At 44-35, the Rays made a firm move into the playoffs. They are a game for the Yankees of Al East and have top wildcard seats in the American League. Fangraphs gave them more than 70% of the chances in October.
This challenges Major League Baseball due to its stadium situation. Rays are playing in the A-Ball facility after last fall hurricane damage left Tropicana fields unplayable. Their temporary residence, George M. Steinbrenner Field, has a capacity of just over 11,000. A played on a similar small court, but essentially had no chance to make the playoffs this season, delaying their decision by at least a year. All other Major League Baseball stadiums have a capacity of at least 34,000.
Sports’s Ken Rosenthal had a preliminary conversation with the league office about how they handle potential family playoff games. He wrote that the league could consider Steinbrenner Field satisfactory for potential wildcard and partition series, but could push changes to the venue if the light develops into the AL Championship series.
These concerns go beyond optical services for the small playoff crowd. The alliance may have a hard time accommodating larger broadcast and media contingents, as the field also has a small news box. Rosenthal’s work is worth mentioning, as he details the logistical challenges that smaller areas bring to Alliance broadcast partners.
Players Associations may also prefer to move to stadiums with more seats. Player’s playoff stocks are a percentage of playoff receipts. The game of Steinbrenner Field will obviously have artificial attendance. This is not a big part of the total playoff revenue, but it will be more important if the rays run deeper. Playing a Rays booked home game on a neutral site may result in more attendance, although this would negate any field advantage they gained in front of the home crowd.
This may end up being a controversial point. The Lights may miss the playoffs. If they become the second or third wildcard team, they will play the entire three-game series in the first round (like all fifth and sixth seeds). Nevertheless, the league will need to make plans before the playoffs begin. If A opens in 2028 at Las Vegas Stadium and A playoffs ahead of the playoffs, that can also tell them how to handle things.
The Rays hope to return to Tropicana Stadium next season. Their lease on Trop was available for another three years. Owner Stuart Sternberg is reportedly talking to a team led by Jacksonville real estate developers about the franchise. If sales are finalized, the group is expected to seek new stadiums in the Tampa Bay area for a long time.
