The Tampa Bay Rays are the most uniquely run teams in baseball. Despite operating the team on low payrolls, Tampa uses superior player development, analytics, signing effective low-cost free agents, and being unafraid to trade away their stars for prospects to be competitive. The “Rays Way” has allowed the Rays to capture four AL East titles, two pennants, and appear in the World Series twice. Tampa has also made it to the postseason for the last five years. Despite all that they’ve accomplished, the Rays methods of operation are overrated.
The Rays Are Cheap
Embed from Getty ImagesTo win a championship, a team must be willing to spend some money to retain stars or sign free agents. Since buying the team, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg has been one of the biggest bean counters in all of baseball. The only owner who pinches pennies more than Sternberg is John Fisher. It’s why the Rays are forced to trade key players. In 2023, the Rays operated the team with a projected payroll of $73,184,811 and only the Orioles and Athletics spent less money.
Last offseason, they did sign pitcher Zach Eflin to a $40 million contract. This is the largest contract free-agent contract in franchise history. While the Rays did sign Wander Franco and Evan Longoria to over $100 million extensions in the past, those contracts are the rare exceptions. Out of the past ten World Series winners, eight of them have had payrolls inside the top ten. The Rays haven’t even had a triple-digit payroll in their franchise history.
The Team Has Become Hazardous For Pitchers
Embed from Getty ImagesSince 2020, the Rays have had eight different pitchers undergo Tommy John surgery. Ace Shane McClanahan became the latest player to be forced to sit out a season due to recovering from Tommy John. Pitchers Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs are expected to make midseason returns after missing all last year recovering from surgeries. Although Rasmussen may be moved from the rotation to the bullpen. Former top prospect Shane Baz will be pitching for the first time since 2022. Baz missed all last season recovering from Tommy John. Before being forced to miss the rest of 2022 and all of 2023, Baz elected to have elbow surgery that March keeping him out until June.
People refuse to acknowledge how badly the team hurts their pitcher’s health and careers. Before Blake Snell, James Shields was the last player to pitch extensively for the Rays and did not have a major surgery in his career. Even some of their top prospects have had trouble staying healthy in their minor league system. The number of pitchers needing major surgery and not being the same player is an organizational flaw. The team hasn’t appeared to have done much to fix the issue. It also could factor into why some pitchers have included the Rays in their limited no-trade clauses.
The Rays Heavy Reliance On Analytics Is Hurting Them
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Rays are an analytical organization to a fault. Tampa has the largest analytics department in all of baseball. Just about every decision Rays President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander makes is dictated by analytics. While analytics has helped the Rays get an edge over a lot of other teams, it has also hurt them. The most notorious example of analytics hurting the Rays occurred during the 2020 World Series. In game six, leading the Dodgers 1-0, despite Blake Snell giving up just two hits, no runs, striking out nine, and only throwing 73 pitches, manager Kevin Cash inexplicably pulled him in the sixth inning for a reliever. The Dodgers would score two runs in that inning and ultimately won the World Series. It’s also a reason why the Rays have failed to win a playoff series the last three years.
The Rays Have Struggled In The Postseason In Recent Years
Embed from Getty ImagesIt has been three years since the Rays won a playoff series. The past three seasons have seen the Rays in either the Wild Card round or ALDS. The team has combined to only go 1-7 in those games. Tampa recently narrowly avoided breaking the Dodgers scoreless inning streak. Curtis Mead laced a meaningless RBI single to halt the streak at 33. The record was 34 and the Rays were within an inning of breaking it.
The “Rays Way” hasn’t brought them any closer to winning their first championship. The last time they made it to a World Series in a full season was 2008. Since that time, Tampa Bay has been either eliminated in the Wild Card round or ALDS seven times in the past 15 years. While going to the postseason is good, a season shouldn’t be considered a success unless a championship is won. To quote Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) from Moneyball, “If we don’t win the last game of the Series, they’ll dismiss us” (Miller, Bennett 2011).
People Are Badly Overlooking The Flaws In The “Rays Way”
Embed from Getty ImagesWhat the Tampa Bay Rays have done is truly impressive. To be able to consistently be a playoff contender despite a bottom-tier payroll is no small feat. However, the way the Rays run their team is deeply flawed. People in and around baseball fail to notice. Many pitchers in that organization end up needing major surgery, Tampa doesn’t spend the money necessary to win, and in recent years they’ve struggled to win in the postseason. Heck, it’s even inspired other team owners to not spend money to try to win. The way Tampa Bay runs their team, it will never get them a World Series championship.
For more on baseball, check out Belly Up Sports and follow Eric on Twitter. Featured Image: Getty Images
