Will City pick up ‘The Trop’ repair bill tab?

Image: Legends Field, Oughgh, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Major League Baseball (MLB) team Tampa Bay Rays won’t be calling the Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida, United States) their home during the 2025 MLB season. Hurricane Milton battered the domed stadium in early October causing significant damage to the roof as well as various other key parts of the field.

Since the Rays are planning to move to a new venue in 2028 and the repair bill of ‘The Trop’ is huge, the million-dollar question is whether the City would be willing to pick up the tab.

‘fox4kc.com’ stated that repairs have been scheduled but they figure to take a lengthy amount of time leaving the team seeking more immediate solutions as to where they’ll play baseball this coming season.

New York (US)-based the Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league and the highest level of organized baseball in the United States and Canada. One of the ‘Big Four’ major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, the MLB comprises 30 teams divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.

The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area (US). The Rays compete in the Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League East Division.

The 42,735-capacity Tropicana Field is a multipurpose domed stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. ‘The Trop’ has been the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) since the team’s inaugural season in 1998.

‘fox4kc.com’ further stated that a damage assessment of the stadium stated that repairs are expected to cost as much as $55.7 million and won’t be complete until 2026. The roof will account for around $23.6 million of the $55.7 million cost.

That’s quite a large bill for a City to cover considering the team intended to move to a new stadium in 2028. It remains to be seen how much of the cost of the repairs would be covered by insurance which could play a factor into whether the City would be willing to pay such an amount for effectively two more years at the Tropicana Field before the move.

The 30,000-capacity Gas Plant Stadium is a planned indoor ballpark in St. Petersburg, Florida. When constructed it will serve as the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball. The construction cost is estimated to be $1.3 billion and the total cost to public will be $1.5 billion.

The Rays have called ‘The Trop’ home since their inception in 1998. The stadium first opened in 1990. With their ballpark unavailable for the looming season, the team will play at their peer team New York Yankees’ Spring facility, the 11,026-capacity George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. Their preferred option for a temporary home is the 8,500-capacity BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida, the MLB team Philadelphia Phillies’ Spring facility.

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