PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Off the field the news concerning the Tampa Bay Rays is about whether or not a new stadium will be built and the Rays having to play in a minor league ballpark, Steinbrenner Field this season.
But Rays skipper Kevin Cash says they’re not thinking about that at all right now.
“As far as the stadium issue, we’re going to deal with it the second we walk into Steinbrenner,” Cash said at camp in Port Charlotte.”We might not be dealing with it now and answering questions on it, but I’m sure once we get to that ballpark there’s going to be a lot of questions.”
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Even though the Rays won 80 games last season, Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander says it was a disappointing year. However, having a smaller payroll and competing in the high-priced AL East makes every season a challenge. Neander says the Rays players and coaches embrace it.
“We’ve had different types of uncertainty and questions hanging over our franchise for the entirety of the Rays era. We found a way to win the third most games in baseball and appear in a couple of World Series.”
The Rays’ home opener is March 28 against the Colorado Rockies. Playing in an 11,000-seat stadium will provide a more intimate and perhaps raucous setting.
“There is an added element to it,” Cash said. “I’d like to think we’re going to have some time to build into that.”
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Hurricane Milton blew the roof off Tropicana field on Oct. 9, leaving it unplayable. The New York Yankees offered their facilities, and the Rays thought it was their best option for the 2025 season.
The Yankees have remodeled their player and staff facilities and expanded Steinbrenner Field’s concourse, which has been in the works for the past two years. The Rays coaching staff is already preparing the team for rain delays, yet Cash says the players have bought into it, and it’s the only way to go into this season with that type of mindset.
“Nobody is feeling sorry for us, certainly not the other 29 teams,” Cash said. “I expect our players to handle it really, really well.”
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