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Rays to play 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field
FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports on the Tampa Bay Rays playing their 2025 regular season games at the Yankees' Steinbrenner Field and details the arrangements future implications.
TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Rays have a new home for the 2025 season.
On Thursday, the team announced it would play at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
The Rays said it selected Steinbrenner Field as its temporary regular-season home because "it is the best-prepared facility in the Tampa Bay region to host regular-season Major League Baseball games."
"We deeply appreciate that the Yankees have graciously allowed us to play at Steinbrenner Field for the 2025 season,’’ Rays Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg said. "The hurricane damage to Tropicana Field has forced us to take some extraordinary steps, just as Hurricanes Helene and Milton have forced thousands of families and businesses in our community to adapt to new circumstances as we all recover and rebuild."
The Rays needed to find a new place to play after Hurricane Milton destroyed Tropicana Field earlier this year.
It will cost approximately $55M to repair the facility, but it won’t be ready until 2026.
Tropicana Field without a roof after Hurricane Milton tore it off during the storm.
The move to Tampa, though, has Pinellas County commissioners furious, and it comes right before they have to vote on approving bonds to pay for their new stadium. The Rays said Thursday that moving to Steinbrenner Field is an "extraordinary" step, with the Yankees saying it's "meaningful" to help them play so close to their now-damaged home, but it's not close enough to some.
"I had some time to process it, but that doesn't seem like they're here to stay," said Vince Nowicki, as he cited the slogan the team unveiled when it announced it would build a new stadium in St. Petersburg.
Nowicki will be sworn into the Pinellas County Commission on Monday, the day before they are scheduled to vote on approving $312 million in bonds to pay for the Rays' new stadium. There are questions about whether the votes are still there.
"I think that's why I won," he said, "because I've campaigned for the last year that I was against the stadium deal and my opponent was for it."
And one commissioner, who voted no on the original deal, said he might have been a "yes" on Tuesday on the bonds if the Rays had agreed to play in Pinellas County while the Trop is being fixed.
"I thought the Rays playing in Pinellas County these next three years was even more important just for the morale of our residents and our community," said commissioner Chris Latvala.
The City of St. Pete, whose mayor has staked his administration on getting the new stadium and Gas Plant development through, said Thursday, "We will continue to focus our efforts on ensuring that the Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment stays on track."
The Rays did not say why they chose Steinbrenner as opposed to one of the Pinellas County options, though they did point out renovations are already underway there, and that it has the largest capacity of any spring training stadium. Smoothing this perceived slight could be critical in getting the new stadium funded.
"The fact that they haven't really been talking to us about what their intentions are over the next three years is what concerns me," said Commissioner Brian Scott. "But the basic part of the deal that I voted on a few months ago, I still believe in."
The original vote to approve the bonds has been scheduled for next Tuesday, but they do have a deadline of the end of March to make the final approval. One commissioner said if they need to take until then to debate, then they will.
The Yankees will continue to play spring training games at Steinbrenner Field in 2025, and the Rays will continue to use Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Fla., for their spring training workouts and games.
Steinbrenner Field was already undergoing renovations to improve its clubhouse and playing facilities. Recent projects include upgraded field lighting, expanded home locker room space, and improved training and rehabilitation capabilities.
It is also the largest spring-training stadium in the region with a capacity of approximately 11,000 patrons. Additional improvements are expected to be made before the regular season.
"We are happy to extend our hand to the Rays and their fans by providing a Major League-quality facility for them to utilize this season,’’ said Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner. "Both the Yankees organization and my family have deep roots in the Tampa Bay region, and we understand how meaningful it is for Rays players, employees and fans to have their 2025 home games take place within 30 minutes of Tropicana Field. In times like these, rivalry and competition take a back seat to doing what’s right for our community — which is continuing to help families and businesses rebound from the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.’’
Before Hurricane Milton, the last game at the Tropicana Field was slated for 2027 and opening day at a new St. Pete ballpark was scheduled for April 2028.
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