Tampa Bay Rays proved their brand of baseball can overcome a low payroll

By ROB MAADDI, AP

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Once the sting of a World Series defeat lessens, the Tampa Bay Rays will be able to appreciate their journey from nearly being homeless to playing for a championship.

The Rays fell short against a better team, losing to the Milwaukee Brewers in five games. They made uncharacteristic mistakes in the first two losses and were overmatched by a dominant team with one of the best bullpens in recent history.

Many Rays players watched from the dugout while the Brewers — surrounded by thousands of their fans who made the trip — celebrated at Tropicana Field on Wednesday night. They were sad their magical season ended and disappointed they couldn’t deliver the franchise’s first World Series title.

But the organization has come a long way over the past two years. The Rays were displaced after Hurricane Milton swept through downtown on Oct. 9, 2024, shredded the Trop’s roof and forced them to play the 2025 season across the bay at Steinbrenner Field — the spring training home of the New York Yankees.

There were doubts the Rays would ever return to the only place they had called home, but they were back in April following a massive renovation project that cost nearly $60 million. And, they came with new ownership and hope for a better future.

As they swept through the AL East this season, winning 98 games to overtake the mighty Yankees, powerful Red Sox and 2025 AL champion Blue Jays, a deal was approved for a new 31,000-seat ballpark in Tampa near the home of the NFL’s Buccaneers. It’s scheduled to open in 2029.

So, with a young, talented roster led by Junior Caminero and Chandler Simpson and a mix of veterans like Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda, the future is bright for the Rays on and off the field.

“It’s very easy to be excited, remain excited about the quality of players and people that we have coming,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

The 23-year-old Caminero has established himself as one of baseball’s biggest stars. The two-time All-Star third baseman had his second straight 40-homer, 100-RBI season. He hit only .250 with one homer and five RBIs in the postseason. Cash said he played through multiple lower-body injuries in October.

Simpson, who turns 26 next month, hit .306 and led the league with 46 stolen bases. He batted .311 in the postseason with seven RBIs and five steals.

“I’m definitely disappointed in how it ended,” Simpson said. “Never really want to do that. It’s not really what you envision, especially after all the success we’ve had this year. But there’s a lot of pain in that, coming up short. But we can also be proud of everything that we accomplished. Starting out, we weren’t expected to be as good as we were and to be the best team in the American League, that’s an accomplishment in itself and to get this far, I’m definitely proud of that for sure.”

Pitching was Tampa Bay's strength and Drew Rasmussen developed into an ace while Bryan Baker became an elite closer.

Right-hander Freddy Peralta will be a free agent, and it’s unlikely the Rays will be able to match the contract another team will offer him. He had a major impact after joining the starting rotation following a trade at the deadline and was the ALCS MVP.

Veteran Nick Martinez, who started Game 1 of the World Series and pitched in relief in Game 4, has a mutual option for $20 million. He was a valuable member of the staff and was a team leader, but it’s doubtful the Rays will pay him that much because Rasmussen has a club option for $20 million. Rasmussen is five years younger than Martinez.

Outfielder Cedric Mullins also is heading into free agency after hitting .205 with 15 homers and 21 steals in 439 at-bats. But Mullins only got five plate appearances in the postseason.

The Rays proved their brand of baseball — playing small-ball, emphasizing fundamentals and strong pitching — can overcome a low payroll at a time when salaries in Major League Baseball are magnified with a potential lockout lurking ahead.

Owners maintain small-market teams can’t regularly succeed and are pushing for a salary cap in the new collective bargaining agreement.

Tampa Bay’s success along with Milwaukee’s — the Brewers play in the smallest market in the majors and ranked 19th in payroll as of Aug. 31 while the Rays were was 25th — boosts the argument for the players’ association.

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