MLB wants the Tampa Bay Rays to play in the area if hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field is unfit WSOC TV [Video]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — (AP) — Major League Baseball hopes to find the Tampa Bay Rays a temporary home near their fanbase at least for the start of the 2025 season if the damage to Tropicana Field from Hurricane Milton cannot be repaired in time.

The translucent fiberglass dome at the ballpark in St. Petersburg was shredded by Milton’s winds, leaving its immediate future in doubt. A number of spring training sites around the Tampa Bay area have been suggested as temporary homes, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league wants a location in the region if possible.

“We’re hopeful that we can figure out something in (the Tampa Bay area) for them and that the repairs can be done in a way that allows them to resume playing,” Manfred said on a recent episode of The Varsity podcast.

“The easiest thing is always to stay in the market where the clubs are anchored, if we can manage it,” he said.

The Rays have played at Tropicana …