THE Tampa Bay Rays could be forced to move home next year after severe damage to their stadium.
Tropicana Field had the roof ripped off as it was battered by Hurricane Milton last week.
Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida[/caption]
The Tampa Bay Rays face a huge bill to repair their stadium despite plans for a new home in 2028[/caption]
The storm brought winds over 100mph to Florida and torrential downpours.
The Rays’ stadium in St Petersburg, Florida had been set up as a base for first responders ahead of Milton making landfall.
Thousands of beds were placed on the outfield over where the diamond would usually have been.
But dramatic footage from Wednesday night showed Tropicana Field’s roof being shredded by the winds.
Some estimates for repairing the roof and other damaged parts of the stadium have come in as high as $39 million.
But the Tampa Bay Rays were already committed to building a new stadium in time for the 2028 season.
That leaves the Rays in a tricky situation when it comes to their Tropicana Field home for the next three years.
The MLB team would also face a race against time to have the stadium ready for the beginning of the 2025 season at the end of March.
“The city will work with the Rays on determining the best options once the assessment of the situation is complete,” Council member Gina Driscoll said in a statement to NBC News.
The Tampa region and Florida in general has a number of ballparks.
Half of the league’s teams head down to the state for Spring Training in February and March.
The New York Yankees play their home Spring Training games in downtown Tampa, next to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium.
Footage also showed the NFL stadium underwater and “looking like an ocean” Wednesday night.
The Philadelphia Phillies are also based in Clearwater, Florida, just north of Tropicana Field on the Gulf of Mexico coast.
At least 23 people have been killed by Hurricane Milton and millions of people were left without power.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were forced to flee for New Orleans earlier than scheduled last week for their NFL clash with the Saints.
The Tampa Bay Lightning NHL side also relocated before Milton hit the region.
And further north in Florida, the Jacksonville Jaguars were forced to delay a transatlantic flight.
The Jags flew to London, England to take on the Chicago Bears in an NFL clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Their departure from Florida was pushed back by a few hours to allow the worst of the winds and rain to pass into the Atlantic Ocean.
