Rays 2025 MLB Season Preview: Danny Jansen, Ha-Seong Kim must prop up offense

The Tampa Bay Rays came into the 2024 season fresh off of five straight postseason appearances and a franchise-best offensive season.

However, their performance last year left much to be desired, as they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018, and finished under .500 for the first time since 2017. After a stretch in which it was always expected of the Rays to stick around in the playoff hunt, Tampa Bay has fallen off the radar of plenty of baseball fans. This young, exciting group is looking to change that this year.

What went wrong in 2024 for the Tampa Bay Rays

There were two main factors that led to the Rays having an underwhelming season last year: offensive struggles and injury.

As previously stated, 2023 was a huge year for this offense. Their .445 slugging percentage and 117 wRC+ were both franchise bests and some of the best marks in the league that year. However, the offense took a sharp turn in the opposite direction as only the Chicago White Sox had a worse team OPS in 2024.

The loss of Wander Franco — their surefire franchise shortstop — to serious legal matters left a big hole in their lineup. Josh Lowe, who broke out in 2023, battled injury for the entirety of the season and it showed in his stat line. Their top slugger, Brandon Lowe, also struggled to stay on the field for a full season, and key bats such as Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes were shipped off at the trade deadline.

Although they were one of the better pitching staffs in baseball last year, they were also missing their ace, Shane McClanahan for the entirety of the season, and didn't get Drew Rasmussen back into the fold until late in the season.

Key offseason additions for the Rays

The Rays didn't make any blockbuster moves during the offseason, but they made a few sneaky moves that may pay off in a big way.

Their first addition was catcher Danny Jansen, who caught for both the Blue Jays and Red Sox last year before becoming a free agent. The Rays had a big need at the catching position prior to his arrival.

Ben Rortvedt and Alex Jackson got the majority of the playing time behind the plate last year, and between the two of them, combined for just 1.3 Wins Above Replacement.

Jansen suffered a down year in 2024, but has quietly been one of the better catchers in baseball since 2021. He's a top-10 offensive catcher by both OPS (.761) and wRC+ (111) in that time frame, and ranks 12th in fWAR among backstops (6.6). This is Jansen's first full-time starting catcher opportunity, and the Rays believe he is a huge upgrade at the position that has been a glaring weakness for the ball club.

Their next notable addition was former Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim, whom they signed to a two-year contract worth $29 million. Kim can play second base, third base, or shortstop, but will seemingly be the full-time shortstop once he gets healthy, hopefully by May.

Shortstop was another position at which the Rays struggled mightily. in 2024 I've already mentioned the unfortunate situation with Wander Franco, which left the position up for grabs between Taylor Walls and Jose Caballero, both of whom came nowhere close to producing at the same level Franco was able to provide.

Similar to Jansen, Kim is obviously not the best at his position, but can hang around as an above-average shortstop both offensively and defensively. Since the start of 2022, Kim has been worth 10.5 fWAR, while posting a .721 OPS and 106 wRC+ along with 72 steals and 30 defensive runs saved.

Between Jansen and Kim, the Rays upgraded at arguably the two most important positions on the diamond. With Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen returning for healthy seasons, the Rays can certainly right the ship in 2025.

Rays, AL East outlook in 2025

While this isn't a roster with names that will jump off the page, this is a well-rounded team with upside.

Despite missing notable arms, the Rays were a top-10 pitching staff in baseball last year according to ERA (3.78), WHIP (1.20), opponent batting average (.233), and K-BB% (16.0).

Zack Littell, Ryan Pepiot, and Taj Bradley recorded the most starts for this staff and proved they all can stick around and provide a lot of value once again in 2025. Shane Baz, who also should be a big part of this rotation in 2025, made his return to the mound following Tommy John surgery, posting a 3.06 ERA over 14 starts.

With that being said, the Rays have six viable options to start games, all of whom have the ability to produce at a high level. Health is easily the main factor that decides whether or not the Rays will field an elite rotation in 2025.

The rotation is exciting, but it's the bullpen that is really the bright spot on this team. Of course, it all starts with Pete Fairbanks, who has closed 48 games for this group since the start of 2023 and has one of the most electric fastballs in baseball.

They traded Jason Adam at last year's deadline and parted ways with Colin Poche in free agency, but have replaced the both of them with two very exciting arms in Edwin Uceta and Mason Montgomery. Uceta threw 41.2 innings to the tune of a 1.51 ERA and a 1.70 FIP upon his arrival to Tampa Bay, while Montgomery struck out 45.9% of the batters he faced in his cup of coffee at the big league level last year.

Other recent additions to the bullpen such as Hunter Bigge, Manuel Rodgriguez, and Alex Faedo are slated to get meaningful innings out of the bullpen, while Kevin Kelly and Garrett Cleavinger will remain as important pieces to this group as well. If everything clicks and health is on their side, the bullpen can be one of the best in baseball along with the rotation.

Offensively, the Rays are counting on big bounce-back seasons from a few hitters. Josh Lowe needs to return to his 2023 form and already seems to be taking the steps he needs to take to get their with an impressive spring thus far.

While Yandy Diaz had a solid season at the plate last year, it would be huge for this offense if he can produce at the same level he did in 2023 as well. Christopher Morel was one of the worst hitters in baseball after being traded over to the Rays from the Cubs last year, but has shown he can be one of the premier power hitters in the game when he's on.

Perhaps the most exciting piece in this lineup is Junior Caminero, the former top prospect who is a top candidate for a breakout season in 2025. Caminero has MVP upside at third base and just needs to get his first full season under his belt. An All-Star-caliber campaign from him would be great for the Rays.

At the end of the day, there's still a lot of question marks with the offense, but once again, health is a huge factor. If all of their key bats can log 130+ games, I like for this offense to take a big step forward from last year.

It's also worth noting that they will be playing in a much more hitter-friendly ballpark this year as they were forced to move from Tropicana Field across Tampa Bay to George Steinbrenner Field due to the damages the Trop sustained during hurricane Milton.

Tampa Bay Rays Top Prospect spotlight

While we have a pretty good idea of who is in the mix for making the Opening Day roster, a few notable prospects should debut with the big league club at some point in 2025.

The Rays top prospect, shortstop Carson Williams, should get to Tampa at some point this season as he has ascended through the farm system without many obstacles. Williams spent all of 2024 at Double-A Montgomery where he hit 20 home runs and posted a 142 wRC+.

Williams got a short taste of Triple-A ball at the end of 2024, where he will most likely open the 2025 season. If he performs well, a mid-season debut seems very likely for the young shortstop. Williams is one of the top defenders in Minor League Baseball and has displayed a lot of power for a shortstop thus far in his professional career.

Chandler Simpson is a name that has caught the attention of many baseball fans during Spring Training. Simpson is undoubtedly the fastest player in baseball, and that has been on display all spring. He stole 104 bases across High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery, and also managed to hit .355 and get on base at a .410 clip.

That combination of speed and ability to get on base can be lethal at the big league level. He has also made a lot of improvements out in center field where he just started playing full-time last year. Jonny DeLuca is the current starting center fielder for the Rays, but has struggled mightily with the bat. If Simpson plays well in the first half of 2025, there's a possibility he can make his case for that job this summer.

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