Tampa Bay Rays in 2025

[Benjamin Grimm]

Wow. If I had known about that, I would have offered to let them play in my back yard for half as much.

[bmfc1]

Enjoy the day games!

[MFS62]

If they wanted to play on a minor league field, why not YS III?
Later

[Edgy MD]

Glad to see the Tampa side of the bay get some baseball.

Also glad to see a Yankee facility turned against the Yankees.

[metirish]

Doesn't look good

[Frayed Knot]

Charlotte? Nashville?

It would be a shame if they wound up leaving the Tampa/St P area especially given as how it's been such a hotbed of talent over the years.
But MLB moved there in the first place seemingly for the sole reason that they pre-built a (bad) stadium designed to lure in some outside
team even though that strategy wound up failing on several occasions (Giants, White Sox).

[Gwreck]

MLB moved a couple of series around on the Tampa schedule to try to avoid potential rainouts later in the season for teams that won’t be back in Tampa.

The result is that Tampa will play more home games in April/May and 69 of their last 103 on the road. Two week August road trip to Anaheim, Seattle, Sacramento, and San Francisco? You betcha.

The Mets fortunately do not go to Tampa this coming year.

[Benjamin Grimm]

This article out of Austin, Texas says that city may be the next home of the Rays:

Rays to Texas? Austin floated as new home for Tampa MLB team.

The source for this is an article by Jeff Passan of ESPN. He says that the seven most likely places for the Rays to relocate (if they do) are Austin, Nashville, Salt Lake City, Portland, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Montreal.

Portland would require a divisional realignment. The most logical choice would be to put the Astros in the East, but I think they'd fight to stay in the same division as the Rangers.

But this is all very hypothetical, of course.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Rays just won a bond issue for the new stadium. there's still one vote to go but looks good for them staying

[Gwreck]

Portland would require a divisional realignment. The most logical choice would be to put the Astros in the East, but I think they'd fight to stay in the same division as the Rangers.

But this is all very hypothetical, of course.

I’d go with Tigers back to East (remember, they were an AL East team in 1994-1997 and didn’t move to the Central until 1998 when Tampa showed up), and Astros back to Central.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The Tigers are further West than Cleveland.

[Gwreck]

Didn’t get my edit it before you responded. Tigers were AL East even after the 3 divisions were created.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yes, but just for one year. In 1997, the Tigers were in the East and the Indians were in the Central, along with White Sox, Brewers, Twins, and Royals.

But in 1998, when the Devil Rays entered the league, they joined the East and Detroit was bumped to the Central. And the Brewers switched to the National League.

[Gwreck]

I believe the 3 division format was created in 1994, not 1997.

[Benjamin Grimm]

You're right! I've pretty much blocked 1994 from my memory.

[Edgy MD]

And Rob Manfred prepares to end his tenure with two MLB clubs playing in minor-league facilities.