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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – When Rays’ fans settle into their seats at Tropicana Field on Monday for the team’s home opener, it will have been more than 560 days since the team and its faithful were together in their comfy confines.
Welcome back everyone.
Now that Tropicana Field’s down-to-the-wire rehab is (mostly) done, the Rays are back in downtown St. Pete, back indoors and back in front of bigger (we hope) home crowds.
But that’s not all.
Obviously, the biggest change for the 2026 Tampa Bay Rays is new leadership with the sale of the team to new owners.
But from a change at the top, to a refurbished Trop to an updated TV contract, there’s plenty of ‘new’ to go around with the Rays this season.
Construction workers finish installing new $1.3 million artificial turf at Tropicana Field. (Spectrum News/Andy Cole)
Let’s take a look…
Who’s in charge
In September 2025, a group led by Florida-based homebuilder Patrick Zalupski and his partners closed on the purchase of the Rays for a reported $1.7-billion. Zalupski, CEO of Jacksonville-based Dream Finders Homes Inc., will be the team’s control person and a co-chair along with Bill Cosgrove, CEO of Union Home Mortgage in Ohio.
Ken Babby is the new CEO and often the new face of the franchise.
The 3 new primary owners of the Tampa Bay Rays held a news conference Tuesday. They are Patrick Zalupski (middle), the MLB control person and co-chair; Bill Cosgrove (left), co-chair; Ken Babby (right), the chief executive officer who will oversee daily operations. (Spectrum News)
The 3 new primary owners of the Tampa Bay Rays are Patrick Zalupski (middle), the MLB control person and co-chair; Bill Cosgrove (left), co-chair; Ken Babby (right), the chief executive officer who will oversee daily operations. (Spectrum News)
New owners, new stadium?
Zalupski and company have not been shy about their plans for a new stadium in Tampa by the start of the 2029 season.
Even quicker, the new owners targeted the Hillsborough College site across from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa for a $2.3-billion new ballpark and mixed development entertainment district that would include retail, restaurants and business space, as well as a refurbished college campus.
The Rays have yet to secure funding for the project but have said they would pay at least half. The team wants the rest to come from public funding sources.
Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa could vote on a stadium deal in April.
Rendering provided by the Rays of a revamped HC Dale Mabry campus. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rays)
The Trop is back in business
When Hurricane Milton shredded the Trop’s roof and heavily damaged its interior, the Rays were forced to spend the 2025 season playing outdoors at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
The Rays finished with a 41-40 record at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees, and sold out 61 of 81 games while drawing 786,750 fans. Playing home games in an open-air ballpark for the first time, the Rays experienced 17 rain delays over 16 games for a total of 17 hours, 47 minutes.
TROP REPAIRS
Installation of the new roof began in August, and the final panel was put in place on Nov. 21. Some triangular panels still show color variation, with newer pieces beige and earlier ones already bleached white. New turf, infield and warning track have been installed as well.
Following the installation of a ¾-inch mat padding over the concrete floor, the field features more than 137,000 square feet of Shaw Sports Turf, striped in dark and light green for a classic ballpark look.
The outfield turf is in 15-foot panels, while the infield panels measure 7.5 feet wide, separated by 450 tons of DuraEdge infield clay. The green turf uses a coconut and sand mix, while the orange turf for the warning track – stretching from the visiting team’s bullpen mound to the Rays bullpen mound – features a walnut shell and sand mix.
The air-conditioning system has been reactivated, and contractors are focused on electrical work, seating and sound equipment. The team is upgrading the luxury suites and the stadium’s video board.
New drywall had to be hung, followed by fresh paint, new carpeting and flooring, as well as clubhouse improvements.
Crews worked to repair the Tropicana Field roof and restore its interior throughout 2025. (Spectrum News image)
Updated sections:
The revamping of the Trop allowed officials to add new and improved seating sections throughout the venue. This includes the sections Home Box Plate, Baseline Premier, Chalk Box, DEX Home Plate Club, the Baldwin Group Club and the Tropoicana Room.
The Premium Suite experience on the newly branded Webull Suite Level has been completely reimagined. Inside the new suite, fans will enjoy new padded ballpark seating, updated interior furniture, and upgraded technology designed to support everything from casual get-togethers to seamless client hosting, say team officials.
Also, the Rays are introducing the Sky Deck.
Rays fans will have an exciting new all-inclusive experience to enjoy starting in 2026 with the debut of the MaintenX SkyDeck. Located above left field, this vibrant social space offers all-inclusive ballpark fare, beer, wine, and soft drinks, with tickets starting at just $49, making it one of the most accessible all-inclusive experiences at the ballpark.
The SkyDeck is also getting a full refresh, with new graphics inspired by the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, one of the region’s most iconic landmarks. Just as the Skyway connects Tampa Bay and offers sweeping views of the area, the MaintenX SkyDeck is designed to bring fans together in an elevated setting with great sightlines, energy, and atmosphere. Enhanced LED lighting will mirror the full in-game lighting experience, helping the space come alive during big moments and nighttime games.
$10 BUCKS:
The Rays are offering a $10 credit (called Burst Bucks) automatically added to fans’ Rays Wallet in the MLB Ballpark app for every home game for the month of April. Fans can use it on food or merchandise. The team says it’s their way of saying ‘welcome back’ to Tropicana Field. Rays Wallet provides a seamless way for fans to manage their ticket entitlements and concession credits in one centralized wallet experience. Rays Wallet is available to fans using the MLB Ballpark app at Tropicana Field concession and retail locations. Some restrictions may apply based on the credit or discount.
New ways to watch
Rays games will be available in the Bay Area and Central Florida on Spectrum cable, as well as MLB’s streaming service. The games also will be on various cable, satellite and internet outlets. On Spectrum cable in the Tampa Bay area, Rays TV can be found on any of these channels: 179 or 1152. Viewers can check tbrays.com/watch and enter a ZIP code and carrier to find where to watch games.
Earlier this year, the Rays moved their television production from FanDuel Sports Network to MLB productions.
Rays TV will stream Rays games without blackouts LIVE or on demand for the entire 2026 regular season for $99.99.
Other packages include:
Rays.TV & MLB.TV Package: $199.99
Rays.TV Monthly Package: $19.99
Rays.TV & MLB.TV Monthly Package: $39.99
Each package comes with a 7-day free trial, which you can cancel at any time.
Uniformity
Rays jerseys this season will include a tribute to Tropicana Field. Every jersey with the new “Webull” patch also has a piece of the tattered roof sewn inside of it. The pieces of the damaged roof were punched into small circular discs and included in the inside sleeve, under the patch.
That little circle you see on the inside of the patch is actually a piece of the tattered Tropicana Field roof that ripped off in Hurricane Milton. It’s sewn into the back of every ‘Webull’ patch on both the Rays jerseys and the ones sold in the team store @bn9 pic.twitter.com/W1TSPOiAok
— Angie Angers (@angie_angers) March 31, 2026
Also, Tampa Bay will wear its throwback white Devil Rays uniforms on most Friday home games. The Rays will wear their City Connect Grit x Glow uniforms for most Saturday home games. And the team will sport its Columbia blue uniforms for most Sunday home games.
Remembering Longo:
The Tampa Bay Rays will honor multiple-time All-Star Evan Longoria with induction into their Hall of Fame during the 2026 season.
The move to add Longoria was long anticipated, but the team had to wait until he retired.
The Rays announced earlier this month that Longoria, their first-round draft pick in 2006, will sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the Rays on June 7 and then officially retire as a Ray. On that day, there will be a pregame news conference, first pitch and a special T-shirt giveaway for all fans.
The former third baseman made his major-league debut with Tampa Bay in 2008 and went on to win American League Rookie of the Year while leading the Rays to their first winning season and first AL pennant and World Series berth.
FILE — Tampa Bay Rays’ Evan Longoria follows through on a two-run home run in front of New York Yankees catcher Brian McCann during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 19, 2014, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Among his other highlights during a 10-year career with the Rays was a historic Game 162 home run against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field in 2011 — which is immortalized with a statue outside the Trop.
Longoria made three All-Star appearances and won three Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger Award while leading the Rays to four playoff appearances.
He is also the Rays’ franchise leader in games played (1,435), home runs (262), RBIs (891), runs (780) and doubles (338).
Season promos
Take a look at all of this season’s promotions and giveaways. All giveaways are for the first 10,000 fans in attendance unless otherwise noted.
April 6th: Schedule Magnet
April 25th: Tropicana Field Tour Tee
May 2: Tropicana Field Light-Up Replica
May 16: Jonathan Aranda Bobble
May 30: Junior Caminero City Connect Bobble
Jun 20: Jersey Jacket
Jun 27: Chandler Simpson Bobblelegs
July 11: Evan Longoria Snapback
July 12: Evan Longoria Bobblecard
July 25: Devil Rays Retro Snapback
July 26: Raymond Shoulder Plush
Aug 1: City Connect Patch Button-Up
Aug 15: Flappy Boi Bobble
Aug 29: Devil Rays Windbreaker
Sept 12: Rays Hockey Jersey
Plenty of souvenir goodies will be up for grabs this season from the Rays. (MLB.com/rays)
For the foodies
Don’t miss all the fan favorites to eat at the Trop this season. The fan-favorite Pretzel Dog is back on the menu for the 2026 season! Also, catch the Sweet Pretzel Bites at Twisted on the Budweiser Porch!
These warm pretzel bites are coated in cinnamon sugar, drizzled with vanilla glaze and caramel ribbons, and finished with a side of vanilla dipping sauce – all served in a baseball-glove-shaped souvenir dish.
And the highly acclaimed Short Rib Grilled Cheese was named “best item” at MLB Food Fest and the 2019 winner of the Tampa Bay Food Fight! Fun fact – In 2024, fans at Tropicana Field ate 8,500 pounds of the Short Rib Grilled Cheese.
In addition to all the standard hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts and Cracker Jacks, Trop vendors will provide no shortage of exotic dishes this season.