The Tampa Bay Rays are no longer homeless for the 2025 season — and they have the division-rival Yankees to thank.
With the Rays’ stadium, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, unplayable for at least the upcoming season due to the impact of Hurricane Milton last month — which tore the roof off the dome — Tampa Bay will play its home games at Steinbrenner Field in nearby Tampa.
“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,’’ Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement.
“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.”?
The Yankees will still have their spring training in Tampa — with home games at Steinbrenner Field — with the Rays at their spring training facility in Port Charlotte, Fla., before the Rays take over in Tampa prior to their March 27 home opener.
Steinbrenner went on to write, “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.”
Rays principal owner Stuart Steinberg said in a statement: “We deeply appreciate that the Yankees have graciously allowed us to play at Steinbrenner Field for the 2025 season. 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.’’
Not only is Steinbrenner Field the spring training home of the Yankees, it’s the home of the Single-A Tampa affiliate.?
In exchange for the Rays using the field, the Yankees will receive $10 million to $15 million, partially from insurance, a source confirmed.
The Yankees are still working out the details of where the Tampa affiliate will play its upcoming season.
As for the Rays, MLB and the MLBPA are both working to ensure major league standards are met for player safety, much as they have been with setting up Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, Calif., where the Athletics will play for at least the next three years before a planned move to Las Vegas.
Though the MLBPA has no say in which city a team plays its games, it is involved in the condition of the stadium and field.
Further upgrades — in addition to the renovations already underway at Steinbrenner Field — will be completed prior to the regular season.
The Phillies’ spring training ballpark in Clearwater was also under consideration as a temporary home for the Rays.
According to the team, which was trying to secure funding for a new stadium in St. Petersburg before Tropicana Field was damaged, Steinbenner Field “is the best-prepared facility in the Tampa Bay region to host regular-season” games.
Though that may be true, the 11,000-seat stadium doesn’t have a roof, meaning the Rays — and their opponents — will have to deal with the wet and hot conditions of Florida during the summer months.
“Forget taking batting practice before games,’’ one American League coach said of the plan. “It’s either gonna be too hot or raining.”
The Yankees are scheduled to play at Tampa Bay in a series from April 17-20 and again Aug. 19-20.
The Yankees hired former college coach Adrian Dinkel to a player development role out of Tampa, according to sources.
Dinkel was head coach of NAIA Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla.
They also need to replace assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel, who was hired by the Mets in a similar role.
