With the help of a division rival, the Tampa Bay Rays found a temporary home for the 2025 season after Tropicana Field, the club's permanent home stadium, sustained damages from the winds of Hurricane Milton in October.
The Rays are planning to play their 2025 home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., the 11,000-seat ballpark which serves as the spring training home stadium for the American League East rival New York Yankees, according to Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. The Yankees will receive roughly $15 million in revenue as a result of the deal with the Rays, according to The Associated Press.
Rays Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg said the club "deeply appreciates the Yankees" allowing the Rays to play at Steinbrenner Field in 2025.
"We are happy to extend our hand to the Rays and their fans by providing a Major League-quality facility for them to utilize this season,’’ Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. "Both the Yankees organization and my family have deep roots in the Tampa Bay region, and we understand how meaningful it is for Rays players, employees and fans to have their 2025 home games take place within 30 minutes of Tropicana Field."
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."
Hurricane Milton, which made landfall about 70 miles south of Tampa with 100-plus MPH winds on Oct. 10, ripped the roof off of Tropicana Field. Rays officials said damage to the ballpark, which was initially set to serve as a base camp for 10,000 people to help with post-storm recovery, would take weeks to assess.
According to a damage assessment report sent on Tuesday to the St. Petersburg City Council, Hurricane Milton caused $39 million in damage and can be repaired in time for the 2026 season, albeit with a $55.7 million price tag. The Rays have plans to build and open a new stadium in 2028.
It's currently unclear how—and if—the repairs to Tropicana Field will affect these plans.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rays Find Stadium for 2025 Home Games After Tropicana Field Hurricane Damage .
