If the Tampa Bay Rays move, where should they go?

Tornadoes, flooding, and winds up to 120 mph left the Tampa Bay area in disarray. Category 3 Hurricane Milton devastated the Southeastern United States, causing 24 deaths and billions of dollars in damage. This damage left many homeless and many communities without power for weeks.

Alongside the city of Tampa Bay, their baseball team also found themselves seeking new confines as Tropicana Field was torn to shreds. The 6-acre, Teflon-coated fiberglass roof was destroyed on Oct. 9, 2024.

Tropicana Field has been home to the Tampa Bay Rays since 1998 while also hosting other various events such as concerts, monster trucks, and even hockey.

While the stadium was not located in the city of Tampa Bay, it was a core piece of the community that held strong for many years.

Tampa Bay is now forced to play for the first time in Tampa Bay city limits at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

This is the spring training home of the New York Yankees. Located within walking distance to Raymond James Stadium, it will still feel like a Tampa Bay home game even though the surrounding colors will be the iconic navy-blue pinstripes with Yankees written all over the stadium.

While they are at their temporary home, the Rays look to their future as a franchise. They will most likely be continuing to play baseball outside of Tampa Bay, as they have just denied their 1.3 billion-dollar stadium district plan.

The MLB has been looking for an expansion team for a while, but this is a unique opportunity to expand the game to different cities without having to add a team but rather relocate one.

Here are some of the places that I think Tampa’s next move could best suit the league.

1. Nashville, Tenn.

Arguably the best move for the Rays would be to the bright lights of Music City. This vibrant town is already home to over two million people and is one of the best tourist spots America has to offer.

Nashville is a place of entertainment with a strong business climate. Many corporations have their headquarters in Nashville, including some notable ones such as Amazon, Bridgestone, and Nissan.

The home of country music and two major sports teams.

The Nashville Predators have one of the best atmospheres in hockey, with a high attendance for every game. With this, Nashville has already proven to be a place of high tourism and good infrastructure if the team were to ever make a World Series.

Some stadium plans have already been released. The stadium would most likely be located next to Nissan Stadium on the river, which could lead to splash hits.

The gameday experience would be like no other being right across the bridge from the honkytonk.

This move would not only benefit the MLB but also the city of Nashville by being able to add a stadium district for both baseball and football. This would expand the city and drive much more revenue for concert venues, hotels, and apartments.

Who knows? Maybe they will accept my proposal for a team name in the Nashville Strings.

2. Charlotte, N.C.

One of the fastest-growing cities in America. One of the tech hubs of the United States. Charlotte would be a great fit with all their other professional sports teams.

Charlotte has a massive population of passionate sports fans. The only downside to the move would be the Triple-A affiliate to the Chicago White Sox already playing within city limits. It would be hard to have two gigantic baseball stadiums in the city.

Charlotte’s climate and location make it a good spot for relocation. The surrounding areas would be happy to have a team close as well. The closest team to North Carolina is the Atlanta Braves, which are two states over.

It’s about time for the Carolinas to have a Major League baseball team.

3. Montreal, Quebec

Any baseball fan would tell you that this would be awesome. Baseball in Montreal was iconic with the Expos.

The famous Olympic stadium still stands today, which would provide baseball fans with a blast to the past. This stadium certainly needs some renovations before anyone can play there, as the last time it was used for baseball was Sept. 29, 2004.

The Expos left Montreal for Washington, D.C., to become the Washington Nationals starting in the 2005 MLB season.

It would be very cool to have two Canadian teams in the same division and to have a resurgence of the franchise if the stadium is up to date.

Part of the reason I chose these locations is for the alignment of the divisions. The Tampa Bay Rays are in the AL East.

Teams include Boston, New York, Baltimore, Toronto, and Tampa Bay. All east coast cities.

It would make too much sense to keep the team close to the east coast.

Where would you like to see the Tampa Bay Rays go next?

Honorable mention cities

Oklahoma City, Okla.

Raleigh, N.C.

Charleston, S.C.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Jacob Gold is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jrg6474@psu.edu.