6 minutes ago, Piazza31 said:

If they move to disney while they wait for a new park, they will lose what little local support they have. They gotta stay in Tampa/St Pete area. I think the Yankees ST Site is the best place for them. Move the Tarpons to disney for a bit, the Wide World of Sports with a Yankees minor league team would be quite the boost for Orlando (and TAMPA would keep the rays).

Seems unnecessarily complicated to move two teams when only one needs to be moved

2 hours ago, Piazza31 said:

If they move to disney while they wait for a new park, they will lose what little local support they have. They gotta stay in Tampa/St Pete area. I think the Yankees ST Site is the best place for them. Move the Tarpons to disney for a bit, the Wide World of Sports with a Yankees minor league team would be quite the boost for Orlando (and TAMPA would keep the rays).

Wait. So your theory is that a MAJOR league team would lose local support, but a MINOR league team can move and be just fine with no issues in support??

20 hours ago, rmc523 said:

Wait. So your theory is that a MAJOR league team would lose local support, but a MINOR league team can move and be just fine with no issues in support??

Yes, a Major League team with a limited fan base should be more concerned with further alienating that fan base that didn’t want them to leave St Pete over a minor league team that rotates players on a yearly basis and is a farm team for THE preeminent franchise / brands in all of sports.

The Tarpons can survive a move anywhere and draw, the Rays cannot and with the Rays building a home in Tampa/ St Pete they need to build that fan base more. Not start again from scratch in 2028.

3 minutes ago, Piazza31 said:

Yes, a Major League team with a limited fan base should be more concerned with further alienating that fan base that didn’t want them to leave St Pete over a minor league team that rotates players on a yearly basis and is a farm team for THE preeminent franchise / brands in all of sports.

The Tarpons can survive a move anywhere and draw, the Rays cannot and with the Rays building a home in Tampa/ St Pete they need to build that fan base more. Not start again from scratch in 2028.

We’ll have to agree to disagree.

Tropicana Field Can Be Fixed For 2026 Season - MLB Trade Rumors

Latest update - 2025 season is out, but it could be fixed in time for the 2026 season if the city decides to go through with it.

A damage assessment report on Tropicana Field was presented to St. Petersburg City Council members today, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Per that report, the stadium could be fixed in time for the 2026 season at an estimated cost of $55.7MM. It’s still unclear whether the city will actually want to pay that cost for essentially just two years of use, since the facility is slated for demolition prior to the 2028 season, when the club is hoping to unveil a new stadium.

The city of St. Petersburg owns the stadium and has already filed an insurance claim. Per Topkin, the policy has a $22MM deductible and $25MM of coverage, though it had $100MM coverage as of March, when the city opted to save $275K in annual premium payments by reducing their coverage.

I’m guessing plans aren’t ready for the new park yet, otherwise I’d say just start on that and let them roam for a couple of years.

I’m still skeptical the city will want to invest the money into something they’ll tear down in a couple of years, especially for their investment in the new park.

1 hour ago, rmc523 said:

Tropicana Field Can Be Fixed For 2026 Season - MLB Trade Rumors

Latest update - 2025 season is out, but it could be fixed in time for the 2026 season if the city decides to go through with it.

A damage assessment report on Tropicana Field was presented to St. Petersburg City Council members today, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Per that report, the stadium could be fixed in time for the 2026 season at an estimated cost of $55.7MM. It’s still unclear whether the city will actually want to pay that cost for essentially just two years of use, since the facility is slated for demolition prior to the 2028 season, when the club is hoping to unveil a new stadium.

The city of St. Petersburg owns the stadium and has already filed an insurance claim. Per Topkin, the policy has a $22MM deductible and $25MM of coverage, though it had $100MM coverage as of March, when the city opted to save $275K in annual premium payments by reducing their coverage.

I’m guessing plans aren’t ready for the new park yet, otherwise I’d say just start on that and let them roam for a couple of years.

I’m still skeptical the city will want to invest the money into something they’ll tear down in a couple of years, especially for their investment in the new park.

Honestly, whoever reduced the coverage to save 275k yearly for a stadium in a hurricane riddled area deserves to be fired on the spot. The lack of vision to use the facility for even two years after the rays left for a convention/ events center.. or even hoping a hurricane ruined it to pocket the insurance money and demolish it using the money is asinine. Overall it was a little over 1 million dollars more over 4 years when they are investing almost a billion on a new place. Now the city loses out on parking, rent, taxes from tourists. What a moron.

2 hours ago, Piazza31 said:

Honestly, whoever reduced the coverage to save 275k yearly for a stadium in a hurricane riddled area deserves to be fired on the spot. The lack of vision to use the facility for even two years after the rays left for a convention/ events center.. or even hoping a hurricane ruined it to pocket the insurance money and demolish it using the money is asinine. Overall it was a little over 1 million dollars more over 4 years when they are investing almost a billion on a new place. Now the city loses out on parking, rent, taxes from tourists. What a moron.

Especially considering the roof was already past its lifespan.

To be fair and push back on your criticism, the entire property is set to be redeveloped after the new park is built with multiple additional buildings being added in the footprint of the current stadium, which will be demolished to make way for that redevelopment. So the criticism of not using it as an events/convention center isn’t really warranted, as it would need a big investment to be transformed into that, and is already an old building.

Well, it’s official…..the Rays will play at the Yankees A affiliate’s field for 2025.

Rays To Play 2025 Season At George M. Steinbrenner Field

On 11/14/2024 at 1:44 PM, rmc523 said:

Well, it’s official…..the Rays will play at the Yankees A affiliate’s field for 2025.

Rays To Play 2025 Season At George M. Steinbrenner Field

Damn, even a blind squirrel finds his nuts once in a while. Wonder where the Tarpons will play. Can’t see them sharing steinbrenner field. I feel like they’ll be in Disney.

St. Petersburg Approves Tropicana Field Roof Repair - MLB Trade Rumors

This afternoon, the St. Petersburg City Council approved $22.5MM in funding to repair the Tropicana Field roof (link via The Associated Press). That’s less the half the overall estimated $55.7MM necessary to get the Trop back to playable after last fall’s hurricane damage. Other necessary fixes include repairs to the playing surface and lighting. The roof is expected to take 10 months, according to The AP.

...

The City of St. Petersburg owns Tropicana Field, which it leases to the Rays. The city is therefore obligated to cover repair costs. Major League Baseball and the Rays have maintained hope that the field will be ready by Opening Day. They have three years left on their lease. Since the field is not in use this year, the lease is extended by one season. They’re contracted to play at The Trop through 2028, assuming they’re able to return to the stadium next year.

What happens after that is unknown...

15 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

St. Petersburg Approves Tropicana Field Roof Repair - MLB Trade Rumors

This afternoon, the St. Petersburg City Council approved $22.5MM in funding to repair the Tropicana Field roof (link via The Associated Press). That’s less the half the overall estimated $55.7MM necessary to get the Trop back to playable after last fall’s hurricane damage. Other necessary fixes include repairs to the playing surface and lighting. The roof is expected to take 10 months, according to The AP.

...

The City of St. Petersburg owns Tropicana Field, which it leases to the Rays. The city is therefore obligated to cover repair costs. Major League Baseball and the Rays have maintained hope that the field will be ready by Opening Day. They have three years left on their lease. Since the field is not in use this year, the lease is extended by one season. They’re contracted to play at The Trop through 2028, assuming they’re able to return to the stadium next year.

What happens after that is unknown...

That's wild that you can extend the lease out year after year when you don't provide a playable field thus keeping a team stuck in limbo. I have a feeling this will generate a lawsuit soon enough.

2 hours ago, hovertical said:

That's wild that you can extend the lease out year after year when you don't provide a playable field thus keeping a team stuck in limbo. I have a feeling this will generate a lawsuit soon enough.

I mean, if it's part of the contract....

Now I'd imagine it's a different story if it can be proved they drag their feet on repairs to intentionally extend the lease, especially if it extends another year or beyond.

Tropicana Field On Track To Be Repaired By Opening Day - MLB Trade Rumors

“At this moment in time, we have no concern about being ready for opening day April 6. And we hope we keep it that way,” city administrator Beth Herendeen told reporters (including Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times and Kristie Ackert of The Associated Press). The city finished reinstalling roof panels last month and is now focused on interior work. That includes repairs to the clubhouses, seating areas, and improvements to the video board.