“There’s been discussions around an alternate site.”
Poor weather conditions are set to hit Boston over the weekend. Winslow Townson/Getty Images
September 24, 2026
2 minutes to read
The Red Sox and Cubs are assessing all options when it comes to completing their final regular-season series this weekend as a sizable nor’easter draws closer to Boston.
The Red Sox have already augmented their schedule to try and get all three games in before the forecast sour. Boston is now playing a doubleheader against the Cubs Friday at Fenway Park.
Sunday’s originally scheduled game will move to 1:05 p.m. Friday as the first game of the doubleheader, while Friday’s originally scheduled game will move up to 6:05 p.m. that same day.
That would leave one final game between the Red Sox and Cubs. The clubs have Saturday and Sunday to try to fit in Game 162 and close out the season.
But, with the forecast on Saturday and Sunday looking particularly dour — and with both teams not exactly eager to spending their off day on Monday playing a makeup game before starting a playoff series on Tuesday — contingency plans are reportedly in place.
One of the more drastic moves?
According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, MLB has discussed the possibility of moving part of the Boston-Chicago series to the Tampa Bay Rays’ ballpark of Tropicana Field to get games in without any weather issues.
Cotillo noted that no final decision has been made, but reported that one potential plan would involve the Red Sox and Cubs closing out Friday’s doubleheader in Boston, and then immediately flying to Tampa ahead of a Sunday afternoon finale in Florida.
Doing so would allow the Cubs — who are in a battle with the Phillies and Padres in the National League wild card standings — to determine their playoff seeding and give both teams that crucial off day on Monday.
Boston has all but wrapped up their playoff seeding, given that it can clinch a playoff matchup with the Yankees with a win on Thursday night against the Guardians.
One plan floating around Fenway: Red Sox and Cubs trying to get both games of tomorrow’s doubleheader in, then flying to Tampa after Game 2 ahead of a Sunday afternoon season finale at the Trop.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) September 24, 2026
Avoiding an extra game on Monday would benefit all parties, since the Red Sox are likely to face Cam Schlittler and the Yankees in Game 1 of an anticipated Wild Card series in the Bronx on Tuesday night.
Speaking on Thursday ahead of Boston’s game against the Guardians, Red Sox manager Chad Tracy confirmed that conversations remain ongoing about contingency plans to circumnavigate bad weather.
“There’s been discussions around an alternate site,” Tracy said, per Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald. “They’ve talked about a handful of different places, but at this point nothing is concrete.”
“We’d have to leave [Friday],” Tracy added. “We’re going to play two games tomorrow so if something like that was going to happen you’d have to leave postgame tomorrow, so pretty soon I guess.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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