Tampa Bay Rays 2021 season outlook
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (BVM) — The 2020 MLB season saw its struggles and bouts with COVID-19, but it also supplied fans with some magic when it mattered most. Of all 30 MLB teams, the Tampa Bay Rays had the second-best record, and that success followed them into the postseason. They beat the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros all en route to a World Series matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Although they lost that series four games to two, the Rays made their first World Series appearance since 2008, in a season where many expected the Yankees or Astros or another perennial power to represent the American League.
Now with all of that in the past, the Rays are focused on 2021 and looking to create even more memorable moments. They’ll have to do it with a new roster in a full season of 162 games, but their outlook headed into the season is still bright. Despite some concerning spots, the Rays can contend again in this new season.
Perhaps the biggest news out of the Rays’ camp this offseason was the trading of Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Blake Snell to the San Diego Padres. In last year’s shortened season, Snell was 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA, and won a handful of playoff games. With three years left on his contract, the Rays flipped him for a plethora of emerging talents. However, Snell was not the only pitcher the Rays rotation lost.
Charlie Morton opted to sign with the Atlanta Braves and Yonny Chirinos had Tommy John surgery, likely eliminating the possibility of him toeing the rubber in 2021. That left just Tyler Glasnow, Michael Wacha and Ryan Yarbrough locked into the starting rotation. This offseason, though, Rays management filled the gaps nicely by adding Chris Archer and Rich Hill through free agency.
Despite their pitchers room looking a little bit different, the Rays did retain the majority of last year’s World Series roster. When eligible, they re-signed starting first baseman Ji-Man Choi, and brought back heavy bench contributors in Manuel Margot, Joey Wendle and Mike Zunino. Their leading batter for average, Yandy Díaz, is back in the hot corner at third base, and their leading RBI man, Brandon Lowe, returns as well.
AL Manager of the Year, Kevin Cash, comes back for his sixth season with the Rays. Their depth remains top notch across the league, as last year the Rays had one of the most productive backup units. But the challenge comes in that they play in one of the toughest divisions out there.
The AL East also has the Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Orioles, some of which are some of the MLB’s most legendary teams, and some of which are very quickly on the rise. The Boston Red Sox had a down year but had some big offseason signings in Garrett Richards, Adam Ottavino and Kiké Hernández. The Yankees will come back reloaded as they always do with one of the most star-studded lineups in the majors. Then there are the Orioles and Blue Jays who have been ascending lately, with lots of young talent throughout their organizations.
Although the Rays kept things mostly intact, they did lose one of the MLB’s best pitchers in Snell and other contending teams made some big time moves to try to keep up. This season will once again likely be successful for Tampa Bay, but getting themselves back into the World Series will be a whole different animal.
