available if Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, isn’t ready for Opening Day. They include playing at a minor league or spring facility, with a source saying Tampa, Dunedin and Clearwater are among the possible nearby cities.

The New York Yankees‘ Single-A team, the Tampa Tarpons, play in Tampa, but it is not known whether that would be the likely home for the Rays. There are several other minor league teams in the area, as well.

Wherever the Rays play, the field and/or stadium would likely need altering to accommodate two big league teams.

“It starts with the playing surface and the safety of the ballpark itself,” MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark said Friday before Game 1 of the Series. “Ensuring that you can get the work done that you need to get done and that the surface is reflective, and the ballpark is reflective, of major league standards.”

The league is already altering another minor league park, in Sacramento, California, to accommodate the Athletics while their new stadium is being built in Las Vegas. The league is installing a grass surface for safer conditions because of the summer heat.

As for the Rays, it’s also possible the MLB or Minor League Baseball schedule might have to be slightly altered to accommodate a move to a different park, but the league has yet to decide a course of action. That should come before the new year.

“There was damage internally, as well, and we won’t know exactly what’s going to happen until they complete that process,” Manfred said.