For the first time since 2017, the Tampa Bay Rays finished with a record below .500 in 2024. Tampa finished 80-82, although one could argue that was impressive given the amount of bodies the Rays were down this season. Here’s our recap of the Rays’ 2024 season, one that saw the rise of several young pitchers.
The Offense
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 604 | 29th |
| Home Runs | 147 | 28th |
| OPS | .669 | 29th |
| Whiff% | 27.8% | 26th |
| Hard Hit% | 36.6% | 26th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 3.82 | 10th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 3.73 | 10th |
| Strikeouts | 1.406 | 11th |
| Whiff% | 25.7% | 10th |
| Chase% | 29.1% | 9th |
The Good
Despite several notable injuries to their rotation in 2024, Tampa’s starting pitcher crop did well. The Rays finished in the top half of the league in many different pitching categories, thanks to their depth.
Zack Littell performed well yet again in a starting role, where he was with the Rays last season after primarily being a reliever with the Giants. Littell, thanks to a deep arsenal, threw 156.1 IP and put up strong results (3.88 FIP, 8.1 K/9). Youngster Taj Bradley struck out 154 over 138 frames, while Shane Baz (4.07 FIP, 7.8 K/9) put up good results in his return from Tommy John surgery.
However, arguably their best starter in 2024 was Ryan Pepiot. Pepiot was acquired last winter in the Tyler Glasnow trade. Pepiot is somewhat similar to Glasnow, in the sense that both are power pitches. While Glasnow had better velocity, Pepiot is a strong righty with a mid-90s fastball with elite carry (19.4” IVB) to go along with a power changeup and slider.
He finished in the top 35 of the league in fastball whiffs, a figure that likely would have been higher had Pepiot not missed time on the IL. Pepiot had IL stints thanks to a lower leg contusion and a right knee infection from a spider bite.
Tampa’s depth in the pitching department helped the Rays make the decision to move several pieces out of town before the Trade Deadline. Aaron Civale, traded a year earlier to Tampa, went to Milwaukee. Zach Eflin, who had another year at $18MM after 2024, was traded to Baltimore for prospects.
Offensively, there weren’t a lot of bright spots for the Rays. I’ll get more into that in the next section. However, one of those bright spots was that Junior Caminero established himself as a Major League regular.
Caminero made his MLB debut late in 2023 and spent much of 2024 in Triple-A. In the Majors, Caminero hit .248/.299/.424 with six home runs and 16 extra-base hits over 43 games (177 PA).
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of player Caminero ultimately develops into. Caminero posted one of the highest average bat speed figures (77.2 MPH) but also has a swing roughly a foot longer than the MLB average. That will likely mean a lot of whiffs, which was the case in his brief sample size this year. But, Caminero makes loud contact when he connects.
The Bad
The Rays offense was behind the rest of the league in 2024 by significant margins. Tampa scored 604 runs in 2024, second-worst in the league behind only the White Sox. The Rays offense also didn’t hit for much power, as Tampa finished 28th in home runs and 29th in slugging percentage (.366).
At the start of the 2024 season. Tampa’s lineup still had Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes, two right-handed hitters with power who combined for 54 home runs in 2023. Those two were part of a deep Rays lineup that had 10 players in double digits in the home run category. This past season, the Rays had six, two of which were Arozarena and Paredes.
Both fit what the Rays built years ago: a group of controllable bats — one can add Jose Siri into that mix — who can hit line drives and power their way in Tropicana Field, a stadium with a short left field porch. However, with both Arozarena and Paredes in their arbitration years, Tampa moved off from both in deals that took place during the summer.
There were, however, some other issues with how things went for the Rays offensively this season.
Jose Caballero, acquired from the Mariners, was brought in to be a cost-effective replacement in the middle infield for Wander Franco. Caballero walked a lot with Seattle (10.0% BB%) and had speed, making him an intriguing fit, one who could get on base and use his speed to advance himself to scoring position. He did steal an AL-high 44 bases this season. But, he chased six percent more and only had a .283 OBP.
Josh Lowe and Jonny DeLuca, two important outfielders for the Rays, missed significant time with injuries. And lastly, Yandy Diaz had a fine season (.755 OPS, 14 HR) but nothing like his career-best 2023 campaign. His wOBA regressed from .402 to .331. Diaz still hit the ball plenty hard but didn’t barrel it up as much.
Early Projected Lineup for 2025
- C: Ben Rortvedt
- 1B: Yandy Diaz
- 2B: Brandon Lowe
- 3B: Junior Caminero
- SS: Jose Caballero/Taylor Walls
- OF: Josh Lowe (LF), Jose Siri (CF), Jonny DeLuca (RF)
- SP: Ryan Pepiot. Jeffrey Springs, Shane Baz, Taj Bradley, Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Zack Littell
- RP: Pete Fairbanks, Edwin Uceta, Kevin Kelly, Garrett Cleavinger, Jacob Waguespack, Tyler Alexander, Colin Poche
Arguably the most notable subplot surrounding the 2025 Rays isn’t exactly who will play — but where Tampa will play. Hurricane Milton ravaged the Tampa/St. Petersburg area and destroyed the Tropicana Field roof. The stadium will need extensive repairs to become playable, especially since the field doesn’t have a drainage system.
Thus, the Rays will need to find a new home, at least for the start of the year, if not longer. MLB wants some confirmation on where the Rays will temporarily play, and the league stated it prefers the team plays near its home region.
It’s unclear whether that will affect the Rays’ payroll for 2025 and beyond. But as of now, the Rays are well-situated for the 2025 campaign.
The Rays will likely get ace Shane McClanahan back next season, a major positive given his power stuff and what he did in 2022 and 2023 before the injury. McClanahan will join a deep rotation, despite the moves made by the Rays in the summer. That is, of course, whether their arms can remain healthy.
As for the offense, Tampa could get reinforcements with top prospect Carson Williams. Williams is an elite defender at short who won a Rawlings MiLB Gold Glove in 2022 and hit 20+ home runs in ’23 and ’24.