Monday, March 31

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Rays have handled unusual situations well in the past.

During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, they won two-thirds of their regular-season games and stormed through an expanded postseason field all the way to the World Series. Two years ago, hurricane damage forced them out of their usual Spring Training home in Port Charlotte, so they instead split the spring between Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and Tropicana Field. They responded with a historic 13-0 start to the season and won 99 games overall.

Once again, Tampa Bay is in a unique position. Unable to use the Trop due to damage caused by Hurricane Milton, and with the franchise’s long-term future now up in the air, the Rays will spend the season at George M. Steinbrenner Field -- the Yankees’ Spring Training ballpark. Though the clubhouse facilities are top-notch, the new venue will test and challenge the club.

But the Rays believe they’re again prepared for whatever is thrown their way.

“Going into this year, playing at Steinbrenner, I think the camaraderie and connectedness of the team is always something that is important,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “This group is equipped to handle everything that we're going to have to deal with this year to the highest level we could ever expect. This group is connected, there’s a really good vibe to them. The work has been fantastic.

“This year, there’s a lot of noise. Maybe our players like it and they feed off of it.”

How far will that take them? We’ll find out.

What needs to go right? Healthy pitching needs support from bounce-back bats

The Rays have plenty of pitching depth, so they’re not entirely dependent on all of their front-line pitchers going wire-to-wire this year. But after sustaining so many key injuries over the past few seasons, it would go a long way for them to roll out their top arms (like ace Shane McClanahan and returning starter Drew Rasmussen) on a consistent basis once McClanahan returns from a nerve issue that will keep him from starting Opening Day.

The more important step forward will have to come from Tampa Bay’s lineup, specifically the group of hitters who were limited by injuries or underperformance last year: Brandon Lowe, Josh Lowe, Jonathan Aranda, Christopher Morel and so on. There’s no doubt the Rays have the talent to contend -- they just need to keep it on the field.

Great Unknown: How will they handle their new home ballpark?

The Rays have said all the right things about spending the season at Steinbrenner Field. But talking about it is one thing, and playing under these unusual circumstances is another.

Will they rally around their situation and gain a homefield advantage in a park that belongs to the Yankees? How will their pitchers handle the more hitter-friendly dimensions? How much will their hitters capitalize on the shorter right-field porch? How will they adjust to the challenges of playing outdoor baseball in Florida in the summer, specifically the heat and the rain?

This will be a unique season for Tampa Bay, probably even a little weird at times, and it’s on the club to determine whether that’s remembered as a good or bad thing.

Team MVP will be … Brandon Lowe

It would not be a surprise if Junior Caminero immediately becomes the Rays’ best player. Josh Lowe showed in 2023 that he’s capable of a team MVP-type season, but he wasn’t even Tampa Bay’s top hitter that season because Yandy Díaz put together a campaign that merited American League MVP consideration.

But the pick here is Brandon Lowe, their team MVP last season despite playing only 107 games. Lowe hit 21 homers and drove in 58 runs, and those numbers could significantly tick up thanks to a combination of better health and the friendlier dimensions of Steinbrenner Field for a left-handed power hitter like Lowe.

Team Cy Young will be … Shane McClanahan

The fun thing about the Rays’ rotation is that it could be anyone. Rasmussen might not pitch as many innings as his counterparts, but his production could be the best of the bunch. Ryan Pepiot, Taj Bradley and Shane Baz all have the stuff to take an enormous leap forward. Zack Littell led the team in WAR last season.

But it would be unwise to bet against McClanahan. The left-hander is determined to be even better than he was in 2022-23, when he was one of the most dominant starters in the game. He’s set to miss some time to start the season due to a nerve issue in his throwing arm, but the workload foundation he established in previous seasons should allow him to eventually work deeper into games and get on the mound as often as possible.

Bold Prediction: There will be postseason baseball at Steinbrenner Field

Most preseason projections have the Rays outside the playoff picture, forecasting somewhere in the neighborhood of 82 wins -- a modest improvement over last season’s disappointing finish. And to be fair, there are still plenty of legitimate questions about the lineup, which was one of the worst in the Majors last season.

But they seemingly raised their floor with the additions of Danny Jansen and Ha-Seong Kim, the promotion of Jonny DeLuca to the starting job in center and their bounce-back candidates who carried a dominant lineup in 2023. Throw in a handful of potential impact prospects in Triple-A, from Chandler Simpson (Tampa Bay's No. 7 prospect) and Tre’ Morgan (No. 4) to Carson Williams (No. 1), and there’s reason for cautious optimism.

The team’s real strength will be its pitching, however. If the rotation stays healthy enough and the bullpen builds on the success it had down the stretch last year, Tampa Bay could make last year’s October absence feel like an aberration -- and bring postseason baseball to its temporary home at Steinbrenner Field.

• Pepiot is excited for his first Opening Day start, though the circumstances are “a little somber.” Read more>>

• McClanahan discussed his frustration with his most recent injury -- and the outlook for his return. Read more>>

• Eloy Jiménez decided to report to Triple-A Durham after not making the Rays’ Opening Day roster. Read more>>

• Curtis Mead’s hard work paid off with a spot on the Opening Day roster. Read more>>

As a reminder, single-game tickets for regular-season home games at Steinbrenner Field are on sale now. The Rays will begin the season with a six-game homestand against the Rockies and Pirates, who could send ace Paul Skenes to the mound during the series. For more ticket information, click here.

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