The city of St. Petersburg will spend about $6.5 million to clean up and guard against any further harm to Tropicana Field, the home of baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Milton.

The translucent fiberglass dome of the ballpark was shredded by the storm Oct. 9, leaving in doubt whether it can be repaired in time to open the 2025 season. Major League Baseball wants the Rays to play home games in the area if the ballpark isn’t ready, probably at one of several local spring training sites.

The St. Petersburg City Council voted Thursday to approve two contracts with firms to clear the pieces of roof that litter the ballpark, remove damaged turf and waterproof numerous areas including the scoreboard, seating areas, suites and the press box, according to city documents. The ballpark does not have a drainage system and could sustain additional damage throughout the structure from rain without its roof.

An ongoing analysis will determine what it will take to fully repair the Trop, as it’s known locally, including the cost and timeline for completion. A complicating factor is the city’s plan to construct a new $1.3 billion ballpark that would open in 2028, part of a much larger urban revitalization project that was approved earlier this year. Under that deal, the Rays commit to remain in St. Petersburg another 30 years.

A’s owner pledges $1B for Las Vegas stadium

Athletics owner John Fisher and his family will invest $1 billion into the construction of a stadium in Las Vegas and U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs will offer a $300 million loan, club executive Sandy Dean said Thursday.

Dean made his remarks to a special meeting of the Las Vegas Stadium Authority board.

Dean said four letters will be presented at the Dec. 5 authority meeting asserting construction details and financing will be in place. Final approvals are expected to be made at that meeting to allow construction of the $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat domed ballpark with a capacity for up to 33,000 fans.

Construction is expected to begin in the spring with a targeted opening before the 2028 season. As much as $380 million in public funding will go into building the stadium, which will be on the Las Vegas Strip on the site of where the recently demolished Tropicana stood.

Braves trade Soler to Angels for Canning

The Los Angeles Angels acquired outfielder and designated hitter Jorge Soler from the Atlanta Braves in a trade for right-hander Griffin Canning on Thursday.

Soler has been a productive power hitter for five teams over the previous 11 major league seasons. He has two years left on the three-year, $42 million contract he signed with the Giants in February.

Canning is former second-round draft pick who has been part of the Angels’ starting rotation for the past six years when healthy. He won a Gold Glove in 2020 but missed the entire 2022 season with a back injury.

Canning went 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA while making a career-high 32 starts last season for the Angels.

College basketball

Gophers add Ross to 2025 recruiting class

The Gophers men’s basketball program picked up a commitment from 6-foot-5 wing Jacob Ross for its 2025 recruiting class on Thursday.

Considered a three-star prospect, Ross is a Virginia native who has played at Long Island Lutheran in Brookville, New York, and will play his senior year at SoCal Academy in Caustic, California. He picked Minnesota over Old Dominion, Kansas State, George Mason, VCU and others.

The Gophers appeared to recently join Ross’s recruitment and he visited Minnesota’s campus last week.

Ross’s older brother is Jaden Ross, a sophomore at Connecticut, who contributed to UConn’s national championship last spring. Their younger brother, Jamison, is also a college basketball prospect.

Jacob Ross is considered a quality athlete with an ability to defend multiple positions and, on offense, be a playmaker with his passing and ability to get to the basket off the dribble, according to 247sports. He is believed to have a wingspan near 7 feet.

Ross is the Gophers’ second commit in next year’s class, joining 6-foot-5 guard Kai Shinholster of Philadelphia. The U’s class is ranked 45th in the country, according top 247sports.

— Andy Greder

Briefly

Golf >> Hana Wakimoto of Japan shot a bogey-free 9-under to lead the LPGA’s Toto Classic in Japan by two shots after the first round on Thursday.

basketball >> Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero has a torn right oblique, the team said Thursday night after he had further testing in Cleveland. President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said Banchero will be out indefinitely and be re-evaluated in four-to-six weeks.

baseball >> After 42 seasons, Bob Costas is retiring from baseball announcing.

— From news services