It was announced this week that the Tampa Bay Rays will spend the 2025 season playing at the New York Yankees’ spring training stadium, George M. Steinbrenner Field.

This is the result of the massive damage Tropicana Field suffered during Hurricane Milton in October. Additionally, questions arise as to where the Rays will play in 2026 and 2027, but one thing at a time.

There is a lot of good about the Rays playing at Steinbrenner Field. First, the team remains in its region, giving Rays fans the chance to continue to see their favorite team. Additionally, given the reduced capacity of Steinbrenner Field (currently 11,000), there is a greater chance that the Rays will play in front of maximum crowds every night, as opposed to the 3/4 empty stadiums they enjoy at the Tropicana Field for years. .

However, there are some real downsides as well and these could have an absolutely negative impact on the team this offseason. First and foremost, do players want to play in a minor league stadium? Will the Rays be able to sign free agents this offseason knowing that’s the plan – and will they be able to secure multi-year free agents when subsequent years are also unknown?

Ultimately, money usually talks, but the Rays are notoriously frugal. Are they going to pay someone too much to end up in this situation? That remains to be seen for the rest of the offseason.

THE Rays went 80-82 in 2024, finishing in fourth place in the American League East. They have several key pieces returning from injury in 2025, which should help, but they still need help from outside.

We’ll see if they can get them.

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