Rays Envision Great Window of Opportunity Coming Up Next Few Years

Are the Tampa Bay Rays getting close to a great window of opportunity to win?

Oct 7, 2021; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays general manager Erik Neander before game one of the 2021 ALDS at Tropicana Field. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays are starting to see their roster come together for the 2026 season, but whether or not they will be ready to compete remains a question. 

Coming into the winter, the Rays were a team that was hopeful to get better and have a realistic shot at being a contender in 2026. In the American League East, that is no easy task, especially considering how well some of the other teams have done in terms of adding players. 

While Tampa Bay does have the potential to have some things go right for the franchise with a strong pitching staff on paper, they are nowhere near the other teams in their division in terms of payroll. Even though being a contender might be the goal, the long-term outlook for the team might be a bit better following some of their decisions this offseason. 

Erik Neander recently spoke with Adam Berry about the franchise really liking the position that they are going to be in over the next three to five years. 

“We're always concerned about the future, probably not any more now than then. But I think we're building something really special when you look out three to five years,”

Future Is Bright

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

While the Rays have made some signings this winter that have improved certain areas of the team, their more significant moves were aimed toward the future. The trading of both Brandon Lowe and Shane Baz brought a haul of prospects, but most of those players might not see an opportunity to make the majors for years to come. 

Tampa Bay is a team that notoriously has a strong farm system, and this is a unit that has recently seen a significant influx of talent from the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros. 

While the team might hope that some things go right and that they will be able to compete in 2026, the payroll being what it is will make that challenging. New ownership seems to be focused on getting Tampa Bay their long-term home set up with an eye on it being ready for 2029. 

Ironically enough, that 2029 season would be right at the beginning of the window that Neander mentions. With a talented young star in Junior Caminero and a loaded farm system, the Rays might be looking to remain competitive in the coming years, but they will indeed focus on being at their best for when the new stadium opens.