American League East Preview: Tampa Bay Rays

[Alexis Farinacci]

Image courtesy of © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

April 6th will be a very special day for the Tampa Bay Rays. The team will return home to play baseball at Tropicana Field for the first time since September 2024. On October 9, 2024, a very dangerous Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key as a powerful Category 3 hurricane. The stadium was set to serve as a place of refuge for members of FPL and first responders helping with hurricane efforts after the storm, but instead, officials in Tampa were forced to put responders elsewhere and eventually were faced with having to temporarily relocate the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2025 season after figuring out what to do with a storm-ravaged Tropicana Field. The fiberglass roof was ripped to shreds, and the stadium was deemed unsafe by officials after the storm.

As the city of Tampa banded together, two AL East foes became one when the New York Yankees opened their spring training home, George M. Steinbrenner Field, to the Rays to play their 2025 season home games. The Rays finished the 2025 MLB regular season fourth in the American League East with a 77-85 (.475) record, failing to make the postseason for a second straight season. At their home away from home, however, they had a winning, 41-40 record.

But April will be a long-awaited homecoming when the Rays get to return to St. Petersburg for the first time in nearly two years.

Rays Notable Roster Moves

When the Rays open their season on Thursday in St. Louis, they will do so with four notable new faces on the roster. This offseason, the Rays signed left-handed pitcher Steven Matz, right-handed pitcher Nick Martinez, center fielder Cedric Mullins, and right-fielder Jake Fraley. All four were signed as free agents by the Rays.

Matz, who split the 2025 season between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox, was signed to a two-year, $15 million deal. The left-hander was 5-2 with a 3.05 ERA and a WAR of 0.9 in 2025. He had a .714 W-L% across 53 games (two starts, the rest in relief). Over the course of 76 2/3 innings, Matz gave up 26 earned runs on 73 hits (eight home runs), 11 walks, and struck out 59. He had a 1.096 WHIP, with an 8.6 H9 and a 1.3 BB/9.

Of interest, Matz pitched better in the American League than in the National League. His ERA with the Cardinals alone in 2025 was 3.44 through 32 games; whereas, his ERA with Boston was 2.08. He will hope that trend continues now with a fellow AL East team, the Rays.

The Rays secured Martinez for one year, $13 million, including a $4 million buyout and a $20 million mutual option for 2027. In 2025 with the Cincinnati Reds, the right-handed pitcher and Florida native was 11-14 with a 4.45 ERA. He threw in 40 games last season (started 26), striking out 116 over the course of 165 2/3 innings, with a 1.207 WHIP. He allowed 82 earned runs on 158 hits (22 home runs) and walked 42. He had a H/9 of 8.6, with a HR/9 of 1.2, and a BB/9 of 2.3. While he has a similar H9 to Matz, Martinez is able to get more swings and misses and has notably fewer runs allowed on his stats than Matz. 

Mullins signed with Tampa for one-year, $7 million, including a $500,000 buyout and a $10 million mutual option for 2027. After just a partial season with the New York Mets, Mullins became a free agent, leaving Mets fans with one less outfielder once again. 

In 2025, the outfielder split the season between the Baltimore Orioles and the Mets, though his playing time with Baltimore was interrupted by a 10-day stint on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Between the two teams, he hit .216/.299/.391, with a .690 OPS. He hit 23 doubles, one triple, clobbered 17 home runs, drove in 59 RBIs, and had 58 runs scored. The speedy lefty stole 22 bases and was caught stealing just four times. Opposing pitchers walked him 50 times.

Fraley signed a one-year deal worth $3 million. He split the 2025 season between the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves, hitting .241/.332/.382, with a .714 OPS. He hit nine doubles, six home runs, and drove in 23 RBIS. He stole four bases, was walked 25 times, and scored 31 runs.

Fraley missed a significant amount of time in 2025 on the 60-day injured list with a strained right oblique muscle while he was with the Braves, and then was picked up on waivers by the Rays before being designated for assignment, and then re-signed him as a free agent.

In total, the Rays spent $30.5 million in 2026, with a total of $38 million.

Other notable roster moves this offseason include sending Eric Orze to the Twins for right-handed pitcher Jacob Kisting; acquiring Yoendrys Gomez from the White Sox in a trade that included receiving Steven Wilson as well, but sending outfielder Everson Pereira to Chicago with Tanner Murray; and sending infielder Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum, and left-handed pitcher Mason Montgomery to the Pittsburgh Pirates for outfielder Jacob Melton and right-handed pitcher Anderson Brito. The Rays also acquired fan-favorite outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. from the Marlins for infielder Angel Bracho.

Projected Rays Lineup (Per MLB.com)

1. Yandy Diaz, DH
2. Jonathan Aranda, 1B
3. Junior Caminero, 3B
4. Ben Williamson, 2B
5. Cedric Mullins, CF
6. Jonny DeLuca, RF
7. Nick Fortes, C
8. Chandler Simpson, LF
9. Carson Williams, SS

The Rays’ top three were described by MLB.com as one of the best top three in the league because of their “strong mix of contact, on-base ability and power.”

Diaz hit .300/.366/.482, with a .848 OPS last season. The right-handed hitter was fourth in the American League last year for on-base percentage and sixth in batting average. He ranked ninth in on-base plus slugging (.848) and fourth in the AL for hits with 175. Those hits included 29 doubles, 25 home runs, one triple, and he drove in 83 RBIs and 79 runs scored. Last season, Aranda batted .316/.393/.489, with a .883 OPS and a 146 OPS+. He hit 22 doubles, 14 home runs, driving in 59 RBIs and 56 runs scored. 

Caminero was among AL leaders in many categories last season. The 22-year-old third baseman hit .264/.311/.535, with a .846 OPS. He ranked 22nd in the American League for games played (154), 10th in the AL for runs scored (93), third in the AL for home runs (45), 14th in the AL for hits (159), ninth in the AL for at-bats (602), and sixth in the American League in slugging percentage (.535).

MLB.com calls it “likely” that Kevin Cash will keep these three in the top three of the lineup, but could move them around slightly depending on how the season goes and game-to-game.

Projected Rays Rotation (MLB.com)

1. Drew Rasmussen, RHP
2. Nick Martinez, RHP
3. Steven Matz, LHP
4. Ryan Pepiot, RHP
5. Shane McClanahan, LHP

Two of the Rays pitchers in this rotation will be new to their rotation after they were signed this offseason (Martinez and Matz). 
McClanahan underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2024, and in an unlucky break, he was placed back on the injured list in 2025 with a left triceps nerve-related issue that sidelined him until November. Now back healthy, he looks to be a big contributor as a veteran in the Tampa rotation.

With spring training complete, McClanahan was 4-3 with a 2.08 ERA over the course of four spring starts. He pitched 13 innings, giving up a combined three earned runs on just eight hits, walked five, and struck out 15 over the course of those 13 innings. There’s no question that he’s healthy, as he looks to be in mid-season form already. He had a WHIP of 1.000 this spring, a 5.5 H/9, 0.7 HR/9, 3.5 BB/9, and a 10.4 SO/9.

The Rays will enter the season with momentum just by returning home to Tropicana Field. Tiem will tell what the full impact will be, but expect the Rays to have energy to start the season with a new-look lineup and rotation coming into 2026.

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