The Rays Are Telling Us Plenty About Their Pitching Plans Without Saying It

What will the pitching plans look like for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2026?

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 the start of games right around the corner for the Tampa Bay Rays, the team will be anxiously awaiting the start of the regular season. However, will the rotation be what’s key for them in 2026?

It was a very busy winter for the Rays following a disappointing campaign in 2025. Last year was not an easy one for the franchise after being displaced from their stadium because of a hurricane. The team didn’t perform well in the second half of the campaign, with some tough scheduling and injuries. 

Overall, they finished eight games under .500 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. Now, the team will be hoping to contend once again in 2026, and they focused their efforts this winter on a couple of key areas. 

One of those areas was the starting rotation. This was a unit that had some good performers; they do have the potential to be even better this coming season. In what is going to be a tough American League East, this could be the unit that can carry the Rays. However, some of their decisions made this winter could raise some concern. 

What Will the Rays’ Rotation End Up Being?

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

This is undoubtedly a unit that has a high upside, and that all starts with Shane McClanahan. The star southpaw has been unable to pitch the last two years because of injury but is on track to return. While it is hard to know what to expect from him, he can provide the upside for the unit to be special. 

Prior to injury, he was a two-time All-Star and was emerging as one of the best left-handers in the game. If he can get back to that level, that could provide the Rays with an ace on their staff and a really strong pairing with him and Drew Rasmussen at the top of the rotation. 

Furthermore, the team in free agency added Steven Matz and Nick Martinez to help provide some depth for the unit. These are two interesting additions for the team, especially with Matz being a relief pitcher last year. Both could potentially be viewed as placeholders for some of the younger arms to come up and take their spots at some point during the year. 

A lot will depend on how performance is and how the team is doing, but this is a unit that could certainly see some changes over the course of the year. However, it certainly feels as if things go right, this will be the strength of the team.