Tampa Bay Rays

Team president Erik Neander says the Rays have dealt with stadium questions throughout their existence but tend to overcome: "This is what we do. I think we do it pretty well.”

Tampa Bay is putting together the pieces to make Steinbrenner Field its 2025 home. That includes fan giveaways, beginning with a schedule magnet on Opening Day, March 28, against Colorado.

City officials want a complete list of repairs that are needed to get the Trop running for several more seasons.

During his State of the City, Mayor Ken Welch says the city remains committed to DEI policies and reflected on a need to remain prepared for more devastating hurricanes, "undeniable evidence of our new reality."

The Orlando Dreamers, an organization founded in 2019 to lure a team to Central Florida, is renewing its quest for a team with Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin as its frontman.

The state's spring training sites come alive once again. And Rays fans get a brief respite from stadium talk while the team preps for an entire season played outdoors in Tampa.

The next move is up to the team as to whether it will honor an agreement to build a new stadium as the lynchpin to the biggest redevelopment plan in Pinellas County's history.

If hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field does get repaired, it likely won't be in time for the start of the 2026 season, as requested by the team. The use agreement "does not establish a deadline" for doing so.

The Rays worked with Major League Baseball to craft a schedule that considers weather, traffic and other events in the area. Starting in June, weeknight games begin at 7:35 and Sunday games at 12:05 p.m.

Even a partial 2026 season at Tropicana Field “would present massive logistical and revenue challenges for the team,” team president Matt Silverman wrote to the city.

The next move is up to the Rays after two Pinellas County commissioners flipped their earlier opposition and voted in favor of allocating bed tax money to help build a new stadium.

Tropicana Field's hurricane-damaged roof and delays to votes on public financing are threatening plans for a new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays