Tampa Bay Rays may not need the opener in 2019

This past year, the Tampa Bay Rays unveiled the opener, changing the way teams looked at starting pitching. In 2019, the Rays may not need to utilize such a weapon.

The Tampa Bay Rays found themselves in a difficult position when it came to their starting rotation last year. Due to injuries, they simply did not have enough arms to be able to have an actual rotation. At times, Chris Archer and Blake Snell found themselves alone on the depth chart as a starter, an image that invoked images of Old Hoss Radbourn pitching nearly every game for the Providence Grays over the final three months of the 1884 season.

Given that lack of rotation pieces, the Rays found a clever solution, introducing the opener. Half of their games were started by a relief pitcher, with closer Sergio Romo the first to take the ball in such a role. Even pitchers like Jonny Venters and Jamie Schultz were given “starts,” as the Rays became an extreme example of using a bullpen day. Ryne Stanek was second on the team with 29 games started, and pitched only 66.1 innings last year.

As the season wore on, the opener went from a curiosity to a viable option. Other teams attempted to emulate the Rays strategy, with varying degrees of success. Although Tampa Bay missed the postseason despite a 90-72 record, use of the opener found its way into the playoffs, with the Brewers using the gambit.

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Despite the Rays success with the opener, it may not be a necessity in the coming season. By the end of the year, Tampa Bay had only Snell and Tyler Glasnow in the rotation. However, reinforcements are coming. Charlie Morton signed a two year deal, giving the Rays a solid option as the second starter. Jake Faria is presumably healthy, and could slot as the Rays fourth starter. Come midseason, both Brent Honeywell and Jose De Leon should be back from Tommy John surgery, giving Tampa Bay further rotation depth.

If everything works according to plan, and neither Honeywell nor De Leon suffer any setbacks, the opener may not be as prevalent for the Rays. In fact, by August, it is possible that they would not need to use such a strategy, having a solid starting rotation in a more traditional sense.

That is not to say that the opener will no longer be a part of the Rays strategy. It is likely to be employed at the start of the year, as the Rays look to get pitchers like Faria some extra rest between starts. And, come the end of the season, the opener could be used to give the entire rotation an extra day off, allowing them to come back stronger for their next start. That strategy just may not be as prevalent in 2019.

The Tampa Bay Rays created the opener in 2018. Come 2019, they may not need to use that strategy as much, as they have could have a more traditional starting rotation by the middle of the year.