The MLB postseason is in full swing as the quest to crown the next World Series champion continues, but the 2025 season was historic in ways far removed from championship glory. Over the past decade, teams across the four major sports have increasingly found themselves playing in temporary venues. Some of these moves were pandemic-related – such as the Toronto Raptors and Blue Jays playing in Tampa and Buffalo, respectively, due to border closures – but others have stemmed from venue construction or relocation plans.

The Los Angeles Chargers, for instance, played from 2017-19 at the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park, home of MLS’s LA Galaxy, while waiting for SoFi Stadium to be completed. Similarly, the Arizona Coyotes spent their final two NHL seasons in the desert at the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena, home to Arizona State hockey and the NBA G-League’s Valley Suns. In both cases, the teams’ temporary homes were far smaller than league standards, serving as a novelty for visiting fans who could experience a more intimate setting rather than offering much of a home-field advantage.

That same dynamic played out during the 2025 MLB season, when not one but two franchises, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Athletics – now without a city moniker – spent the year playing in traditionally minor league ballparks. For the two teams, the moves were temporary, but they resulted in a season unlike any other for baseball fans.

Tampa Bay Rays Take Over Steinbrenner Field

In Tampa, George M. Steinbrenner Field – home to the Single-A Tampa Tarpons, the Florida Complex League Yankees and the New York Yankees’ spring training operations – became the unexpected base of the Rays for the 2025 season. The ballpark, which opened in 1996 and seats just over 11,000, is located six miles from Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Buccaneers.

The move came after Hurricane Milton severely damaged Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg last October, forcing the Rays to find a temporary home across the Bay. After paying the Yankees, their division rival, $15 million to use Steinbrenner Field, the Rays rebranded the park for the season, changing signage, concessions, and team stores – though the Bronx Bombers statues and iconic Yankee Stadium frieze remained.

While the intimate atmosphere made for a memorable fan experience, the Florida heat, humidity and frequent storms were constant challenges. The Rays are expected to return to a renovated Tropicana Field in 2026.

The Athletics Set Up Shop in West Sacramento

Nearly 3,000 miles west, the Athletics found their own temporary home at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California, the home of the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats. The A’s left behind the aging Oakland Coliseum after 56 years and will remain in Sacramento through at least 2027 while awaiting their new stadium in Las Vegas, set to open in 2028.

Sutter Health Park, which opened in 2000 and holds around 14,000 fans, sits just across the Tower Bridge from downtown Sacramento. Unlike the Rays, who displaced the Tarpons entirely, the A’s and River Cats shared the ballpark throughout the season, alternating six-day homestands, with the teams swapping control of the venue each week. The A’s decked out the park with their own signage and merchandise, but attendance remained modest due to hot summer temperatures and a struggling on-field product.

A Season to Remember

Both teams faced challenges drawing fans; the Rays averaged 9,712 per game, while the Athletics drew 9,487. But for many fans, the chance to see MLB action up close in smaller, more personal settings was a rare treat.

Whether other major professional sports franchises will follow this trend remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the 2025 MLB season was unlike any in history, a year defined not by championships or records, but by the unique charm of the temporary homes that kept the game alive.