A decision on an interim stadium for the Rays is pending a full assessment of damage from Hurricane Milton, as well as the potential cost and timeline for repairs to their previous home at Tropicana Field.

A key factor is whether it’s worth repairing the Trop, which is scheduled to be demolished after the 2027 season as the Rays move to a new stadium to be built on an adjacent site.

“They’re still assessing the damage,” Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said in Los Angeles ahead of Saturday’s World Series game. ‘They are trying to find out how bad the damage is. That must be done. Obviously it wasn’t just the roof; There was also damage internally. We won’t know exactly what will happen until they complete that process.”

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch told The Catalyst on Thursday, “There are a number of options” for a solution, and “once we have more clarity on what the costs are, I think we’ll have more to say about that.” The city, which is responsible for the repairs, meets “consistently” with the Rays, Welch added.

The city filed an insurance claim; hired a firm to assess the structural, architectural and engineering status of the building (which opened in 1990); and hired another to remove the remains of the roof, which was torn by high winds during the Oct. 9 storm.

Manfred said last week that the league was “hopeful” to find a way to keep the team playing in the Tampa Bay area until the Trop is repaired or the new stadium, which is scheduled to open for the 2028 season, is completed is.

The most likely options appear to be the spring/minor-league homes of the Phillies in Clearwater or the Yankees in Tampa. (Whether Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg is available is unclear, as it was sufficiently damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton that the Rowdies football team was forced to move its final three games of the regular season.)

Another often-speculated option, albeit 90 miles away and requiring relocation of players and personnel, is Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports facility, where the Rays previously played regular season and spring games.

If the Rays use a stadium that hosts a minor league team, Manfred said MLB could adjust that team’s schedule and likely the MLB schedule. “We can make it work in a minor league park,” Manfred said Saturday. “I think there’s probably some flexibility as well in terms of what we do with the big league schedule.”

Noting the complexity of the issue, Manfred said: “They need to have a pretty good plan in place by Christmas, and there’s a lot that goes into that. So once we get past (the World Series), we really have to be focused and figure out where we’re going to be and get the logistics worked out.”

Tony Clark, executive director of the MLB Players Association, said Friday during the Series that union officials were waiting to hear from the league. Although the players’ association is not involved in the actual decision, it will have a say in the players’ working conditions, such as the quality and facilities of the facility.

“I think everything is still on the table as far as the time frame, both short-term and long-term,” Clark said, according to The Athletic. “There are options available, some of which have been publicly derided, some not so much, that need to be reviewed, and we will need to ensure they are at a level comparable to Major League.”

The Rays, who have not commented on the options, could also consider other stadiums in Florida or elsewhere in the country, most likely in the Eastern time zone. Montreal and Durham, North Carolina, have been removed from the list. The Athletic reported that expansion options such as Nashville and Salt Lake City are unlikely to be considered.

Clark also said, according to USA Today, that the Trop decision is a major factor: “I have no idea yet, but there is still a lot of work going on – formal and informal – on the ballpark itself. It will have to be determined whether or not adjustments to that margin can be implemented in 2025, 2026 or later.”

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