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Multi-million dollar project: The Rays unsure of the Trop's future

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Published  October 16, 2024 4:01pm EDT
Hurricane Milton
FOX 13 News

St. Petersburg, Fla. - The Rays are beginning to explore what they will do next after winds tore the roof off Tropicana Field during Hurricane Milton.

The Rays 2025 Opening Day is scheduled for March 27, leaving the Rays scrambling about whether Tropicana Field will be useable.

On Oct. 16, workers outside Tropicana Field flew a drone over the roof's skeleton as the Rays determined whether it could be fixed quickly or at all. 

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Mark Ferguson, the owner of Ferg's Sports Bar and Grill, said he was in disbelief when he saw what was left of Tropicana Field after the storm.

"When I woke up that morning and looked out the back, I couldn't believe it," said Ferguson. "I didn't even think about their season. I just was horrified that it looked so bad."

Drone footage of Tropicana Field without a roof after Hurricane Milton.

Drone footage of Tropicana Field without a roof after Hurricane Milton.

The Rays and the City of St. Petersburg must now consider whether the team will ever play at Tropicana Field again.

Neither the team nor the city has released an estimate on repairing the roof, nor has it even been considered. Repairing the roof would cost millions, and the Rays are already set to open a new stadium in just four years.

Renderings of Rays new stadium set to open in 2028.

Renderings of Rays new stadium set to open in 2028.

"I'm hoping that some company comes in here and says, we can get this done in 150 days, and they put a new roof on it," said Ferguson. "That's my hope."

Some have questioned whether Tropicana Field could operate without a roof, which poses additional questions and challenges.

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For one, it needs to be clarified that the stadium can be left open, given it's not designed to handle rain. 

It also needs to be clarified how much damage the rest of the stadium took during the storm, not to mention the electronics in the stadium that were exposed to the rain for the first time.

A City Administrator, Rob Gerdes, says Tropicana Field has property insurance.

"It's a little bit complicated how the fund works for Tropicana Field, but there is insurance on the property," said Gerdes. "The first thing we are looking at is the property insurance to help make repairs."

Al Lang Stadium, which would have to be converted back to a baseball stadium, is a local alternative to Tropicana Field if the team and the city decide not to repair Tropicana Field’s roof. 

Other local alternatives to Tropicana Field include the Phillies and Blue Jays Spring Training stadiums in Clearwater and the Yankees Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. 

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However, the Phillies, Blue Jays, and Yankees minor league affiliate teams play their seasons in these stadiums. 

The Rays play their Spring Training games at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, but there are questions over whether the park could become "major league ready" in time for Opening Day.

The Miami Marlins loan Depot Park in Miami and the Rays triple-A stadium in North Carolina are also possible.

Those options have huge drawbacks, like not keeping the team local as it prepares to open a new stadium.

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"(It has been a) roller coaster. Up and down," said Ferguson. "Fifteen years of they're leaving. They're coming. They're leaving. They're coming. They're going. Now we finally get an agreement." 

Ferguson continued, "Then all of a sudden, the Trop's destroyed."

The roof at Tropicana Field was rated to withstand 100 MPH winds, while the roof of Ray's new stadium that opens in 2028 will have a roof rated to withstand 145 to 155 MPH winds.


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