A lot changed for the Tampa Bay Rays this offseason. Long-time general manager Andrew Friedman left for greener pastures in Los Angeles. Manager Joe Maddon, long the face of the organization, departed for the Cubs soon thereafter. With David Price traded away last July, the Rays suddenly found themselves without three of the main reasons for their sustained success over the last several years.
Despite losses, the Rays are still contenders in the AL East
The Rays underwent plenty of changes this offseason. But don’t be fooled, their pitching remains a huge advantage.
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Meanwhile, the Red Sox and Blue Jays spent much of the winter loading up for 2015, spending gobs of money in free agency and adding proven veteran talent. Given how the offseason went, most eyes are fixed firmly on Boston and Toronto (as well as the reigning AL East champs in Baltimore, and of course the Yankees) with spring training underway.
But if you squint closely, things haven't changed much at all in Tampa Bay. Sure, the Rays now have a new brain trust in place, with Matt Silverman taking over as GM and Kevin Cash their new manager. However, the one attribute that has always driven the club's success -- even beyond the shrewd management of Friedman and Maddon's free-wheeling leadership style -- was their abundance of young pitching.
That hasn’t changed.
Indeed, the Rays enter 2015 with four young starters who have all experienced success in MLB, and a fifth in Matt Moore who was once baseball's most highly regarded prospect before undergoing Tommy John surgery last spring. That's much more pitching depth than either the Red Sox or Jays can boast.
Tampa Bay's strong rotation begins with Alex Cobb, one of MLB's most underrated starters. Cobb has quietly been one of the AL's best pitchers the past two seasons, posting a 2.82 ERA since the beginning of 2013. That mark is better than the likes of Yu Darvish, Max Scherzer and Jon Lester.
In Chris Archer, the Rays have one of the liveliest young arms in the game and someone who has shown good stuff and the ability to use it successfully. Archer threw a career-high 194⅔ innings in 2014, averaging more than 94 mph on his fastball and posting a 21.1 percent strikeout rate. If he stays healthy, Archer has all the ingredients to become one of the AL’s best starters.
Beyond Cobb and Archer, Tampa Bay also has youngsters Jake Odorizzi and Drew Smyly, both of whom the club acquired via trade. Odorizzi flourished in 2014 after initial struggles in MLB, using his fastball more aggressively up in the zone to pick up extra strikeouts and set up his offspeed pitches. The 24-year-old finished the season with a 4.13 ERA, but showed huge improvements as the season went on, compiling a 3.67 ERA and .651 OPS against in 20 starts from June 1 on.
Smyly impressed upon arriving in Tampa Bay as part of the return for Price. Previously relegated to a bullpen role in Detroit, Smyly finished the 2014 campaign on a tear in the Rays’ rotation, allowing just nine runs in seven starts during August and September. Much like Odorizzi, Smyly found huge success by using his fastball up in the zone, something Tampa Bay has long preached to its pitchers.
Given the organization’s track record of developing young arms, all the youthful talent currently in Tampa Bay’s rotation points to a bright future.
But the Rays shouldn't be overlooked in the present, either. Their AL East rivals again have bigger payrolls and higher expectations, but Tampa Bay likely has the best starting rotation in the division. Moreover, with the acquisition of catcher Rene Rivera this winter, the club will again have an elite pitch-framer to help out its staff. If the Rays can limit runs like they have in the past, a bounce-back season from Evan Longoria might just be all they need to contend for a playoff spot.
In many ways, the Rays find themselves in a familiar place, despite all the upheaval. Few expect them to keep up with their richer competitors, and they’ll be able to mold and nurture a young core away from the prying eyes of media scrutiny. Esteemed pitching coach Jim Hickey is still around, and even with Friedman’s departure, the Rays boast one of the game’s smartest front offices.
It’s not your typical formula for baseball success, but the Rays aren’t your typical organization. That fact has served them well in recent years. Why will 2015 be any different?
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