Rays Remaining Unchanged in MLB Power Rankings Is Right Move

Should the Tampa Bay Rays have moved at all after an early update to the MLB power rankings?

Aug 16, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; A Tampa Bay Rays helmet sits in the dugout before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

With the Tampa Bay Rays a few games into the season, there have been some early indicators about how they might perform in 2026. 

Coming into the year, the Rays were a team that was hoping to be a contender in the challenging American League East. This is a division that will undoubtedly be one of the best in baseball, and keeping up with some of the best teams in the league will be a challenge. 

To begin the campaign, Tampa Bay didn’t get off to an ideal start against a St. Louis Cardinals team that isn’t expected to be very good. While the series was on the road, losing two out of three games is far from ideal, especially when they were winning after the fifth inning in all three of them. 

With it being early in the campaign, how good or bad the Rays can be in 2026 remains to be seen. However, if they want to contend, losing a series to teams like the Cardinals isn’t going to help them achieve that. Fortunately, it is still very early, and there is plenty of time to get into gear. 

Chad Jennings of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about the Rays remaining unchanged in the first power rankings update despite their pitching staff perhaps not being as strong as they would have hoped. 

Tampa Bay Still an Unknown

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Jonny DeLuca | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

With it being so early in the season and the Rays only playing a few games so far, a dramatic shift in their ranking certainly isn’t needed as of now. While the team might have lost their opening series to the Cardinals, they did bounce back quickly to open the set against the Milwaukee Brewers. 

In the series against the Cardinals, it was the bullpen that really let them down quite a bit. They had a lead in both the first game of the series and the second, but were unable to come away with victories in either. 

Coming into the campaign, this unit figured to be a strength for the team, and that can still be the case. There is a lot of talent for the unit, but the first couple of games weren’t overly encouraging.

Furthermore, while the bullpen hasn’t been great, the rotation has had some inconsistencies early on as well. Overall, the pitching staff does have a lot of talent, and if Tampa Bay is going to be a successful team in 2026, they will need the unit to be good.