The Tampa Bay Rays are at a major disadvantage when it comes to roster construction compared to their rivals in the American League East.
The Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays all have the ability to spend big in free agency and have grand plans to do so this winter. Some major moves have already been made, with the Blue Jays signing starting pitcher Dylan Cease to a massive seven-year, $210 million contract.
That kind of contract is one that the Rays look like they will never hand out, at least not anytime soon.
Because of that, they need to get creative when building their roster. Finding value is imperative, such as developing a young player who can greatly outperform the contract that they are on.
Rays get a ton of bang for their buck with their roster
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That is something Tampa Bay has excelled at. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report shared which teams get the most bang for their buck, sharing MLB Moneyball rankings. They were comprised based on which franchise gets the most value from their roster.
The Rays came in at No. 2 on the list with a total net value of $198.5 million. Only the Milwaukee Brewers ranked better than Tampa Bay with a roster value of $255 million.
Just how far behind their divisional rivals are the Rays when it comes to spending money? Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim signed a two-year, $29 million deal ahead of the 2025 campaign.
He was the highest-paid player on the roster and didn’t even make it one full season with the franchise. Approximately $11.1 million of his contract was paid by Tampa Bay, making his value -$10.3 million.
All the Rays got from Kim was 24 appearances and 93 plate appearances. He produced a measly .214/.290/.321 slash line with two home runs, three doubles, five RBI and six stolen bases.
Junior Caminero is incredibly valuable for Rays
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On the opposite end of the spectrum was third baseman Junior Caminero. He was the most valuable player on the roster at $34.4 million, slugging his way into the No. 1 spot.
He smashed 45 home runs with 110 RBI, earning a spot on the AL All-Star Team in his first full Major League season. It is likely the first of many accolades for the incredible power hitter who is only 22 years old and not even scratching the surface of his potential.
Caminero is one of the best building blocks in baseball. A highly-touted prospect before making it to The Show, he is someone Tampa Bay should be looking to build around for the long haul.
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