The Tampa Bay Rays' next move

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

Alongside the city of Tampa Bay, the Rays also sought 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 hosting other 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 firm for many years.

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

The stadium is the New York Yankees’ spring training home. 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 at their temporary home, the Rays will take a look at their future as a franchise. They will likely continue to play baseball outside of Tampa Bay, as the city denied the Rays’ 1.3 billion-dollar stadium district plan.

The MLB has been looking to add teams for a while, but this is a unique opportunity to expand the game to different cities without adding a team but rather relocating one.

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

No. 3 Nashville, Tennessee

The best move for the Rays would be to the bright lights of Music City. This vibrant town is already home to over 2 million people and is one of America's best tourist spots.

Nashville is a place of entertainment with a strong business climate. Many corporations have headquarters based out of Nashville, including notable ones like Amazon, Bridgestone, and Nissan.

It is 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 ever to make a World Series.

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

This move would benefit not only the MLB but also the city of Nashville by allowing the addition of a stadium district for baseball and football. This would expand the city and drive more revenue for concert venues, hotels, and apartments.

No. 2 Charlotte, North Carolina

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, two states over.

It’s time for the Carolinas to have an MLB team.

No. 1 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 Sep. 29, 2004.

The Expos left Montreal for Washington, D.C., to become the Washington Nationals before 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 to align 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.

Keeping the team close to the East Coast would make too much sense.

Honorable Mentions

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Raleigh, North Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Salt Lake City, Utah

Jacob Gold is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email JRG6474@psu.edu