Could Utah Offer A Temporary Home For Tampa Bay Rays?

SALT LAKE CITY— Major League Baseball couldn’t wait until the offseason before a hurricane and reports of ownership changes created questions heading into 2025 and beyond.

With the League Championships Series in full swing, Hurricane Milton’s damage to Tropicana Field’s roof has created doubt about where the Tampa Bay Rays will play in 2025. The Rays are scheduled to open the 2025 season at Tropicana Field on March 27.

Tropicana Field will not be ready for the Opening Day on March 27 due to damage sustained during Hurricane Milton, per @TBTimes_Rays.

Where the Rays will play in 2025 is TBD. pic.twitter.com/MoHjYP83z4

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 15, 2024

Hurricane recovery efforts and safety concerns have slowed the survey process, but a Tampa Bay Times report mentioned “indications of extensive damage elsewhere at the stadium.” Tropicana Field also houses Rays personnel offices, many of which are now open to the elements and unusable. Following Milton, the report also indicated a team memo acknowledging ‘more questions than answers.’

Estimates of $100+ million in repairs while the club is building a new ballpark down the street have cast doubt on the viability of such an undertaking. The Rays’ new park is not scheduled to open until 2028.

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Several nearby minor leagues and MLB spring training facilities could be used in the short term, but each offers a variety of drawbacks. Perhaps the most significant hurdle to overcome for all parks in the area is that none of the surrounding fields have a roof. Playing without a roof during a Florida summer would lead to countless delays, not to mention the increased upkeep and upgrades that would be required to get any of these fields MLB game-ready.

With St. Petersburg just beginning the assessment of the hurricane-ravaged Tropicana Field, Rob Manfred is "hopeful" @RaysBaseball can play in the home market until the new stadium is built.https://t.co/5KuHqk89mD pic.twitter.com/IGPyJi4y0C

— WUSF (@wusf) October 22, 2024

Could Big League Utah and the Salt Lake Bees step in as temporary placeholders for the Rays?

The group, backed by Gail Miller and Larry H. Miller Sports + Entertainment, previously attempted to woo the former Oakland Athletics to Salt Lake while the A’s built a ballpark in nearby Las Vegas. As construction on Daybreak Field at America First Square progresses toward a March 2025 opening, would Big League Utah and the Bees be willing and able to accommodate Tampa Bay in the short term?

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Whether or not the Rays, MLB, and LHM S+E would be open to a deal, the logistics of such a plan make it unrealistic. While the idea of the divisional-foe New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays making semi-regular trips to the Beehive State is appealing to Utahns for obvious reasons, the reality is that the added wear and tear on an already grueling MLB schedule likely ends the conversation before it even begins.

Are ownership changes heading for the AL Central?

Days after the Minnesota Twins ownership announced they would seek out potential buyers, Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reported that the Chicago White Sox majority owner Jerry Reinsdorf is open to selling the team.

Reinsdorf led a group that purchased the franchise for nearly $20 million in 1981. He is currently MLB’s second-longest active owner, trailing the World Series-bound New York Yankees and the Steinbrenner family. He is estimated to control roughly 19 percent of the White Sox.

Will the @whitesox have a new owner? ⬇️ https://t.co/gvM7Tx0jFs

— AlaNNa Rizzo (@alannarizzo) October 17, 2024

Also the controlling owner of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, Reinsdorf, has previously resisted reports that he could look to sell the White Sox.

Ghiroli reported that Reinsdorf has been in contact with former MLB player, executive, coach, and agent Dave Stewart about a potential sale. A three-time World Series winner as a player, Stewart’s Smoke34 group has been active in the movement to get an MLB expansion team in Nashville, Tennessee.

There is no word on whether Stewart would relocate the franchise to Nashville if a sale is approved.

It is unlikely that the White Sox’s possible sale would impact Big League Utah and the group’s efforts to bring an MLB franchise to Utah.

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