The Rays enter September in a strong place, but the work is far from finished. Tampa Bay owns the best record in the American League at 83-55 heading into play on Sept. 2, and while a playoff berth is within reach, they still have to keep the Yankees behind them in the AL East. One more win over New York would secure the tiebreaker, so every clean inning matters now.
That makes Bryan Baker the biggest bullpen piece to watch. Tampa Bay acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles last season, and the early returns in a Rays uniform were rough.
Still, the underlying numbers suggested better days could be coming, and Baker has turned that hint into a full-blown breakout. He has become one of the best closers in baseball, leading MLB with 39 saves and posting a 1.50 ERA while finishing off games with authority.
For a team with very little room to breathe, Baker has to keep doing exactly that. If Tampa Bay is going to hold its edge in the standings and make a real October run, it needs its late-game stopper performing at that same level.
The other bullpen storyline is left-handed depth. Garrett Cleavinger has not been consistent, which has opened the door for Cam Booser.
Booser has only 31 appearances this season, but he has been effective, carrying a 1.97 ERA. That kind of production is exactly what manager Kevin Cash needs while trying to piece together the innings before handing things to Baker.
Ian Seymour is another left-handed arm worth tracking. He has been strong in the starting rotation, though a roster squeeze could be coming now that Griffin Jax is healthy again.
Freddy Peralta gives Tampa Bay another important layer. Acquired from the New York Mets ahead of the MLB trade deadline, he has started to look like himself again after a rough stretch with his former club. In his last two starts, he dominated the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets, and that version of Peralta changes the complexion of the staff.
With Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez both All-Stars, adding a front-end arm like Peralta gives the Rays serious rotation depth. The key now is for him to keep building on that recent form and move further away from the difficult run he had with the Mets. The 2025 version of Peralta, the one who was an All-Star and led the National League with 17 wins, is the one Tampa Bay needs most.
In Other News...
Yankees Have A New Rays Problem In The AL East Race
The Rays added another useful piece to a roster that has stayed in the middle of the AL East race by moving for catcher Liam Hicks from the Marlins in a trade that did not require either side to part with a top-10 prospect. Tampa Bay has liked the early return. Hicks has given the lineup a jolt since arriving, hitting .328/.425/.522 with 13 RBIs and three home runs in 23 games, the kind of production that can matter in a division where every steady bat gets magnified.
With Tampa Bay up 3.5 games, the timing of that upgrade matters just as much as the numbers attached to it. The Rays are trying to protect their lead and line up for an automatic bye to the ALDS, and Hicks has quickly become part of that push rather than a passive deadline add. For a team always hunting for edges, the real question now is whether this is simply a strong start or another trade that ends up looking even better as the race tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Deadline Gamble On Freddy Peralta Looks Bigger After Latest Start
Freddy Peralta has settled into the Rays rotation quickly enough that the deal for him is already looking like the kind of deadline move Tampa Bay likes to make. Acquired from the Mets on Aug. 2 for three prospects, Peralta has given the Rays six appearances and three quality starts, the sort of steady return that can matter most when a team is trying to line up its October staff.
The latest reminder came against his old club, when he looked every bit like the pitcher Tampa Bay thought it was getting. Peralta retired 17 of the final 18 hitters he faced in that outing, another sign that the Rays bid to bolster the back end of their rotation for the postseason may be paying off, even if the full verdict on the trade will not come until the pressure rises later. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Fans Had To Watch This Series Finale Get Away Fast
The Rays had little time to settle into Sundays series finale before it started slipping away, as the Mets piled on runs and turned what could have been a routine finish into a lopsided 10-4 loss. New York got big swings from Nick Morabito and Brett Baty, who each delivered three-run doubles, while Juan Soto added to the damage with a home run and Justin Hagenman worked three innings in his season debut.
The unraveling also came with a notable milestone on the other side, as Morabito collected his first major league hit in the middle of the rally. Tampa Bay was trying to steady itself with Griffin Jax back in a starting role for the first time in a month after elbow discomfort, but the early deficit left the Rays chasing the game fast and never really finding a way back into it. [Read more 🡒]