2020 Rays season preview: Primed for the postseason
The Tampa Bay Rays won't catch anyone by surprise this year.
The club is in prime position to make back-to-back postseason runs and is talented enough to return to the World Series for the first time since 2008 despite operating with one of the league's cheapest payrolls.
After falling to the Houston Astros in the ALDS last year, the front office opted to make a number of significant moves: trading away outfielder Tommy Pham and reliever Emilio Pagan and bringing in Hunter Renfroe, Jose Martinez, and Japanese slugger Yoshi Tsutsugo for some additional power. The front office is known for constantly tinkering with every roster spot, trying to squeeze out maximum value while minimizing expenses. Don't be surprised if manager Kevin Cash experiments with a two-man outfield at times, either, as the Rays have built a reputation for thinking outside the box.
2020 Breakdown
2019 record: 96-66 (2nd in AL East)
Payroll: $88,826,867
Projected record: 34-26 (2nd)
World Series odds: +1800
3-year trend: 2017 (3rd); 2018 (3rd); 2019 (2nd)
Key addition: Hunter Renfroe
Key subtraction: Tommy Pham
Highest projected WAR: Charlie Morton (1.5)
X-factor: Tyler Glasnow
Prospect to watch: Vidal Brujan
Winter report card: B
Projected Lineup
| Order | Player | Pos. | Proj. WAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon Lowe (L) | 2B | 1.1 |
| 2 | Yandy Diaz | 3B | 0.6 |
| 3 | Ji-Man Choi (L) | 1B | 0.3 |
| 4 | Hunter Renfroe | RF | 0.2 |
| 5 | Yoshi Tsutsugo (L) | DH | 0.5 |
| 6 | Willy Adames | SS | 1.1 |
| 7 | Kevin Kiermaier (L) | CF | 0.8 |
| 8 | Manuel Margot | LF | 0.5 |
| 9 | Mike Zunino | C | 1.1 |
Bench
| Player | Position | Proj. WAR |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Perez (L) | C | 0.1 |
| Kevan Smith | C | 0.0 |
| Nate Lowe (L) | 1B | 0.1 |
| Jose Martinez | 1B/OF | 0.1 |
| Mike Brosseau | IF | 0.1 |
| Joey Wendle (L) | IF/OF | 0.4 |
*Bold indicates player acquired during offseason
The Rays lack a true superstar, but they have enormous talent throughout the lineup and more depth than almost any other roster. They're also incredibly well balanced. Cash has almost unlimited options at his disposal, including solid parity between left- and right-handed bats and players with multi-positional versatility. Tampa is suited to win in any number of ways and boasts two of the game's elite defensive outfielders in Kiermaier and Margot. It will be exciting to see how Meadows builds off a breakout year - in which he hit 33 home runs to go along with a .922 OPS in just 138 games - once he is healthy enough to return after testing positive for COVID-19.
Rotation
| Pitcher | Throws | Proj. ERA |
|---|---|---|
| Charlie Morton | R | 3.47 |
| Ryan Yarbrough | L | 4.44 |
| Blake Snell | L | 3.37 |
| Tyler Glasnow | R | 3.62 |
| Yonny Chirinos | R | 4.31 |
Tampa Bay possesses one of the best and deepest rotations in MLB. Rays starters posted the league's fourth-best ERA last season, despite Snell and Glasnow combining to throw just 167 2/3 innings. Snell is just a season removed from winning the AL Cy Young, Glasnow was arguably the best starter in the majors in 2019 before being hurt, and Morton is coming off a top-three finish in Cy Young voting. After that, Yarbrough, Trevor Richards, Jalen Beeks, Brendan McKay, and Chirinos are all quality arms that can slot into the rotation. It's truly an embarrassment of riches that no other team can rival.
Bullpen
| Pitcher | Throws | Proj. ERA |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Anderson | R | 3.20 |
| Diego Castillo | R | 3.20 |
| Jose Alvarado | L | 3.26 |
| Chaz Roe | R | 4.05 |
| Oliver Drake | R | 3.43 |
| Peter Fairbanks | R | 3.52 |
| Andrew Kittredge | R | 3.41 |
| Ryan Thompson | R | 4.32 |
| Jalen Beeks | L | 4.09 |
| Aaron Loup | L | 3.56 |
| Trevor Richards | R | 4.56 |
Rays relievers threw more innings than any other team's relievers last year as Tampa relied on the opener strategy. Despite using 44 different pitchers in relief appearances, the team finished first in bullpen ERA and third in WHIP. The back end of the bullpen flies under the radar but is as elite as any club's - Anderson established himself as one of the most challenging arms to face after landing in Tampa at last year's deadline. The right-hander posted 41 strikeouts and a 0.66 WHIP across 21 2/3 innings with the Rays.
Key injuries/Absences
| Player | Position | Absence |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Meadows | OF | COVID-19 |
| Randy Arozarena | OF | Undisclosed |
| Colin Poche | RP | Tommy John surgery |
(Projected WAR/ERA source: FanGraphs)