Rays' Former All-Star Pitcher Will Be X-Factor for Team This Season

Which player for the Tampa Bay Rays is going to be their x-factor?

Dec 8, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash speaks with the media during the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings at Signia by Hilton Hotel. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

With spring training right around the corner for the Tampa Bay Rays, the team will be hopeful to snap a little playoff drought. However, in order to do so, there is one key player who will have to perform well. 

This offseason, the Rays were a very busy franchise both in free agency and the trade market, trying to improve the team for both 2026 and beyond. Tampa Bay is certainly an interesting team to look at heading into the campaign, and there is undoubtedly some good talent on the roster. 

Star slugger Junior Caminero is one of the brightest emerging players in baseball and is coming off his breakout campaign. If he can replicate that performance going forward, he could be one of the best players in baseball this coming year. 

Furthermore, the starting rotation has some talent and is arguably going to be a strength of the team. However, there are a couple of question marks surrounding the unit. 

Brent Maguire of MLB recently wrote about some of the players who are going to be the biggest x-factors for their team in 2026. For the Rays, it was starting pitcher Shane McClanahan. 

Tampa Bay Needs McClanahan to be Great

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Easily one of the biggest questions for the team heading into spring training is going to be the health of the former All-Star. When healthy, the southpaw can be one of the best pitchers in the game, but the Rays haven’t seen him on the mound in the majors the last two years. 

Fortunately, he is healthy and could be ready to go for Opening Day. However, what the team can expect from him, even if he is healthy for the whole season, is unknown. Missing so much time will undoubtedly have a negative impact on him, and it could take some time to kick off the rust. 

If the Rays get a healthy and effective McClanahan, he has the capability of changing their season completely. He is a proven front-end of the rotation pitcher and would be able to reassume his role as the ace of the team. 

Due to the lineup not looking like a strength at this point, the rotation being strong is going to be key for the team to succeed. The American League East is going to be extremely competitive this year, and a healthy McClanahan is going to be the x-factor if the team can be a contender.