Rays Need To Give Long Look to Young Starting Pitcher for Rotation Spot

The Tampa Bay Rays may not need to look outside the organization for starting pitching help.

Durham Bulls starter Ian Seymour pitches against Worcester at Polar Park May 23. | Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming into the MLB offseason, one of the underrated needs for the Tampa Bay Rays was starting pitching depth.

Adrian Houser was a free agent, creating a void at the back end of the rotation. The Rays showed some interest in bringing him back, but he agreed to a two-year, $22 million deal with the San Francisco Giants.

Tampa Bay’s void in the starting rotation became even bigger when the team traded Shane Baz to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for a haul of prospects and a draft pick.

To this point, the only outside addition that has been made is Steven Matz. The veteran lefty is expected to move back into a starting pitcher’s role after being a relief pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox in 2025.

Rays need to give shot to Ian Seymour for rotation spot

Sep 17, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ian Seymour (61) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Rays are also getting All-Star Shane McClanahan back from injury. He hasn’t pitched in the Major Leagues since 2023 because of multiple ailments, but is expected to be healthy for spring training in a few weeks.

It is impossible to know for sure what kind of workload and production the talented lefty can provide them. So, bringing in another innings-eater for the rotation would make a lot of sense.

However, Tampa Bay has some in-house options it should strongly consider to fill out its rotation. One player who should be under heavy consideration is Ian Seymour.

A second-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft out of Virginia Tech, he was viewed as a mid-tier prospect in the organization, ranking well inside the Top 20 and as high as No. 13. With a six-pitch repertoire, he offers a lot of upside with his ability to mix offerings.

Ian Seymour looked sharp in his limited 57 IP sample. He posted a 3.19 FIP & a 26.4% K% w/ his 6 pitch mix. The CH was very effective, returning a 35.1% Whiff% & while he averaged 91.6 MPH on his FF, he gets good iVB from his vRel height & it plays well at the top of the zone. pic.twitter.com/efT40eMtpd

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) January 14, 2026

The lefty made his Major League debut on June 9 last year against the Red Sox in relief. His first five appearances were all out of the bullpen and multi-inning outings. Six out of his final seven outings were starts, and overall, he performed well.

His performance was better as a starter, throwing 25.2 innings with a 3.16 ERA and 31 strikeouts with a 1.052 WHIP. As a relief pitcher, he recorded 31.1 innings with a 4.02 ERA, 33 strikeouts and a 1.277 WHIP.

Both numbers are certainly respectable, but his future should be as a starting pitcher. Giving him a shot in the rotation during spring training would make a lot more sense than converting a relief pitcher such as Griffin Jax.