The Tampa Bay Rays have a few areas of their roster that their president of baseball operations, Erik Neander, has mentioned they will be looking to upgrade this offseason. In the lineup, answers need to be found at catcher, shortstop and outfield.
In-house candidates exist for shortstop and outfield. Catcher is the position that outside help seems most likely to be sought at. But another underrated need could be on the mound.
The Rays had incredible injury luck with their starting rotation in 2025. Had they not traded Taj Bradley and Zach Littell, they would have made it through the entire campaign with the same five starters.
The only person who didn’t get on the mound was ace Shane McClanahan. Shane Baz, Ryan Pepiot and All-Star Drew Rasmussen all made 31 starts. Adrian Houser, Joe Boyle, Ian Seymour and reliever Griffin Jax as an opener were the only other starters used.
Eight starting pitchers is the fewest for Tampa Bay since 2017. With Pepiot, Rasmussen, Baz, Boyle and Seymour all returning and McClanahan expected to be ready for spring training, the rotation should be a strength again.
Griffin Jax should not be considered option for starting rotation