The new owners of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Tampa Bay Rays have confirmed plans for a new ballpark by 2029 and announced short-term improvements to Tropicana Field.
Ballpark Digest said the Rays are heading back to Tropicana Field for the 2026 season after playing 2025 at Steinbrenner Field while repairs were made to the Trop after Hurricane Milton damage in 2024.
The main repair is installation of new roof panels to replace the ones shredded by the hurricane. A new videoboard and a new sound system are also on the agenda.
Ken Babby, CEO of Business Operations, said, “We promise the fan experience will be better than ever—with a new roof, new video board, a new sound system, and other improvements, including some funded directly by the Rays.
“Tropicana Field is truly going to look better than it ever has, and we are excited to share that with our fans.”
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in Tampa, Florida (US). The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League East Division.
The 25,025-capacity Tropicana Field (also known as ‘The Trop’) is a domed multipurpose stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States.
Under their current lease agreement the Rays are required to play at Tropicana Field for three more seasons.
The hot topic for the next year will be a new ballpark, and the new owners plan on meetings with leaders from local municipalities.
Their wish list for a ballpark site includes 100 acres of mixed-use development anchored by a covered ballpark, similar to Truist Field in Atlanta.
Two leading contenders are the Dale Mabry Campus of Hillsborough Community College–located south of Steinbrenner Field and west of Raymond James Stadium–and an Ybor City harborside.
The Hillsborough Community College site, creating an entertainment district that can also cater to fans attending games and concerts at Raymond James Stadium, would definitely seem to tick all the boxes.
But there will be some calls for the team to stay in St. Petersburg, as a new development plan for the Historic Gas Plant District area surrounding Tropicana Field could accommodate a new Rays ballpark.
Under the plan from ARK Investment Management, Ellison Development and Horus Construction, the $6.8-billion development has the potential to house a new ballpark in 2033 in the third phase of the development.
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