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Tampa Bay Rays share vision for new proposed ballpark at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus

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Published  February 5, 2026 4:59pm EST
Tampa
FOX 13 News
article

Courtesy: Tampa Bay Rays

The Brief

    • The Rays released renderings on Thursday that show what their new proposed ballpark will look like.
    • Plans for the stadium include about 31,000 seats, and it will be surrounded by a mixed-use district at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus.
    • There is still no funding plan agreed upon, but the Rays have six months to make a deal.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Rays are giving fans a first look at their new proposed ballpark. They released renderings Thursday of a proposed 31,000-seat ballpark and mixed-use district at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus.

The backstory:

The new ballpark is triangular, covered with glass and surrounded by several dozen buildings.

Courtesy: Tampa Bay Rays

"It's a bold vision and one that belongs and befits to this opportunity," Rays co-owner Ken Babby said on Tuesday.

A glimpse of the early plans 

The renderings show a view of the outfield side of the ballpark, and Raymond and DJ Kitty hyping up a jubilant Rays crowd.

PREVIOUS STORY: Tampa Bay Rays' massive development plans revealed by Hillsborough commissioners

A site plan shows the Rays have labeled the stadium area as "Champions Quarter."

Courtesy: Tampa Bay Rays

To the west is "Innovation Edge," where Hillsborough College will be.

Courtesy: Tampa Bay Rays

To the northwest is "The Canopy," which the Rays call a "parkside neighborhood."

READ MORE: Tampa Bay Rays backed by DeSantis, MLB commissioner for potential stadium deal with Hillsborough College

The Yankees complex to the northeast.

It's all connected by a street they call "The Row."

Courtesy: Tampa Bay Rays

"We will go far and wide to ask questions, to learn, to take feedback and have community huddles throughout the region to learn how to make our project the right. Perfect public private partnership," Babby said.

 The Rays also launched a site that allows fans to sign up for early ticket access, for a cost of $19.98.

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 The year 1998 is when the Rays were born.

 "This is an opportunity to make a statement together as a community," Babby said.

Dig deeper:

But don't start picking out seats just yet.

A funding plan for the Rays’ 31,000-seat dome is not even close to fruition.

While the Rays promise to put up at least half of the stadium's $2.3 billion cost, it isn't clear as to how the city, county and state will divide up the rest.

Negotiations will begin once the Rays determine how much revenue the site itself can bring in.

"This is where the team was born, and I think this is where the team can succeed," Gov. Ron DeSantis said. "I look forward to seeing that this vision ultimately become a reality."

What's next:

Hillsborough Commissioners voted on Wednesday to begin negotiations with the Rays. They need to have a deal within six months under a Memorandum of Understanding agreed to by Hillsborough College's Board of Trustees.

For now, the Rays will remain at Tropicana Field for the 2026 season. They are aiming to open their new stadium by Opening Day 2029.

The Source: Information for this story was gathered from the Tampa Bay Rays organization and Hillsborough College.

TampaTampa Bay RaysRays Stadium PlansMLB