Play Ball! Tampa Bay Rays

Maybe there’s something unlucky about starting a season 13-0. That’s what the Tampa Bay Rays did in 2023. They looked for a while as if they’d cruise deep into October. That did not happen.

They became only the third big-league team since 1900 to start 13-0, joining the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers.

Not one of those teams reached the World Series. The 1982 Braves lost in the National League Championship Series to the St. Louis Cardinals. The 1987 Brewers finished third in the American League East and didn’t make the playoffs.

The Rays, who finished second in the American League East, were swept out of the playoffs by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in the wild-card round.

That should not detract from what was an exciting season for a team that somehow, someway contends every year despite having one of the game’s lowest payrolls.

They won 99 games and pushed the first-place Baltimore Orioles all season despite losing starting pitchers Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs to season-ending injuries.

McClanahan was pitching like a potential Cy Young Award winner, boasting an 11-2 record with a 3.29 ERA. He had Tommy John surgery in August and is expected to miss the entire 2024 season.

Even before that, the Rays lost lefty Jeffrey Springs, who was 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA. He pitched only 16 innings and had 24 strikeouts before he was lost for the season in April and had Tommy John surgery. He may be back by the middle of this season.

Right-handed pitcher Drew Rasmussen was 4-2 last year with a 2.62 ERA before he was sidelined because of elbow surgery. He is expected to miss the first half of this season.

Despite losing those three important pieces of the rotation last year the Rays still managed to win nearly 100 games.

Another stalwart from the starting rotation was Tyler Glasnow, who was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 6-foot-8 Glasnow was 10-7 with a 3.53 ERA. Outfielder Manuel Margot was also peddled to the Dodgers in the deal.

In exchange, the Rays acquired pitcher Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny DeLuca. In two years with the Dodgers Pepiot was 5-1 with a 2.76 ERA.

Pepiot could slot into the starting rotation with Zach Eflin, Aaron Civil, Zack Littell, Taj Bradley and Shane Baz.

Closer Pete Fairbanks returns after saving 25 games last year and posting a 2.58 ERA.

Tampa Bay returns a dynamic core. Right-fielder Josh Lowe had a breakout season last year, hitting .292 with 20 homers and 32 stolen bases. Left fielder Randy Arozarena has played more than 150 games each of the past two seasons. Speedy centerfielder Jose Siri hit only .222 last year but belted 25 homers and has excellent range.

Third baseman Isaac Paredes’ season could also be deemed a breakout. He belted 31 homers.

The team MVP was first baseman Yandy Diaz, who hit a league-leading .330. He became the first batting champ in franchise history.

Second baseman Brandon Lowe has played more than 109 games only once in his career. That was in 2021, when he hit 39 homers and knocked in 99 runs in 149 games.

DH Harold Ramirez has hit .306 with 18 homers in two seasons for the Rays.

The Rays keep contending despite having one of the game’s lowest payrolls. Depending on which reference source one consults, the Rays ranked 27th or 28th out of 30 teams last yesterday with a payroll of roughly $73 million or $75 million or $79 million.

The team’s best position player career might be over because of issues more serious than baseball. Shortstop Wander Franco is alleged in his home country of the Dominican Republic to have had sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl. In 2021, the Rays signed him to an 11-year, $182 million deal.

Defensive whiz Taylor Walls is listed as the starting shortstop. ¦

In the KNOW

• 2023 at a glance: 99-63, second in the American League East.

• Off-season changes: Traded pitcher Tyler Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny DeLuca. Outfielder Luke Raley was traded to the Seattle Mariners for infielder Jose Caballero.

• Quirky historical oddity: From Saints to Devil. … The Rays were initially called the Devil Rays when the franchise began in 1998. St. Petersburg had minor-league teams called the Saints off and on from the 1920s to 1960s.

• 2024 outlook: Somehow president of baseball operations Erik Neander and Manager Kevin Cash will cobble together through some mysterious alchemy and not much money to have the Rays contend.

• Potential rookie impact player: Infielder Junior Camarino made his big-league debut last year on Sept. 23, only a bit more than two months after turning 20 on July 5.

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