The St. Petersburg Metropolis Council accredited $22.5M in funding to restore the Tropicana Discipline roof, in response to the Related Press (h/t ESPN). That’s much less the half the general estimated $55.7M essential to get the Trop again to playable after final fall’s hurricane injury. Different needed fixes embrace repairs to the taking part in floor and lighting. The roof is anticipated to take 10 months, in response to the AP.
“We’re happy to see Metropolis Council take this essential step towards making ready Tropicana Discipline for Main League Baseball in time for 2026 Opening Day,” Rays president Brian Auld mentioned in a press release. “We commend specifically metropolis, Rays and MLB workers for his or her cooperative efforts to get us so far.”
The Metropolis of St. Petersburg owns Tropicana Discipline, which it leases to the Rays. The town is due to this fact obligated to cowl restore prices. Main League Baseball and the Rays have maintained hope that the sphere will likely be prepared by Opening Day. They’ve three years left on their lease. For the reason that area is just not in use this yr, the lease is prolonged by one season. They’re contracted to play at The Trop via 2028, assuming they’re in a position to return to the stadium subsequent yr.
What occurs after that’s unknown. Colleen Wright of The Tampa Bay Times wrote earlier this week that the mission for a brand new ballpark to be in-built St. Petersburg formally died on Tuesday. The Rays had already announced they might not proceed with that plan, citing value overruns associated to delays within the county’s approval of bonds. In contrast to the Tropicana Discipline repairs, the Rays would have been accountable for extra prices on the brand new stadium. The bonds nonetheless technically remained obtainable till March 31, when the tentative settlement formally lapsed as a result of the Rays had not met needed building benchmarks.
The Rays weren’t permitted to talk with different municipalities till the St. Petersburg deal formally expired. Group president Matt Silverman suggested last month that they may reengage with the Metropolis of Tampa and Hillsborough County after March 31. Commissioner Rob Manfred has repeatedly acknowledged that MLB stays dedicated to discovering an answer within the Tampa Bay space. The Rays couldn’t discover relocation with out league approval.
