This Unit Shaping Up To Be Strength for Rays Heading Into Next Season

What unit will be a strength of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2026?

Aug 17, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) looks on against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

It has been a busy winter so far for the Tampa Bay Rays, but the team is starting to take shape for 2026 despite a long offseason still to go. 

This winter has moved along a bit slowly around baseball, with many of the top free agents still on the market. One team that has been aggressive so far is the Rays. Whether it be in free agency or on the trade market, Tampa Bay has not been messing around when it comes to getting their team set for the upcoming campaign. 

However, whether or not the Rays will be able to compete in the American League East is a fair question to ask. The Toronto Blue Jays have loaded up with talent and might not be done yet. To that point, the Rays have taken a little bit of a step back with the trading of Brandon Lowe and Shane Baz. In the lineup, especially, replacing what Lowe can do at the plate will be challenging, but the Rays have time to try and figure that out. 

While there still might be some question marks regarding the roster, one area that is looking strong is the starting rotation. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently predicted what the starting rotation would look like for the Rays, and it appears to be very solid on paper so far. 

Rotation Could Be a Strength

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Coming into the winter, adding some help for the rotation was a goal of the team, and they very well might look to still add another veteran arm. Trading Shane Baz opened up a spot for some of the young arms on the team to make an impression, and Steven Matz will be heading back to being a starter after a successful run as a relief pitcher in 2025. 

What can really be the strength of the unit will be at the top. Drew Rasmussen is coming off a really strong year and could be the ace of the team. Furthermore, the real X-factor is going to be southpaw Shane McClanahan. The talented pitcher has missed the last two seasons because of injury but is expected to be ready for a complete spring training. 

If he can return and provide the Rays with another front-end starter like he is capable of being, it would be a massive boost. Overall, with a top four right now of Rasmussen, McClanahan, Ryan Pepiot, and Matz, it is a solid group. The Rays could look to add another veteran, or perhaps it will be some of the young arms fighting for a spot.