LOS ANGELES — Major League Baseball wants to find a home for the 2025 Tampa Bay Rays by Christmas.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said major and minor league schedules could be changed to create room for the Rays, whose Tropicana Field was damaged by Hurricane Milton on October 9.

“We can make this work in a minor league park,” Manfred said Saturday before the second game of the World Series. “I think there’s probably some flexibility in terms of what we do with the big league schedule.”

Several minor league baseball stadiums are in the Tampa Bay area, including the spring training homes of the Philadelphia Phillies (Clearwater), Toronto Blue Jays (Dunedin), New York Yankees (Tampa), the Pittsburgh Pirates (Bradenton) and the Detroit Tigers (Lakeland).

Other options could include the Rays’ spring training complex in Port Charlotte, about 85 miles (136 kilometers) south of St. Petersburg, and the ballpark at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando.

“I think by Christmas they will have to have a good plan in place and there are a lot of things to do,” Manfred said. “So once we get past Game 7 – and we’ll have seven – we’ll really have to focus and figure out where we’re going to be and sort out the logistics.”

Much of Tropicana Field’s fiberglass roof was destroyed by the storm. City Council member Brandi Gabbard said this week she expected an analysis of the damage done by early November.

“They’re still in damage assessment mode,” Manfred said. “It needs to be done and obviously it wasn’t just about the roof. There was some internal damage as well, and we won’t know exactly what’s going to happen until they complete this process.

MLB and players still discussing possible participation in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

Discussions continue about whether MLB players should be eligible for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

At the Tokyo 2021 Games, players not on 40-man rosters were eligible, but most big league teams refused to release their top prospects.

“It’s an ongoing conversation, that’s not resolved one way or another,” Manfred said. “I want to be clear about this. Neither a yes nor a no. »

MLB to discuss pitching injuries and bullpen games this offseason

Manfred said it was too early to determine whether rule changes should be considered to reduce pitcher injuries and reverse the increased use of relief pitchers, which has led to shorter outings for starters. Union boss Tony Clark tore teams apart Friday, saying they were “popping” arms by urging pitchers to throw with maximum effort all the time.

“It will be a talking point in the off-season,” Manfred said. “November is a month of big meetings.”

General managers are meeting Nov. 4-7 in San Antonio, Texas, and owners are meeting Nov. 19-21.

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