Tampa Bay Rays have cost effective pitching staff
By David Hill
The Tampa Bay Rays could be players in free agency this offseason. A large part of why involves the makeup of their pitching staff.
It is well known that the Tampa Bay Rays exist in a different financial universe than most of baseball. They have very specific payroll constraints, leading to the roster being a revolving door. Once a player makes too much money, regardless of who they are, they are out the door, traded to another franchise. Even the greats, such as Evan Longoria, David Price, Chris Archer, and Ben Zobrist had such a fate befall them.
This year has been slightly different for the Rays. They are expected to actually be players in free agency, doing more than picking pieces off the scrap heap as they did in years past. Despite their 90 win performance last year, the Rays do have a few holes on the roster, making this offseason all the more important.
This relatively unexpected ability to spend comes back to the Rays pitching staff. As currently constituted on the 40 man roster, only one pitcher, Chaz Roe, is even arbitration eligible. His expected salary, at $1.4 Million per BaseballReference.com, is certainly palatable, especially given his solid 3.58 ERA and 1.013 WHiP, with 53 strikeouts and 16 walks in 50.1 innings last season.
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Obviously, the Rays still need to look to the future. Blake Snell is heading into his final year before arbitration, has already won a Cy Young Award, and will receive a significant salary once he is eligible. Tyler Glasnow and Jake Faria are both two years from arbitration, and if both can build off the promise they showed early on in their time in Tampa Bay, they could also receive respectable increase in price, making the pitching staff not nearly as affordable as it currently remains.
Naturally, this does not mean that the Rays can go crazy this offseason, spending money like a drunken Steinbrenner. However, with Kevin Kiermaier the only player with a significant contract on the roster, and only five arbitration eligible players, the coffers will be opened.
The Rays do have holes on the pitching staff as well. They really do not have a closer at this point, with Sergio Romo a possibility to return for another year. Snell and Glasnow could be approached about extensions, if they have not received such an offer already. These funds could also be used to keep the future core together, with a significant focus on the Rays pitching staff.
Next. Rays minor league awards. dark
Right now, the Tampa Bay Rays pitching staff as a whole is a bargain. If the Rays spend this offseason, those pitchers will be why.