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