Nearly two weeks ago, Hurricane Milton slammed into the state of Florida as a Category 3 storm, with winds of more than 120 miles per hour. The storm had formed in the Gulf of Mexico and quickly went from a Tropical Storm to a massive Category 5 storm. Hurricane Milton died down just hours before it hit the Sunshine State, but was still powerful enough to do some severe damage.
Milton produced damaging winds, storm surges, severe flooding, and even dozens of tornadoes, causing approximately $2 billion in damage. This was particularly tough on the state, which was still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which had hit less than two weeks before.
Related: Cast Members Forced to Work as Deadly Hurricane Hit Disney World; Report
While Walt Disney World Resort did not suffer any major damage, Tropicana Field — the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, a Major League Baseball team — was not so lucky.
The Tampa area was one of the first and hardest-hit areas of Florida, and the winds were so intense that a large portion of Tropicana Field’s roof was ripped off. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the damage was extensive and not something that could be repaired quickly and easily. The damage is so severe that a complete assessment has not yet been completed.
Hurricane Milton tore through Florida overnight, knocking down cranes, flooding roads and even ripping off the dome of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
That leaves one big question — where will the Rays play their 2025 season? Well, apparently, Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is one of the locations on the shortlist.
According to a report from The Tampa Bay Times, the Rays will not be able to play in their stadium for at least one season, and they are looking at multiple locations in the area.
Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex is 86 miles from Tropicana Field, but reports indicate that it would need the least amount of work. The Rays have also conducted their Spring Training there and even played a couple of regular-season games.
The Rays have familiarity with stadiums about 90 miles away in Port Charlotte, their usual spring home, and the Disney complex, where they have played two regular-season series and held part of 2023 spring training.
Weather would still be an issue, and housing for players and staff would be needed.
Disney likely would require the least upgrades, but could present scheduling challenges given the high number of youth events already booked throughout the venue.
Related: A Weary Central Florida Has To Prepare for the Potential of Another Storm Later This Month
There are only about 160 days until the Rays are scheduled to play their March 27 home opener, so if a decision is going to be made, it needs to be made relatively soon. The article states that most of the stadiums on the list would need to make some big changes to accommodate the team and the fans, and those changes will take time.
Spokespeople for the Tampa Bay Rays said that it will take weeks to assess all the damage caused by Hurricane Milton, but initial estimates are around $100 million. A majority of the damage was to the Teflon-coated fiberglass roof and the struts that hold them in place.
Would you love to see the Tampa Bay Rays play their 2025 season at Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex? Let us know in the comments!
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