Rays Raise Ticket Prices for 2009 (A Little)

Not a terribly big surprise, the Rays have raised the single game ticket prices for 2009 on the heals of their historic playoff and World Series run. But, before you go screaming bloody murder, there are lots of details that should be considered. Joe Smith of the St. Pete Times does a nice job of running through the details of the price increase as well as a number of other pricing changes. Here is a summary from The Heater:

Rays president Matt Silverman said Monday that about 70-percent of the single-game tickets will increase by $1 (for example, upper deck goes from $9 to $10 for regular game, from $14-16 for prime pricing). But in an effort to bolster their season-ticket base - the "lifeblood" of any baseball team - Silverman said the club is also increasing the discount for season ticket holders (up to 35 percent). So, the Lower Level tickets that cost $44 (face value) would likely be somewhere around $29 each (roughly in line with last year's season ticketholder price).

Most everything else at Tropicana Field will remain the same; vehicles with four or more passengers can park for free, you can still bring in your food and drink, the upper-deck tarp will remain.

But here are some of the changes:
The club added a "marquee" pricing category for the 11 Saturday night games (which will either feature a post-game concert or premium giveaway). The pricing for those is between the regular and "prime" pricing (games with Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies). These games were extremely popular last year with each Saturday game selling 30,000 or more during the summer (hey, where else can you spend $15 or less on a ticket and get a free concert along with it?).

Vehicles with less than four passengers will be charged $15 to park in the main Trop lot, $10 for the remote lots. There will also be an increase in the surcharge for those tickets bought within five hours of game time (now $3-$5). So, plan ahead! Or, just shop on StubHub for your last minute tickets (it's riskier, but you might just find some great seats!).

Here is the 2009 pricing by ticket level:

REGULAR GAMES
TBT Party Deck - $10
Upper Deck - $10
Outfield - $17
Loge box - $22
Press Level - $27
Baseline Box - $22
Lower box - $44
Lower infield box - $55
Fieldside box - $85
Whitney Bank Club - $115
Home Plate Club - $210

MARQUEE GAMES (11 Saturday night games)
TBT Party Deck - $13
Upper Deck - $13
Outfield - $20
Loge box - $31
Press Level - $38
Baseline Box - $31
Lower box - $52
Lower infield box - $65
Fieldside box - $95
Whitney Bank Club - $130
Home Plate Club - $240

PRIME GAMES (vs Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies)
TBT Party Deck - $16
Upper Deck - $16
Outfield - $24
Loge box - $38
Press Level - $47
Baseline Box - $38
Lower box - $60
Lower infield box - $75
Fieldside box - $120
Whitney Bank Club - $150
Home Plate Club - $270

BUT - as we did last year, 9=8.com will be giving away some FREE TICKETS to lucky Rays fans, so join our email list and have a chance to win. GO RAYS!!!