Current:Home > FinanceHurricane-stricken Tampa Bay Rays to play 2025 season at Yankees’ spring training field in Tampa -AssetVision
Hurricane-stricken Tampa Bay Rays to play 2025 season at Yankees’ spring training field in Tampa
View
Date:2025-04-16 05:12:54
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays will play their 2025 home games at the New York Yankees’ nearby spring training ballpark amid uncertainty about the future of hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field, Rays executives told The Associated Press.
Stuart Sternberg, the Rays’ principal owner, said in an interview that Steinbrenner Field in Tampa is the best fit for the team and its fanbase. At about 11,000 seats, it’s also the largest of the spring training sites in Florida.
“It is singularly the best opportunity for our fans to experience 81 games of major league Rays baseball,” Sternberg said. “As difficult as it is to get any of these stadiums up to major league standards, it was the least difficult. You’re going to see Major League Baseball in a small environment.”
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said the Rays-Yankees deal is good for the sport and the Tampa Bay region.
“This outcome meets Major League Baseball’s goals that Rays fans will see their team play next season in their home market and that their players can remain home without disruption to their families,” Manfred said in a news release.
The Rays’ home since 1998, the domed Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg was hit hard by Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9, with most of its fabric roof shredded and water damage inside. The city of St. Petersburg, which owns the Trop, released an assessment of the damage and repair needs that estimated the cost at $55.7 million if it is to be ready for the start of the 2026 season.
The work would have to be approved by the city council, which earlier this year voted for a new $1.3 billion, 30,000-seat stadium to replace Tropicana Field beginning in 2028. The new stadium is part of a much larger urban revitalization project known as the Historic Gas Plant District — named for the Black community that once occupied the 86 acres (34 hectares) that includes retail, office and hotel space; a Black history museum; and restaurants and bars.
Amid all the uncertainty, the Rays know one thing: they will play 2025 in a smallish, outdoor ballpark operated by one of their main American League East division rivals. A ballpark with a facade mimicking that of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and festooned with plaques of Yankee players whose numbers have been retired.
Brian Auld, the Rays co-president, said in an interview that Tampa Bay has to be ready for a regular-season MLB game March 27 against the Colorado Rockies, just three days after the Yankees break training camp.
“There will be a ton of work toward putting in our brand,” Auld said. “The term we like to use for that is ”Rayful’ into Steinbrenner Field.”
It will also come with some weather challenges in the hot, rainy Florida summer climate the Rays didn’t worry about in their domed ballpark. The Rays averaged about 16,500 fans per game during the 2024 season.
The Yankees will receive about $15 million in revenue for hosting the Rays, a person familiar with the arrangement told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because that detail was not announced. The money won’t come from Tampa Bay but from other sources, such as insurance.
Once known as Legends Field, Steinbrenner Field opened in 1996 on Tampa’s north side. It is named for longtime Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who ran a shipbuilding company in Tampa and died at his home there in 2010. One of his sons, Yankees executive Hal Steinbrenner, was instrumental in getting the deal done with the Rays, Sternberg said.
“This is a heavy lift for the Yankees. This is a huge ask by us and baseball of the Yankees,” Sternberg said. “(Hal Steinbrenner) did not waver for one second. I couldn’t have been more grateful.”
Hal Steinbrenner said in a news release that the Yankees are “happy to extend our hand to the Rays” and noted that the team and his family have “deep roots” in the Tampa Bay area.
“In times like these, rivalry and competition take a back seat to doing what’s right for our community, which is continuing to help families and businesses rebound from the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton,” he said.
The Tampa Tarpons, one of the Yankees minor league teams, play their home games at Steinbrenner Field during the summer. They will use baseball diamonds elsewhere in the training complex this season.
It’s not the first time a big league team will host regular season games in a spring training stadium. The Toronto Blue Jays played part of the 2021 season at their facility in Dunedin because of Canadian government restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
___
AP Baseball Writer Ron Blum contributed from New York.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
veryGood! (77)
Related
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Photo of Queen Elizabeth II and Grandkids Was Digitally Enhanced at Source, Agency Says
- Maker of Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles to follow California’s strict vehicle emissions standards
- Drake Bell calls out 'Ned's Declassified' stars for appearing to mock Nickelodeon abuse allegations
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Two arrested in brawl at California shopping center after planned meetup goes viral
- French bulldogs remain the most popular US breed in new rankings. Many fans aren’t happy
- Rural Nevada county roiled by voting conspiracies picks new top elections official
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Lukas Gage Addresses Cheating Speculation Surrounding Breakup From Chris Appleton
Ranking
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Kenny Chesney reveals what he texted Taylor Swift after her Person of the Year shout-out
- Founders of the internet reflect on their creation and why they have no regrets over creating the digital world
- Men's NCAA Tournament 2024: 10 bold predictions for March Madness
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- Bruce Springsteen returns to the stage in Phoenix after health issues postponed his 2023 world tour
- Jonathan Majors' ex-girlfriend sues him for assault and defamation
- 2 Japanese men die in river near Washington state waterfall made popular on TikTok
Recommendation
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
Men's NCAA Tournament 2024: 10 bold predictions for March Madness
Two arrested in brawl at California shopping center after planned meetup goes viral
Companies Are Poised to Inject Millions of Tons of Carbon Underground. Will It Stay Put?
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
Companies Are Poised to Inject Millions of Tons of Carbon Underground. Will It Stay Put?
Historic covered bridges are under threat by truck drivers relying on GPS meant for cars
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Leo Rising