Rays Have One of the Top Relief Pitchers in Baseball Anchoring Bullpen
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The Tampa Bay Rays bullpen suffered a significant loss this offseason when the team made the difficult decision to move on from closer Pete Fairbanks.
Instead of exercising an $11 million club option, the Rays paid a $1 million buyout, making the veteran righty a free agent. He would end up signing a deal with the Miami Marlins, but a void was created at the back end of the bullpen.
Manager Kevin Cash will have a decision to make about who to go to late in games. Current projections insinuate that he will mix and match, opting for a committee depending on matchups.
One player who is assuredly going to be part of that mix is Griffin Jax. He was recently highlighted by Buster Olney of ESPN as one of the best relievers in baseball. While a spot in the top 10 wasn’t earned, he was among the 11 players listed as honorable mentions.
Griffin Jax amongst best relief pitchers in MLB
“He wasn't as overpowering last year as he was in 2024, but he still averaged 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings and improved after Tampa Bay acquired him in midseason,” Olney wrote.
Jax will certainly have the opportunity to move up that list this year in a prominent role with the Rays. Even if he isn’t in the traditional closer’s role, he will be someone that Cash relied on in high-leverage situations.
Acquired from the Minnesota Twins ahead of the trade deadline last year, he was productive in his first 23 appearances with the team. He had a 3.60 ERA across 20 innings with 27 strikeouts, producing a 0.3 bWAR.
Overall in 2025, Jax had a 4.23 ERA in 73 appearances and 66 innings pitched with 99 strikeouts. The games pitched and strikeouts were both single-season career best marks.
Griffin Jax strikes out the side.
— Jake (@TBRaysCentral) February 22, 2026
Some of the best stuff in the sport. pic.twitter.com/LxHNsSohOa
When taking a look at some of his advanced metrics and underlying statistics, it is easy to see why Tampa Bay made acquiring him a top priority during somewhat of a rebuild. He had a 2.51 FIP and was plagued by bad luck.
His batting average on balls in play of .375 is well above the league average of .292. It is also an outlier from the .288 career number against him, with the previous single-season high being .299.
The tools are there for Jax to continue ascending the relief pitcher rankings in 2026. Entering his age-31 campaign, he’s already showing that strikeout potential in spring training and is under team control through 2027.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.