Report: Blue Jays’ Minor League Park Could Host Rays Amidst…
The Tampa Bay Rays may require a new home next season after Tropicana Field was severely damaged by Hurricane Milton earlier this month, and the Toronto Blue Jays may be asked to help lend a hand.
Major League Baseball hopes to resolve the Rays’ stadium crisis before the holiday season begins in December, according to commissioner Rob Manfred, who spoke to reporters Saturday prior to Game 2 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Manfred indicated there are several options to ensure the Rays remain in Florida if Tropicana Field isn’t ready by Opening Day. Among the potential locations reportedly being considered include the Blue Jays’ spring training home in Dunedin, the Phillies’ complex in Clearwater, the Yankees’ in Tampa, the Pirates’ in Bradenton and the Tigers’ in Lakeland.
The Rays’ spring training facility in Port Charlotte is also a potential option, as is Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex that’s located near Orlando.
“We can make it work in a minor league park,” Manfred told reporters, including The Washington Post. “I think there’s probably some flexibility in terms of what we do with the big league schedule.”
The Blue Jays played a portion of their 2021 home schedule at TD Ballpark — which also hosts the organization’s single-A affiliate — due to border restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic. They also split that campaign in Buffalo at Sahlen Field, where they played home games during the shortened ’20 campaign.
Tampa Bay is still assessing the damage to Tropicana Field, with those evaluations expected to conclude sometime next month.
“They’re still in the damage-assessment mode,” Manfred said. “That needs to get done and, obviously, it was not just the roof. There was damage internally, as well, and won’t know exactly what’s going to happen until they complete that process.”
In September 2023, the Rays reached an agreement with the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County regarding a new $1.3-billion ballpark to be built at the site of their current stadium, scheduled to debut on Opening Day ahead of the ’28 season.
