Rays News: Tropicana Field update, Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe rumors

According to Bleacher Report, the Rays are hopeful that they will be able to repair the battered Tropicana Field and they're moving in that direction for the beginning of the 2026 season. Rays president, Matt Silverman stated in a Dec. 30th letter to the St. Petersburg city administrator, "We support and expect the city to repair the stadium based on their current use agreement because of the logistical and revenue challenges that would come with playing only a partial season at the Trop."

At the beginning of this saga earlier in the offseason, Rays fans assumed that there would never be a another baseball game played at Tropicana Field. This may have been a dramatic thought, but it definitely seemed legitimate after Pinellas County originally denied funding towards the Rays stadium.

However, feelings have changed and it appears, at the moment, that the Rays will remain in St. Petersburg and even at their original home confines. This begs the question whether the stadium will look identical or if it will come with a few improvements during the repair process. Those questions have yet to be disputed, but this is still very good news for Tampa Bay fans. For now, the Rays will be able to enjoy playing next to their NFL counterparts in Tampa, Florida.

Rays front office moving away from trading Brandon Lowe and Yandy Diaz this offseason

According to highly acclaimed MLB insider, Ken Rosenthal, the Rays are not looking to trade all-star infielders, Brandon Lowe and Yandy Diaz. Rays fans can breathe a little bit now, as a multitude of rumors surrounding Lowe and Diaz trades flooded in at the beginning of the offseason. Diaz to the Mariners? They really need a first baseman and extra offense. B. Lowe to the Yankees? They're losing Gleyber Torres and Yankee Stadium is a haven for power-hitting lefties.

Fortunately, we can tuck those talks away for the time being because the Rays do not appear to be looking for a salary dump with their two best sluggers. Yandy Diaz is coming off of a solid 2024 season in which he hit .281 with 14 home runs. The contact-first infielder got off to a slow start, but concluded the last two months of the season with a .304 AVG. That impressive statistic was top-5 among AL first basemen during that stretch, behind only Bryce Harper, Luis Arraez, and Silver Slugger winner, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. It will certainly be great to see Yandy Diaz back in a Rays uniform for at least one more season.

Brandon Lowe also finished 2024 on a high note after battling with multiple injuries throughout the season. In fact, the 30-year old middle infielder led all second basemen in home runs for the last two months of the year, as he homered nine times to close out the season. If B. Lowe can continue this excellent slugging, then the sky is the limit for this offense.