Boston Red Sox pitcher Steven Matz against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at Steinbrenner Filed in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara,File)
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With six starting pitchers for a five-man rotation, the Rays had a wonderful dilemma heading into last season. That was until Shane McClanahan, who was checking all boxes on his way back from a second Tommy John surgery, was shelved at the end of spring training due to a nerve issue in his left triceps that sidelined him for a second straight year.
With said dilemma alleviated in an undesirable way, manager Kevin Cash and pitching coach Kyle Snyder began the season with a rotation of Ryan Pepiot, Zack Littell, Taj Bradley, Drew Rasmussen and Shane Baz, in that order. Things changed for a club that finished 77-85 and fourth place in the American League East. Among other moves, Littell (Reds) and Bradley (Twins) were dealt at the trade deadline. Now, add Baz to the list of the departed before the calendar turns to 2026.
With two months remaining before the Grapefruit League schedule gets underway, there is time for Erik Neander, the Rays’ head of baseball operations, to pull off another deal or two following a flurry of activity that saw Baz dealt to the division rival Orioles and second baseman Brandon Lowe, a two-time all-star, clubhouse pillar and longest-tenured (2018) member of the team, shipped to the Pirates along with outfielder Jake Mangum and reliever Mason Mongomery in a three-way deal that also included the Astros. Several prospects arrived in return. (See below.)
At least at this juncture, the rotation will include what is certain to be an innings-limited McClanahan, Pepiot and Rasmussen. The lefty McClanhan, who avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $3.6 million deal for the coming year, last took the mound for a regular season game on August 2, 2023. Both Pepiot and Rasmussen, who at times had a limited workload as he was building back up after missing much of the previous two seasons following a non-TJ elbow procedure, made 31 starts. After that trio? Good question, though candidates are not lacking.
One of them is Steven Matz, who was signed to a two-year, $15 million pact after appearing in 53 games (two starts) with the Red Sox and Cardinals last season. The 34-year-old lefty, who debuted with the Mets in 2015, was primarily a starter until last season and could very well return to that role with Tampa Bay. Another southpaw, Ian Seymour, could for vie a spot in the rotation after five of his seven appearances were in a starting role as a rookie last season.
The 6-foot-8 righthander, Joe Boyle, had his ups and downs in nine starts, though the Notre Damer is a power arm the Rays really like, which prompted his acquisition (along with a couple of minor leaguers) from the A’s a year ago in a deal that sent Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez to Sacramento.
Among other potential candidates are righthanders Yoendrys Gomez, Osvaldo Bido and Jesse Scholtens. Gomez was acquired from the White Sox in a November trade after starting nine games with the Pale Hose, the third team to employ his services in 2025. Bido, who has 28 starts in 58 MLB appearances, was claimed off waivers Wednesday from the Braves, who plucked him off the waiver wire from the A’s a couple of weeks earlier. Scholtens was an August waiver claim (White Sox) and spent much of the season’s final weeks at Triple-A Durham, plus a cameo with the Rays. He made 11 starts with the White Sox in 2023.
Again, there is time remaining this offseason and another trade or signing could take place. A reunion with veteran righthander Zach Eflin, a free agent, has been bandied about during this hot stove season. The 31-year-old righty’s 16 wins tied for the American League lead (Chris Bassitt) in 2023, his lone full season with Tampa Bay before he was dealt to Baltimore at the 2024 trade deadline. The Florida native’s clubhouse presence would certainly be of value.
Prospect haul
It could be a rough time in 2026 for the Rays as they return to Tropicana Field. Maybe 2027 as well. After all, perhaps one (OF Jacob Melton) of the half dozen prospects acquired in the Baz and Lowe/Mangum/Montgomery deals may see time with the parent club in the near term. The bright side, the reason why Neander twice pulled the trigger, is the quality of the future MLB hopefuls, more than one of which could be utilized as a trade chip at some point.
The Rays needed to beef up their inventory of pitchers within the system, and there is much to like about 21-year-old righthanders Anderson Brito and Michael Forret. Brito, slotted in as Tampa Bay’s No. 6 prospect, made a dozen starts at high Class A Asheville in the Houston system. The Venezuelan has 103 innings of professional experience in two seasons.
Forret, right behind Brito as the organization’s No. 7 prospect, often dominated at high Class A Aberdeen last season in the Orioles’ system before a promotion to Double A Chesapeake, where he continued to shine in a small sample size. He enters 2026 with 174 innings of work as a pro and played collegiately at a Bradenton JUCO 30 miles south of Tropicana Field.