It looks like the Tampa Bay Rays, who have consistently been linked to a move, will remain in St. Petersburg. News of a new stadium has surfaced.
The Tampa Bay Times, a local media outlet in the Tampa Bay area of the United States, reported on April 18 that Tampa Bay will build a new stadium in St. Petersburg.
According to the report, the new stadium will be built near Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The total construction cost is $1.2 billion (approximately KRW 1,591.8 billion). The stadium will seat 30,000 spectators.
Construction is set to begin in time for the 2028 season, and the stadium will be a closed dome rather than retractable. It will be the same size as the current Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay’s relocation has been an ongoing issue with the Oakland Athletics. Moves to places like Montreal, Canada, have been mentioned.
However, with this new stadium, Tampa Bay will not be relocating, nor will they be moving to downtown Tampa, which has been mentioned several times.
The current home, Tropicana Field, is the only enclosed dome in Major League Baseball. It is said to be a result of the hot and humid climate of St. Petersburg.
It has been mentioned in the past that if Tampa Bay were to build a new stadium in the area, it would be a retractable dome rather than an enclosed one.
However, Tampa Bay’s new stadium is also a retractable dome. So it appears that Tampa Bay will not be moving away from enclosed domes in the future.