Fans push Rays-in-Oakland talk after Tropicana Field hurricane damage

Fans push Rays-in-Oakland talk after Tropicana Field hurricane damage originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Tropicana Field, longtime home of the Tampa Bay Rays, had its roof destroyed by Hurricane Milton last week, so could the MLB franchise play in Oakland, which no longer has a team, next season?

Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden highlighted the damages to the Rays’ stadium Tuesday on X, and asked his followers where they could see the team playing home games next season.

A good chunk of fans among the nearly 2,000 who initially responded — including noted scribe Woody Paige — called for more baseball at the Coliseum.

Last month, the A’s played their final game in Oakland, their home since 1968, and will move to West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park — currently home to the River Cats, the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate — for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 MLB seasons. Their proposed Las Vegas ballpark is scheduled to be built in time for the 2028 campaign.

The Town now is without representation in MLB, the NBA or the AFL/NFL for the first time since 1959.

But with Tropicana Field potentially out of commission for the 2025 season, perhaps MLB baseball could return to the Coliseum. Evidently, fans aren’t against the idea.