Tampa Bay Rays
Just Drafted

Baseball season is quickly approaching, and this is where I'll share tidbits about my favorite team.

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The Major League Baseball offseason has been filled with excitement as many star players have changed teams either via trade or free agency.
With big names such as Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max Fried and Kyle Tucker all joining new clubs, many teams will have a completely new look in 2025.
While the excitement surrounds all of the big trades and free agency signings, there are multiple transactions that don’t get as much attention.
A reported trade between the Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays falls into this category.
“The Tampa Bay Rays are acquiring right-hander Alex Faedo from the Detroit Tigers for minor league catcher Enderson Delgado and cash,” ESPN insider Jeff Passan wrote on X.Trade news: The Tampa Bay Rays are acquiring right-hander Alex Faedo from the Detroit Tigers for minor league catcher Enderson Delgado and cash, sources tell ESPN. Faedo was a solid contributor for Detroit last year but was DFA’d after the Tigers signed Tommy Kahnle.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 3, 2025
Faedo is a 29-year-old pitcher who played all three seasons of his MLB career with the Tigers.
In 2024, he appeared in 37 games and was 5-3 with a 3.61 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 57.1 innings pitched.
Passan mentioned that Faedo had a solid season with the Tigers in 2024 and could be a contributor to the Rays in 2025.
Delgado is a 20-year-old prospect who has yet to make his MLB debut.
In 2024 with two minor league teams, he played in 65 games and batted .259 with four home runs, 30 RBIs and a .782 OPS.
Many trades of this nature fall under the radar to most fans, but they can make a big impact as the season moves forward.
The post Tigers, Rays Agreed To Trade On Monday appeared first on The Cold Wire.
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The Tampa Bay Rays missed the postseason for the first time in six seasons after finishing with a record of 80-82 and coming in fourth in the American League East.
Although the Rays missed the postseason in 2024, the five straight appearances before that are impressive due to the level of teams in their division, including the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.
This offseason, the Rays have made a couple of notable acquisitions, including Eloy Jimenez on a minor league deal, catcher Danny Jansen and utility player Ha-Seong Kim.
MLB analyst Robert Flores recently revealed what he expects from the Rays this season.
“The Rays, like I said, they’re gonna surprise us. I have stopped counting out that franchise and predicting doom and gloom for this franchise because inevitably they end up figuring it out and being very competitive,” Flores said, via MLB Network."The Rays, they could surprise us. Inevitably they end up figuring it out and being very competitive."@RoFlo and Harold break down Ha-Seong Kim's reported two-year deal with the Rays and how he will strengthen this Tampa Bay team. #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/LnnpR2knwz
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 30, 2025
The Rays play in arguably the best division in Major League Baseball yet they made five straight postseason appearances from 2019 to 2023, including a World Series appearance in 2020.
Kim is the newest addition, and he has the ability to play multiple positions on the infield, which could be useful for the Rays when he is able to return from shoulder surgery.
In 2024 with the San Diego Padres, Kim played in 121 games and batted .233 with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and a .700 OPS.
Flores said he believes the Rays will be competitive again in 2025, and it will be interesting to see how they fare against those strong divisional opponents.
The post Analyst Says 1 MLB Team Could Be Surprisingly Competitive This Season appeared first on The Cold Wire.
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The Tampa Bay Rays missed the postseason for the first time in six seasons as they finished with a record of 80-82 in 2024.
It was the Rays’ first losing season since 2017, when they also finished 80-82.
After a disappointing end to the season, the team took another hit as Hurricane Milton hit the St. Petersburg, Florida area and damaged their home ballpark Tropicana Field.
The roof of the stadium was ripped apart by the hurricane, and the Rays are going to play their 2025 home games at a nearby spring training ballpark.
Although the damage to the ballpark was devastating, the Rays recently received some good news on the repair of their stadium.
“The St. Pete City Council has voted 4-3 to spend $23M to start replacing the roof at Tropicana Field,” FOX Sports: MLB wrote on X.The St. Pete City Council has voted 4-3 to spend $23M to start replacing the roof at Tropicana Field pic.twitter.com/0rhk0EptFX
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 21, 2024
Tropicana Field has been the home of the Rays since their inaugural season in 1998.
With the repairs expected to take some time, the Rays will play their 2025 home games at the New York Yankees’ spring training ballpark.
The Rays will look to win their first World Series title in franchise history after losing previous appearances in 2008 and 2020.
The hope is that Tropicana Field will be ready for the 2026 season.
The post City Provides Update On Repairs To Tropicana Field appeared first on The Cold Wire.
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The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are consistently the two biggest spenders in MLB, and while many believed they were destined to collide in this year’s World Series, both teams have gone through prolonged slumps over the past few months and are in the market for upgrades at the trade deadline.
The two juggernauts are now reportedly butting heads as each is attempting to acquire one of the market’s most accomplished bats.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Yankees and Dodgers are engaged in a “bidding war” over Tampa Bay Rays star third baseman Isaac Paredes.
There's a 'bidding war' for Isaac Paredes between Dodgers and Yankees, per @BNightengale pic.twitter.com/Thb44ghCKp
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) July 28, 2024
Both teams are in need of corner infield help and some added thump from the right side of the plate, and Paredes would fill both needs as he has 16 homers, 55 RBIs, and a .793 OPS this season.
The Dodgers have gone through the past few months without Max Muncy, who has been out since May 15th with an oblique injury, while the Yankees have been without Anthony Rizzo for most of the year, though DJ LeMahieu recently returned.
Rizzo and LeMahieu both look like they might be declining as Rizzo turns 35 in a few weeks and DJ recently turned 36.
Paredes is just 25 and is fresh off his first All-Star appearance while having three more years of team control after 2024, so his asking price can’t be cheap.
It’s hard to envision why the Rays would trade such a young and talented bat with years of team control while once again being in contention to make the playoffs, but after dealing Randy Arozarena, Zach Eflin, and Jason Adam, it’s clear the Rays are once again looking to tear things down.
The post Yankees, Dodgers Reportedly In A Bidding War For Rays Player appeared first on The Cold Wire.
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This year’s MLB hot stove has gotten hot early as teams have been making trades well ahead of the July 30th trade deadline.
Another trade has been announced between the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres as the Rays continue to sell some of their biggest assets despite being in the hunt for the AL Wild Card.
FanSided’s Robert Murray was the first to break the news that the Padres are acquiring reliever Jason Adam from the Rays, with other sources confirming that prospects Dylan Lesko, Homer Bush Jr., and J.D. Gonzalez will be heading to Tampa in the return package.
Source confirms: Padres acquiring Jason Adam from Rays. First: @ByRobertMurray
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2024
Adam bounced around the league before coming into his own with the Rays and he has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball over the past three years with the team.
He has made 170 relief appearances in those three years and posted a combined 2.30 ERA in 164.2 innings during that span.
The 32-year-old currently sports a 2.49 ERA this season and will surely tighten up the back end of a bullpen that has struggled at times to bridge the gap to closer Robert Suarez.
Even more beneficial for the Padres is the fact that Adam has two more arbitration seasons and will be under team control for very little money through 2026.
Adam could step in immediately as Suarez’s setup man and he’ll form a formidable back end of the bullpen alongside Yuki Matsui and Jeremiah Estrada.
San Diego is currently on a 7-game winning streak and is beginning to put a little pressure on the Los Angeles Dodgers at the top of the NL West.
The post Padres, Tampa Bay Rays Announce Trade appeared first on The Cold Wire.
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(Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)
If Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg is not the worst venue in Major League Baseball, it occupies a spot near the bottom of the list.
For many years, fans and players complained about the substandard structure even as showcases sprang up in other cities across the MLB landscape.
And there’s always the unspoken threat of the city’s professional franchise uprooting and moving on to greener pastures.
But that possibility for the Tampa Bay Rays appears over after a historic decision by local political leaders.
Tampa Bay Times reporter Colleen Wright revealed that the St. Petersburg City Council voted 5-3 in favor of a new stadium and redevelopment project to keep the team on the Gulf Coast.
In a 5-3 vote, St. Petersburg has a deal. Chambers applaud as City Council approved 12 legally binding agreements with Pinellas County, the Tampa Bay Rays and development partner Hines for a new stadium and redevelopment, to be called the Historic Gas Plant District. pic.twitter.com/OWSdh257vp
— Colleen Wright (@Colleen_Wright) July 18, 2024
According to current plans, Tropicana Field will be replaced by a 30,000-seat domed stadium that would be accompanied by a massive rebuilding project to benefit the historic neighborhood.
The proposal calls for new apartments, stores, bars and other businesses, a Black history museum and more.
The plan is for St. Petersburg taxpayers to cough up $287.5 million, another $312.5 million would come from tourist taxes paid to Pinellas County, and the Rays would put up $600 million to counter cost overruns.
There is still one vote remaining, and that will come later this month from the Pinellas County Commission.
The Rays have long sought a new stadium in an effort that nearly coincided with their first season in 1998.
The latest council meeting featured speakers both for and against the new deal, but ultimately it was the city’s baseball fans who carried the day.
The post MLB Team Gets Deal For New Stadium appeared first on The Cold Wire.