At 44-35, the Rays are firmly within the postseason combine. They’re one sport again of the Yankees within the AL East and in possession of the American League’s high Wild Card spot. FanGraphs offers them greater than a 70% probability of enjoying in October.
That’d current a problem for MLB due to their stadium scenario. The Rays are enjoying at an A-ball facility after final fall’s hurricane harm rendered Tropicana Area unplayable. Their interim house, George M. Steinbrenner Area, has a capability just a little above 11,000. The A’s are enjoying in a equally small ballpark however have basically no probability of creating the playoffs this season, at the least delaying their choice by a yr. Each different MLB stadium has a capability of at the least 34,000.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic stories that Rays officers have had preliminary conversations with the league workplace about how they’d deal with potential house playoff video games. He writes that it’s attainable the league will think about Steinbrenner Area passable for potential Wild Card and Division Sequence however might push for a change in venue if the Rays advance so far as the AL Championship Sequence.
The considerations transcend the optics of a small playoff crowd. The league might have problem accommodating the bigger broadcasting and media contingents, as the sector additionally has a really small press field. Rosenthal’s piece is value a full learn, as he goes into specifics in regards to the logistical challenges {that a} smaller subject current for the league’s broadcast companions.
The Gamers Affiliation can also favor a transfer to a stadium with extra seating. Gamers’ postseason shares are a proportion of playoff gate receipts. Video games at Steinbrenner Area will clearly have artificially low attendance numbers. It wouldn’t be an enormous proportion of total playoff gate income, however it will tackle added significance if the Rays make a deep run. Taking part in the Rays’ scheduled house video games at a impartial website would presumably generate extra attendance, although it’d negate no matter on-field benefits they get from enjoying in entrance of their house crowd.
It might all find yourself being a moot level. The Rays might miss the playoffs. In the event that they get in because the second or third Wild Card workforce, they’d play on the highway for his or her complete three-game collection within the first spherical (as all fifth and sixth seeds do). Nonetheless, the league might want to have a plan in place prematurely of the start of the playoffs. That might additionally inform how they’d deal with issues if the A’s make the postseason earlier than the scheduled opening of their Las Vegas stadium in 2028.
The Rays hope to return to Tropicana Area subsequent season. Their lease on the Trop runs for 3 extra years as soon as it’s once more playable. Proprietor Stuart Sternberg is reportedly in talks with a gaggle led by a Jacksonville-based actual property developer a couple of sale of the franchise. That group is predicted to hunt a brand new stadium within the Tampa Bay area for the long run if the sale is finalized.
