Tampa Bay Rays say new St. Pete stadium is unlikely to be ready for 2028 season, if at all

Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A combination of hurricane damage to Tropicana Field and political delays on financing means it is highly unlikely the Tampa Bay Rays’ planned new stadium will be ready for the 2028 season, if at all. Rays top executives said in a letter Tuesday to the Pinellas County Commission that the team has already spent $50 million for early work on the new $1.3 billion ballpark and cannot proceed because of delays in approval of bonds for the public share of the project. The ballpark is part of a broader $6.5 billion project that supporters say would transform an 86-acre (34-hectare) tract in the city’s downtown. The Rays will play the 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, spring training home of the New York Yankees.