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By Valentina Martinez
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers issued a statement on the news of the Tampa Bay Rays moving to a spring training ballpark for the 2025 season. The Rays' home stadium, Tropicana Field, was damaged by Hurricane Milton in October.
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"While this has obviously been a very challenging time for our friends at the Rays organization as they deal with the damage to Tropicana Field, it has been uplifting to see our entire region come together to find a viable solution for one of our fellow professional sports teams," the team said in a statement posted to social media.
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"We welcome the Rays as our new neighbors at their temporary home of Steinbrenner Field for the 2025 season. It is this kind of collaboration among our community leaders that defines the spirit of Team Tampa Bay."
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The statement highlights the camaraderie between two of Tampa Bay's professional sports teams during a trying time.
Steinbrenner Field, the temporary home for the Rays, holds about 11,000 seats and is the largest spring training complex in Florida.
"It is singularly the best opportunity for our fans to experience 81 games of major league Rays baseball," Sternberg said. "As difficult as it is to get any of these stadiums up to major league standards, it was the least difficult. You're going to see Major League Baseball in a small environment."
The smallish, outdoor ballpark is operated by one of the Ray's American League east division rivals, the New York Yankees.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said the deal between the two teams met the standards of the league's expectations.
"This outcome meets Major League Baseball's goals that Rays fans will see their team play next season in their home market and that their players can remain home without disruption to their families," Manfred said in a news release.
Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg was hit by Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9. A majority of the domed stadium's roof was shredded and there was water damage inside.
A recent assessment of the hurricane damage concluded that Tropicana Field could be repaired for approximately $55.7 million in time for the 2026 season.
The Rays will play their first regular season game on March 27, just three days after the Yankees end their spring training stint. Along with a much more condensed stadium, the team will have to deal with the challenges that come with an outdoor ballpark.
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