ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays’ Tropicana Field is one of MLB’s more reviled ballparks, and it’s a stadium that the club has spent decades trying to replace, and finally will in 2029.
But no North American pro stadium, outside of perhaps the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, has gone through a more remarkable journey than Tropicana Field.
Just two years after Hurricane Milton shredded the fiberglass fabric roof off of Tropicana Field, caused sizable interior damage, and forced the Rays to the Yankees’ nearby spring training facility for a year, the ballpark is on baseball’s biggest stage. The Rays’ home ballpark will host Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night, giving a facility that began in 1990 as the Florida Suncoast Dome a global showcase.
Getting the Rays back into the publicly owned Tropicana Field required a frenetic, $60 million restoration effort. Then the club built upon that by overcoming widespread preseason expectations of another losing season to win its first American League pennant in a non-pandemic season since 2008.
“The building looks great, and it’s been unbelievable,” Rays CEO Ken Babby tells Front Office Sports. “When you look back, a year ago, we didn’t have a roof over our heads. We didn’t have a home. We were playing in a minor league/spring training facility that wasn’t ours. Getting the Trop reopened and being in a position where our fans can enjoy this is amazing. We’re incredibly fortunate.”
Long Journey
Beyond the obvious and daunting matter of repairing the extensive hurricane damage at Tropicana Field, there was also a debate about whether it even made sense to attempt a restoration.
At first, the Rays openly questioned the effort and whether the extent of the damage would allow the club to get back for the 2026 season. As the city of St. Petersburg owns Tropicana Field, the repairs also were temporarily intertwined with discussions with former Rays owner Stu Sternberg about a new ballpark there. Sternberg soon reversed course on pushing forward with the renovations, but he walked away early last year from the deal for the new stadium.
Soon thereafter, Sternberg sold the team to the group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski and Babby in a $1.7 billion deal, beginning a critical new chapter for the Rays.
With a restored relationship with local leaders, the Rays and the city of St. Petersburg have not only brought back Tropicana Field from near-death, but elevated it. The ballpark features updated suites, a new turf field, an upgraded video board, and an improved locker room. Even the club’s iconic ray tank is back behind the centerfield wall.
That’s helped the Rays thrive on and off the field. The Rays tied the National League champion Brewers for MLB’s best home record during the regular season at 55-26. Tampa Bay also had the league’s largest attendance increase, taking advantage of this year’s return to a major league facility.
In the postseason, the Tropicana Field situation has gone to another level. The Rays have opened up Tropicana Field’s upper deck that is normally closed, pushing playoff crowds frequently beyond 40,000 and introducing a dramatically heightened level of playoff energy. With that, Tampa Bay has gone 4–1 at home during the playoffs.
That fan enthusiasm will be critical as the Rays attempt to come back from a 0–2 World Series deficit to the Brewers.
“There’s definitely little nuances at our ballpark that make the Trop unique,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “We love it there, we love our fan support, and our fan support has been second to none in this postseason run. It was loud [at Milwaukee’s American Family Field]. I think that we can get just as loud, if not louder, at our ballpark.”
The Forever Home
While Tropicana Field will get its star turn this week for the World Series, the Rays are also frenetically moving forward on their planned $2.36 billion ballpark in Tampa, what club officials have frequently termed its “forever home.”
The club received approvals in late August from the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County, and is now going through a bond validation process to access the $876 million in public funds committed to the project. A groundbreaking is expected later this year, with the ballpark situated at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry Campus, and near Tampa International Airport and the NFL Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium.
“The team has been working around the clock, finalizing the designs, and we’re in a great place,” Babby said. “We so proud for our community, and proud for our team. Tampa Bay really deserves this. They’ve waited for 25 years to learn what the future of this team is going to be, and I’m just thrilled it’s finally happening.”
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