The Tampa Bay Rays‘ plan of attack involved a ton of trades so far this offseason. They have been involved in three three-team trades so far and a few single-team trades. 

So far, they have parted ways with Brandon Lowe, Josh Lowe, Jake Magnum, Mason Montgomery, Kameron Misner, and Shane Baz. All in all, this is quite the group of players to lose. 

Brandon Lowe, when healthy, was a big part of the club’s offense. And on the pitching side, Shane Baz was a vital piece of the team’s starting rotation.

MORE: Rays pressed to reunite with this durable starting pitcher

Rays’ young pitcher must step up with the loss of Shane Baz

Losing a key starting pitcher is not ideal for a team that has had problems keeping starting pitchers healthy over the years. Just look at Shane McClanahan, who is coming off back-to-back years lost due to Tommy John and a triceps nerve surgery. 

Drew Rasmussen is also another starter who has injury concerns as he is recovering from his third major elbow procedure, and Ryan Pepiot also missed time in 2025 with some leg and arm issues. 

This puts the pressure on some of the younger arms to step up and perform well this upcoming season. MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan believes Joe Boyle is one of those arms that need to step up. 

“The Rays’ trade of Shane Baz in December opened the door for Boyle to earn a spot on Tampa Bay’s starting staff. Given the questions surrounding Shane McClanahan, who is returning from a two-year absence, and free-agent addition Steven Matz, who spent 2025 pitching in relief after several injury-plagued seasons, Boyle’s performance looms large for Tampa Bay.”

Hopefully, the hard-throwing righty is ready for a much bigger role. His career-high for games started during a season was 10, and he did that back in 2024 with the Athletics.

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