With Thanksgiving here for the Tampa Bay Rays, the fanbase and the franchise have plenty to be thankful for.
As free agency and the offseason continue to move along, things have been relatively quiet for the most part. The Toronto Blue Jays made one of the biggest splashes so far on Thanksgiving Eve with the signing of star pitcher Dylan Cease to a seven-year deal. However, a lot of the top players are still available at this stage.
With the holidays here, it will likely be a bit quiet on that front while everyone spends time with their families. For Tampa Bay, they will be enjoying a little break during the holidays before they get back to trying to improve this team and compete in 2026.
The 2025 campaign was a challenging one for the franchise after being displaced from their home stadium due to a massive hurricane. This likely had an impact on the team in the second half of the year, with a majority of their games being on the road.
However, Tampa Bay was able to get through it, and now they will be entering a new era with new ownership taking over. Furthermore, with Thanksgiving here, they should be very thankful that the roof is back on at Tropicana Field and they will be returning there in 2026.
Rays Should Be Thankful to Be Back at the Trop 
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It certainly wasn’t an easy year for Tampa Bay, having to play in a minor league stadium in 2025, and the team will undoubtedly be happy and thankful to be back at the Trop. With the roof repaired and some other minor stadium upgrades happening, the team should be comfortable there while they look to find their new home.
As new ownership starts to figure out the next chapter for the franchise, a long-term home is going to be key. That process seems to be moving quickly behind the scenes, and they will need to figure that out soon in 2026.
While the team should certainly be thankful for the roof being back on and their return home, the franchise should also be thankful for some of the talented players on the team, like Junior Caminero. The young slugger has emerged as one of the best in baseball and is a true star in the making. There is certainly plenty to be thankful for, and this new era of the Rays should be an exciting one.
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