MLB wants Rays to play home games in Tampa Bay area even if Tropicana Field isn't repaired in time

The Tampa Bay Rays’ location section for nan 2025 play remains uncertain aft Hurricane Milton devastated Tropicana Field successful St. Petersburg, Florida. 

Major League Baseball hopes nan franchise tin find a measurement to support nan team’s impermanent location adjacent its instrumentality guidelines if harm astatine "The Trop" cannot beryllium repaired successful time, Commissioner Rob Manfred said connected "The Varsity" podcast Sunday. 

"We’re hopeful that we tin fig retired thing successful [the Tampa Bay area] for them and that nan repairs tin beryllium done successful a measurement that allows them to resume playing," Manfred explained connected nan podcast. "The easiest point is ever to enactment successful nan marketplace wherever nan clubs are anchored if we tin negociate it."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Tropicana Field earlier a crippled betwixt nan Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports)

The suggested alternate location fields for nan Rays person been outpouring training sites of nan Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers, which are each wrong a reasonable region from Tropicana Field. The Rays’ outpouring training analyzable successful Port Charlotte is further distant than those sites. 

Another action is Disney’s monolithic ESPN Wide World of Sports analyzable adjacent Orlando. 

RAYS REACT TO HURRICANE MILTON DECIMATING THEIR HOME TROPICANA FIELD ROOF

The problem pinch nan outpouring training sites is they big insignificant convention teams aft nan MLB clubs caput northbound for nan regular season. An accommodation of schedules would beryllium basal depending connected what nan Rays extremity up doing for nan 2025 campaign.

The fiberglass dome astatine Tropicana Field was ripped to shreds by nan hurricane’s winds, which instantly created uncertainty astir nan Rays playing location games location by nan clip nan play originates adjacent year. 

The damaged tile of Tropicana Field, nan location of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays, aft Hurricane Milton made landfall successful downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 10, 2024.   (Reuters/Octavio Jones)

The City of St. Petersburg hired nan patient Hennessy/AECOM to behaviour an study of Tropicana Field’s damage, and metropolis spokeswoman Alizza Punzalan-Randle told ESPN different institution had been hired to region nan remaining roofing of Tropicana Field. 

"We will person much accusation connected adjacent steps erstwhile nan analyses person been completed and nan remaining tile has been removed," she said. 

Tropicana Field has been location to nan Rays since its inaugural play successful 1998. The ballpark, which was constructed successful 1990, was expected to grip winds up to 115 mph, according to nan Rays. 

Tropicana Field anterior to opening time betwixt nan Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays. (Kim Klement Neitzel/USA Today Sports)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The harm comes conscionable months aft a $1.3 cardinal task to build a caller ballpark was approved by nan City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, which is slated to beryllium unfastened by nan commencement of nan 2028 season.