Decision Has Been Made About New Tampa Bay Rays Stadium

A decision has finally been made about the future of the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg. The Rays are set to announce a deal for a new downtown St. Petersburg stadium. The Tampa Bay Times is reporting that the deal will be announced on Tuesday. The stadium will be built near where Tropicana Field sits now. It will be part of the re-development of the 86-acre historic Gas Plant District. The first season the Rays will play in the new stadium will be for the 2028 season. The stadium is expected to have a fixed dome roof, artificial for artificial turf field and have seating for around 30,000 fans. It will cost in excess of $1.2 billion. The Tampa Bay Rays, the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County will contribute to the funding of the new stadium.

The Rays have currently been playing at the Trop since their inaugural season in 1998. This is their 25th anniversary season. Tropicana Field was originally opened in 1990. It was called the Florida Suncoast Dome. In 1993 the Tampa Bay Lightning moved from the Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds into the Florida Suncoast Dome. It was then changed to the ThunderDome. It became the name Tropicana Field in October 1996. Tropicana is based in Bradenton and signed a 30 year naming rights deal.

The Rays just clinched a playoff berth for the fifth time in a row over the weekend.

Even though the project for a new Rays stadium is currently scrapped, we hope to see these current features incorporated in the new place. Tropicana field has never really been a "baseball lovers" stadium and there's tons of room for improvement. But we went to a game the other day and thought about all the things that we would hate to see go.

One major hope to see in the new Rays stadium is a possible retractable roof or a lot of glass structure. The outside feel of the game is one of the best parts about baseball. Sitting in your seat and taking a whiff of the freshly cut grass is a baseball tradition that Rays fans can't relate to. Another feature we hope makes the new stadium is an updated bullpen. We love the opportunity to interact with players and coaches with the current bullpen set up, but it can also be kind of obstructing to the game. Many baseball stadiums bullpens have been moved off-field due to injury. It would be nice if the Rays could find a middle ground so that the relief pitchers can get ready for the game without having to worry about dodging foul balls.

But there are a lot of things about Tropicana field that we love and want to see incorporated in the new spot. For example, the food options are great, especially the crafted entrees at The Porch in the outfield. Whether the new stadium will stay in St. Pete or relocates across the bridge to Tampa, we hope the stuff on our list survives the move!

It's a stadium must-see for the Rays. The sting ray touch tank is a tribute to the original Rays uniform and is the first of its kind at a professional sports venue. For the new stadium, we would love to see a bigger tank where maybe you can take standing photos against the glass with the sting rays.

One of the Trop's newest additions, The Budweiser Porch, out in centerfield is a great spot to hang before or during the game! The area features a long bar which makes it easy to get your beer and back to your spot. There's also exclusive food stands here like Beer Battered Fries from Pig & Potato or the Hawaiian Hot Dog from Pacific Counter. Needless to say there definitely needs to be an outfield hang spot in the new stadium.

Another great addition to the Trop that we would hate to see go. An arcade lounge indoors and outdoors that's a great spot to hang before or after the game. It helps that there are two Tampa Bay Park and Rec locations so it will still feel fitting to include them in the new stadium.

The most bougie milkshakes in baseball, but they are WORTH IT! Pro tip: they're even better when you add whiskey! We can't imagine the new stadium without this foodie staple.

Life-long and newbie Rays fans love to reminisce at the Rays Museum that features the history of the franchise since its inception. 162 Landing is another great spot to look back and remember one of the Rays most iconic wins. We hope the new stadium finds a way to incorporate Longo's winning home runs and all the other milestones the Rays have reached since becoming a team back in the 90's.