Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays are hoping the city of St. Petersburg, Fla., will complete repairs to Tropicana Field in time for Opening Day 2026 after Hurricane Milton tore fabric panels off its dome roof and damaged some areas inside the building, even as plans are advancing to build the team a new stadium.
In a Dec. 30 letter to St. Petersburg’s city administrator, Rays President Matthew Silverman wrote that “the Rays support and expect the city to rebuild Tropicana Field,” per the terms of the team’s use agreement with the city for the facility.
City officials voted last month to award contracts to Atlanta-based Associated Space Design Inc. to develop plans for repairs other than the roof work and St. Petersburg-based Hennessy Construction Services Corp. for preconstruction services so the firm can provide a guaranteed maximum price for approval before beginning work, but has not yet approved full funding.
Repairs to the ballpark are estimated to cost $55.7 million, St. Petersburg City Architect Raul Quintana previously said during a city council meeting. And a schedule he presented to the council last month would have the repairs complete in time for the 2026 baseball season.
“A partial 2026 season in Tropicana Field would present massive logistical and revenue challenges for the team,” Silverman wrote in the letter. “It is therefore critical that the rebuild start in earnest as soon as possible, that a realistic completion schedule be developed quickly and that the city diligently pursue the reconstruction as required by the use agreement.”
Silverman also noted that the use agreement, under its terms, will be extended through the end of the 2028 season because of the damage.
That may work out for the team, as its leaders warned county officials in the fall that a delayed vote to help fund the new $1.3-billion stadium had pushed its expected completion date back so it would not be complete in time for the start of the 2028 baseball season.
The Rays plan to play home games this upcoming season at the smaller George M. Steinbrenner Field in neighboring Hillsborough County, where the New York Yankees hold spring training.
Meanwhile, city officials have advanced the cleanup at Tropicana Field. Crews from contractor Global Rope Access removed the tattered fabric and loose metal panels from the dome, City Development Administration Managing Director Beth Herendeen told council members at their December meeting.
