The Tampa Bay Rays finished fourth in the AL East standings in 2024, finishing with a record of 80-82.
The big storylines heading into the 2025 season for Tampa Bay is their stadium situation. Hurricane Milton tore through the northern Gulf Coast of Florida in October, and part of the storm’s destruction was that of Tropicana Field.
Due to the stadium being in a condition where it is no longer suitable to host sporting events, the Rays will be playing their season at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees, which is also located in Tampa and holds 11,000 fans. The plans for a new stadium have been recently been scrapped, and it has led to discussions of a possible relocation of the franchise.
The Rays lost some pieces within the last year. One of which had been a cornerstone of their lineup in outfielder Randy Arozarena. President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander and Co. also traded away outfielder Jose Siri to the New York Mets last November.
The three main pieces the Rays added to help combat those position player departures are infielder Ha-Seong Kim, catcher Danny Jansen and DH Eloy Jiménez. Tampa Bay is hoping that these additions can be as or more productive than the players who are no longer with the club.
Don’t forget about former No. 3 overall prospect by Baseball America, third baseman Junior Caminero. In 43 games last year, Caminero recorded a batting average of .248 with 41 hits, six home runs and 18 RBIs at the big league level. The Rays are relying on his presence at third base as an everyday starter is something that will propel them forward.
The biggest strength the Rays will have coming into this year is their starting rotation. Shane McClanahan is returning off of Tommy John Surgery, and he’s looking like his old self. So far this spring, McClanahan has pitched 4.2 innings and has given up zero runs while striking out five batters.
The rest of the rotation consists of Drew Rasmussen, Zack Littell, Ryan Pepiot, Taj Bradley and Shane Baz. In 2024, Tampa Bay ranked 10th in the majors with a team ERA of 3.82.
The bullpen is another strength of this Tampa ball club. In the second half of the 2024 season, they ranked third in the majors with a bullpen ERA of 2.91 behind the likes of Pete Fairbanks and Edwin Uceta.
On top of the great pitching depth, Tampa Bay also has the ability to develop their young talent into blossoming stars. We can expect that to continue with a pipeline of prospects in their minor league system.
There are glaring weaknesses, however, as their offensive production is a major concern, especially with the players that have come and gone within the last year or so. Last season, the Rays ranked 29th in runs scored with 604, compiling a slash line of .230/.302/.366. It’s unlikely that we will see a substantial jump of those numbers in 2025.
As stated previously, the primary question mark heading into this year is an organization dealing with uncertainty of its future. A possibility of relocation and the potential of a new stadium while playing in a minor league park will hover over the entire city.
Just like the other four teams in the division, Tampa Bay obviously competes in the American League East division, which is famously considered to be the best/toughest division in baseball each season.
With all of this being said, The Baltimore Battery’s final projection is for the Tampa Bay Rays to finish fifth in the AL East with a win/loss record of 74-88.
What are your expectations for the Tampa Bay Rays this season? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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