Season Preview: What we can expect from the Rays in 2024

Death. Taxes. The Tampa Bay Rays playing October baseball.

The Rays have been a model of consistency in Major League Baseball over the past half-decade. Tampa Bay has made five straight postseason appearances. Only the Dodgers (11), Astros (7), and Braves (6) have longer streaks. 

With a blend of seasoned veterans and emerging talent, the Rays aim to build upon their recent successes and make another push toward a sixth consecutive playoff appearance.

“We’re talking about respectability; we’re talking about being able to compete with the Yankees and the Red Sox and the Blue Jays and the Orioles,” Tampa Bay Rays President Matt Silverman said at a recent media event. “The success we’ve had on the field has far outpaced what we originally imagined, and now, we’ve reset our expectations and our standards are incredibly high. Five straight postseasons, as we expect to be again this year. We have another incredible club that we’re going to return to. We had 99 wins last year and fell short of the Orioles by one game. It was a record for our club.”

While the Rays return several key players like All-Stars Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz, the club still faces many questions heading into this season, specifically when it comes to their starting rotation. The departure of Tyler Glasnow, coupled with injuries to Shane McClanahan, Drew Rassmussen and Jeffrey Springs, means the Rays will look towards other pitchers like the newly-acquired Ryan Pepiot and Jacob Waguespack, to step up.

Despite those question marks, the Rays still boast one of the better pitching staffs in the league thanks in large part to their bullpen. The return of veterans like Pete Fairbanks and Jason Adam, along with the addition of former Astros reliever Phil Maton, should keep the Rays in a lot of games.

Zach Eflin will serve as the Tampa Bay Rays’ opening day starter in a March 28 home game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Eflin earned the honor after finishing with a 16-8 record in a career-high 31 starts in a 2023 season that saw the team’s pitching rotation decimated by injuries. The Orlando native grew up rooting for the Rays and signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the club in the 2022 offseason.

Offensively, the Rays have shown prowess, scoring the fourth most runs in the league last season. While the absence of All-Star outfielder Wander Franco will no doubt have an impact on Tampa Bay’s bat, players like Josh Lowe and Yandy Diaz have emerged as key contributors, with Diaz coming off a career season in which he led the American League in batting average (.330) and earned his first All-Star game appearance. Then, of course, there’s Randy Arozarena; the Rays are looking to capitalize on his 2023 All-Star campaign in which he finished second on the team in hits, and third in home runs and stolen bases.

“A lot of times you hear about the roster turnover, and that’s a fact of the way that we operate. But for the second year in a row, we’re bringing back so much of the core that was successful,” Silverman said. “It really is a balancing act for us.”

The Rays finish up Spring training games March 26 and will open the 2024 MLB season with a home game at Tropicana Field against the Toronto Blue Jays, March 28 at 4:10 p.m.

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