The Tampa Bay Rays came in 11th in fWAR last season from their relievers. While this is a solid return, and WAR for bullpen guys can be a tricky way to evaluate that position, there’s reason to believe they can be even better in 2026.
They return everyone in their bullpen except closer Pete Fairbanks. Luckily, while Fairbanks was the “closer,” he was only their second or third best relief option in actuality.
But first, some more background on how to properly evaluate bullpen arms. Relief performance can be as fickle and fluctuating as any position in baseball. The variations in production mostly stem from the fact that they’re performing in such small sample sizes.
It can be prone to bouts of wide variance, so raw, surface-level production can be deceptive.
The attempt will be to focus on a guy’s stuff and other factors they have more control over. Walks, home runs, and strikeouts are the generic three outcomes a pitcher has the most control over. However, there are other things to focus on to try to figure out what the Rays look for in relievers.
Because every year, they seem to figure out more of that secret sauce that makes the team so successful. The notion that this formula can be figured out in one article is far-fetched. But, relying on surface-level production will do no good, so the attempt is to dig a little deeper into each pitcher.
Alright, enough hemming and hawing, trying to sound smart, etc., here are the options for the Rays coming out of the bullpen for 2026.
Griffin Jax
Griffin Jax has been one of the high-leverage arms for Team USA in the WBC. He was formerly with the Minnesota Twins before being dealt to the Rays for Taj Bradley last year at the trade deadline.
Jax struggled a bit last season, with his average exit velocity allowed, barrel, and hard-hit rates all taking a jump. He also walked more batters, with a two percent increase in his walk rate.
Luckily, this can be chalked up to more of a variance situation. He also pitched in hitter-friendly George M. Steinbrenner Field in the second half of the year after being dealt to Tampa Bay.
His stuff was more of the same, with no real drop-offs for any of his pitches in terms of movement or velocity. The sweeper, changeup, and fastball were all good-to-great.
Jax still got the same elite swing and miss numbers. He just struggled a bit to find the zone more than he did in 2024.
Jax is probably the “closer” candidate. Although his usage would be more accurately described as their “relief ace.” Whatever you want to call him, he’s either the best or the second-best (depending on who you ask) reliever the Rays have.
Garrett Cleavinger
Garrett Cleavinger was his best self in 2025. His chase and whiff rates were both excellent and career highs. He limited hard contact better than he ever has in his six-year career.
And, to put the cherry on top, he posted a career-high in innings pitched with 61.1.
He could be considered the best reliever on this team, but Jax has the potential to be the best reliever in baseball.
It’s safe to say Cleavinger’s ceiling is what it was last year. The good news is that what he was last year was also one of the most dependable relievers in the game.
Sep 18, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Garrett Cleavinger (60) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
He got there with mostly a sinker-slider combination that left hitters shaking their heads, regardless of handedness. Lefty relievers tend to dominate left-handed hitting, and while Cleav did just that, he also shut down righties at a wonderful rate.
There was little difference in his strikeout rates, walk rates, and xFIP versus both righties and lefties. The Rays can deploy him in any inning they choose. Cleav could easily be their closer because of this fact.
While he might be ever-so-slightly below Jax, he could be the man the Rays decide on for locking down games in the ninth.
Bryan Baker
The Rays traded for Bryan Baker last year from the Baltimore Orioles. They gave up a conditional draft pick for the righty reliever.
While Baker didn’t light the world on fire, he was fine over 68.2 total innings in 2025. His upside is what earns him a spot on this “high-leverage” list.
Baker posted a 91st percentile strikeout rate last season. His walk rate was equally excellent at 6.2% for the year. The Stuff+ models really love his changeup and slider.
Sep 18, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Bryan Baker (47) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ninth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
There’s plenty of reason to hope that Baker can be even better than the quality reliever he was in ’25. Baker’s stuff is good, and the Rays don’t trade draft picks without purpose.
While he struggled to limit hard contact, there’s still the belief that the combination of random variance and pitching at GMS can explain those issues.
Hopefully, the former Oriole can capitalize on his potential and give the Rays a bona fide trio of good bullpen arms for 2026.
Main Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images