The Rays pitching depth has solely expanded this low season, regardless of the latest commerce of Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez. The Rays 40-man roster stays stuffed with pitchers, with the vast majority of them able to contribute on the main league degree.
Within the listing under I’ll denote gamers are out of choices with an asterisk (*), and gamers on contracts the place choices don’t apply, like Pete Fairbanks, with two asterisks (**).
First up are the pitchers who both undertaking as starters, or who’ve historically performed that function.
Beginning Pitchers
LHP Shane McClanahan
RHP Taj Bradley
RHP Ryan Pepiot
RHP Shane Baz
RHP Zack Littell**
RHP Drew Rasmussen
RHP Joe Boyle
LHP Joe Rock
LHP Ian Seymour
RHP Yoniel Curet
Drew Rasmussen labored as a reliever final season after coming back from elbow surgical procedure, however intends to attempt beginning once more in 2025 coming yr, which could counsel that he’s a candidate to start the yr in Durham whereas he slowly works again as much as starters’ size.
Additionally on the listing is Joe Boyle, the centerpiece of the Springs commerce, an imposing pitcher with prime shelf stuff who wants to enhance his skill to throw strikes. Springs couldn’t be optioned (nor ought to he have been), Boyle might be (and maybe may gain advantage from it as effectively), in order that commerce might be partially seen as a manouver to carry extra high quality starters on the 40-man roster.
Certainly, amongst these gamers, solely Curet is just not but at Triple-A — he had 5 begins at Double-A in 2024 with a 1.75 ERA, and is has been ranked the techniques #10 prospect by FanGraphs and #11 by Baseball America.
Swing Males
RHP Mike Vasil (Rule 5)
RHP Jacob Waguespack
LHP Mason Montgomery
In 2024, on a crew just like the Rays, it’s silly to attract a tough line between starters and relievers. It’s most likely higher to consider the innings as being coated by “a number of instances via the order” pitchers and “one time via the order” pitchers. If everyone seems to be wholesome and performing, and if nobody is traded, which may bump Littell down right into a bullpen function the place he can nonetheless cowl 5+ innings each six days, or fewer innings on a shorter schedule as wanted.
These are your depth roles, and fluid utilization is how the Rays construct depth. Being a swing man doesn’t imply you aren’t a very good pitcher.
Squarely on this listing sits Mike Vasil, who the Rays simply added by way of a commerce following the Rule 5 draft. Vasil has labored as a starter within the minors and has a deep repertoire, however he should keep on the Rays 26-man roster all season, together with being lively for 90 days (i.e. not injured), for him to stay with the Rays in years following. He’s unlikely to interrupt right into a wholesome rotation, so count on the Rays to search for how else he could match this spring.
Mason Montgomery labored as a Triple-A starter in 2024, however turned way more efficient after changing to brief aid, the place he might pump his fastball as much as 98 mph, complementing it with a pointy, arduous slider. The Rays could determine that his everlasting house is as a brief reliever, the place he’s already proven he can dominate.
Then there’s the curious case of Jacob Waguespack. He’s 6’6” with nice extension excessive, the second most vertical arm within the majors. He posted an excellent whiff fee of 38% in his 10 innings pitched, however someway tallied solely 11 strikeouts. He’s making good cash for a depth piece ($1.3m), but in addition has an choice remaining. There’s most likely quite a bit the Rays like about his potential within the Rays clock. He labored as a starter within the minors till he suffered a shoulder damage. He might proceed as a protracted aid and beginning depth piece, however we wouldn’t be shocked to see him emerge late within the season as a part of a late-season ‘pen shakeup.
Quick-relief arms
RHP Pete Fairbanks**
RHP Edwin Uceta*
LHP Garrett Cleavinger*
RHP Manuel Rodriguez*
RHP Cole Sulser*
LHP Nate Lavender (Rule 5, injured)
RHP Hunter Bigge
RHP Kevin Kelly
RHP Eric Orze
Virtually each one in every of these gamers with an choice will doubtless be headed up and down this yr, because the Rays worth flexibility of their bullpen. The reason being easy: the climate is gonna be sizzling, and the necessity to relaxation pitchers might be extra excessive than in any Rays season prior to now.
The primary 4 names are locks, with Fairbanks — a star in Tampa Bay who (sure let’s go there) will doubtless have unbelievable commerce worth on the deadline if he’s wholesome and the Rays are lagging within the division. Fairbanks might be flanked by breakout Uceta, and firemen Cleavinger and Rodriguez.
Cole Sulser will get a protracted look in 2025. He’s delicate tossing by comparability to the above three at 92 mph (twentieth percentile), however will get nice extension and above common motion on his fastball. We’ll have an interest to see if the Rays pitch lab can do one thing new along with his breaking ball this yr.
Lavender is the Rays choose within the Rule 5 draft, and like Vasil got here from the Mets system. His latest elbow surgical procedure will stop him from pitching till mid-season, making him a possible addition on the time across the commerce deadline. He can’t be optioned in any other case if the Rays wish to maintain him round past this season.
Now for the Durham Shuttle, which proper now seems to be to be arguably the most effective Shuttle in crew historical past.
Bigge (acquired within the Paredes commerce with the Cubs) and Kelly (a former Rule 5 choice earlier than the 2023 season) will each characteristic commonly, and might be seen as a part of the core bullpen, even when they’re up and down this season because the entrance workplace retains arms recent. If the Rays select to maintain Montgomery a brief reliever and no different roster strikes are made, he too will be a part of this core shuttle group.
Orze, the third pitching prospect newcomer from the Mets, was the return for Jose Siri and has choices remaining, so he’ll be in the identical boat as Bigge and Kelly. Like Kelly, he can pitch in a multi-inning function. He has a “plus-plus changeup” however hasn’t thrown for strikes these days, so he’ll most likely begin the yr in Durham.
The Rays 40 man is filled with each amount and high quality, and there’s at all times just a few non-roster invitees who play a task on the key league roster as effectively, so it’s going to be fascinating to see what the Rays do with it subsequent. Will they deal from this depth to patch different areas of the crew? Will they add additional?
