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MLB: Picking the top 5 rotations coming into the 2023 season

By Jack McKenney

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 07: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees in action against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on September 07, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Twins 7-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 07: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees in action against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on September 07, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Twins 7-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan
Aug 24, 2022; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan (18) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Tampa Bay Rays

Shane McClanahan, Tyler Glasnow, Jeffery Springs, Drew Rasmussen, Zach Eflin

2022 was Shane McClanahan’s year, with McClanahan truly solidifying himself as a number one starter in this league, posting a 2.54 ERA and 10.5 K/9 over 166 innings. Paired with McClanhan is the 6-foot-8 righty Tyler Glasnow, who is now fully recovered from Tommy John surgery. The Rays’ patience in Glasnow’s return was rewarded, with Glasnow posting five scoreless innings in his lone playoff start against the Cleveland Guardians. While Glasnow is truly elite, his injury history can’t be ignored. He’s yet to throw more than 150 innings in a season, a number he must surpass if he wants to helps Tampa make a deep postseason run.

After these two heavyweights we have Jeffery Springs, a lefty who has flourished under the Tampa Bay coaching staff. Springs came over in a trade from Boston following a 2020 season where he posted an abysmal 7.08 ERA. Springs transformed his numbers just two years later, posting a 2.46 ERA over 135 innings this year. Springs is yet another Rays success story. Thanks to analytics, pitching strategy, and coaching, he has turned himself into a valuable rotation piece. He’ll be a key part of this rotation moving forward after receiving a four-year, $31 million extension this offseason. 

Drew Rasmussen is another trade acquisition, coming from Milwaukee in the Willy Adames trade. Like most Rays pitchers, Rasmussen is a unique case for a starter. He doesn’t usually go deep into games like a conventional starter, but is very effective when facing the lineup once or twice through the order. Establishing the cutter/fastball combo is what truly made Rasmussen elite last season. The two pitch values combined for a 19.2 runs above average (per FanGraphs), making it one of the best combos in the league.

The addition of Zach Eflin is what makes this rotation truly deep, who Tampa signed to a three-year, $40 million contract over this offseason. Eflin pitched key innings for Philadelphia in the playoffs, posting a respectable 3.38 ERA with 12 strikeouts over 10 plus innings. By all means, Eflin is overqualified as a number five option … even for a playoff-contending team.

Through analytics and trades, the Tampa Bay Rays have built a truly formidable starting rotation.

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