The Rays are unsure about the place they’ll play in 2025 after Hurricane Milton broken the Tropicana Area roof. One choice that won’t be into consideration: Montreal. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Occasions reviews that the town’s Olympic Stadium — the previous residence of the Expos and a speculated risk for the Rays — is present process an $870MM renovation to interchange its personal roof. The stadium is not going to be out there for 3 years.
“Till 2028, the sphere of play might be inside a development website and subsequently not open to the general public,” the stadium’s communications officer instructed Topkin through electronic mail. Montreal is the second metropolis to again away from serving as a possible momentary residence for the franchise. The Durham Bulls, residence of the group’s Triple-A affiliate, launched a press release earlier this week saying they “don’t anticipate internet hosting (the Rays) for a full season as a result of schedules overlapping and different logistical challenges.”
The Rays nonetheless haven’t confirmed they received’t be capable of play all of subsequent season on the Trop. Topkin reported earlier within the week that the power was unlikely to be repaired by Opening Day, nevertheless. The Rays are scheduled to open a brand new stadium in St. Petersburg in 2028. Assuming that timeline isn’t delayed, it’s not clear if the group and metropolis will discover it worthwhile to restore Tropicana Area if the workforce is leaving the Trop after three years anyhow.
Montreal was talked about as a risk largely as a result of the Rays flirted with the thought of enjoying there just a few years in the past. Whereas the Rays had been making an attempt to safe public funding for his or her new stadium, proprietor Stuart Sternberg floated a plan to divide the workforce’s residence video games between Tampa Bay and Montreal. MLB’s government council killed the thought in January 2022. The Rays turned again to securing the funding for the brand new facility in St. Petersburg, which was permitted this previous July. Topkin’s column lists just a few different cities the Rays would possibly think about if the Trop is unavailable.