Is It World Series Or Bust For The Rays?

The Tampa Bay Rays won 100 games which led the American League in wins and took the AL East crown for the second straight season after reaching the World Series last year. Obviously the expectations entering the 2021 postseason are high and should be high. But for a team that ranks 26th in payroll, would this season be considered a failure if they don't win another pennant?

Most people figured the Rays would regress after trading Blake Snell away during the offseason and losing Charlie Morton to free agency. But Tampa always seems to know what they're doing. If you're in trade negotiations with them, beware! (I was surprised when they traded away what has been an elite late innings guy in Diego Castillo at the deadline, but once again you have to figure they knew what they were doing.) The most impressive part about this Rays season was being able to withstand losing their ace Tyler Glasnow to Tommy John surgery and the fact that top tier RP Nick Anderson only appeared in 6 games.

How are the Rays this good, still? Well, Brandon Lowe hit 39 bombs, the switch-hitting Wander Franco is an absolute phenom at 20 years old (.288/.347/.463), Randy Arozarena had a .800+ OPS, Mike Zunino posted a .860 OPS from the catcher position, Austin Meadows went for 29 HRs, 106 RBI, and you still have the threat of the OG Nelson Cruz in the thick of that lineup. Andrew Kittredge became a force out of the pen going 9-3 with a sub 2 ERA and a sub 1 WHIP. Shane Baz became a revelation late in the season after being called up and he was the 3rd prospect brought back from Pittsburgh in that incredibly lop-sided Chris Archer trade.

There's a lot to like about how the Rays build a team. If they don't get over the hump, you could only consider it a failure if they earned Yankees or Dodgers type revenue. In the podcast below, Brandon Kravitz and I discuss the Rays.

Tampa Bay Rays v New York Yankees

Photo: Getty Images


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