The Rays are barreling toward October with the kind of steady run that keeps a clubhouse loose and an opposing front office busy. Tampa Bay has been at .500 or better in every month, gone 27-17 since the All-Star Break, and sat atop the AL East since the beginning of July. They also hold a 4.5-game lead over the Yankees for the No. 1 seed in the American League.
But even with the postseason looming, one of the bigger questions around the club is already taking shape for the offseason: what happens with Drew Rasmussen?
The right-hander is on a two-year, $8.5MM deal he signed in January 2025, a contract that covered his remaining arbitration years and gave Tampa Bay one extra season of control through a 2027 club option. That option began at an $8MM base salary, but it also came loaded with escalators that could add as much as $12MM depending on Rasmussen’s health in 2026.
It was a smart setup for a pitcher whose talent has long been clear, even if injuries have repeatedly interrupted his career. For the Rays, it was a chance to secure a potentially affordable starter. For Rasmussen, it was a bet that staying on the mound would turn that deal into something much richer.
So far, he’s cashing in.
The 31-year-old has not spent a day on the injured list over the past two seasons. He reached 150 innings last year, which already eased any concern about his 2026 workload, and through the end of August he’s made 26 starts and thrown 146 1/3 innings.
That durability has already pushed the option price up. Rasmussen added $4.5MM by getting to 24 starts, and he’s two appearances away from tacking on another $1.5MM for his 28th outing.
There’s more on the table, too: another $6MM tied to his time on the injured list this season. He’s already secured $4.5MM for avoiding an arm injury that would have cost him at least 45 days, and he can add another $1.5MM if he stays off the IL for arm trouble in September.
As it stands, the 2027 option has climbed to $17MM. A few more healthy weeks would lift it to $20MM, though Rasmussen would still need to pass a postseason physical.
He took the gamble on himself, and it’s set up to pay off in a big way.
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 Enter September With One Pitching Question That Could Decide October
The Rays enter September in as strong a position as any club in the American League, and the math around the standings is getting simpler by the day. One more win over the Yankees would lock up the tiebreaker, while Bryan Baker has given Tampa Bay a legitimate late-inning anchor with an MLB-high 39 saves and a 1.50 ERA. The back end has become a real strength, and the rotation has gotten a boost from Freddy Peralta, whose recent run has added another layer of depth behind Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez.
The one place still worth watching is the left side of the bullpen, where the Rays have not yet found the same steady answers. Garrett Cleavinger has struggled, while Cam Booser has flashed enough to suggest there may be help there if the staff can keep sorting through the options. For a team with October in sight and a division race still being settled at the margins, that one pitching question may matter more than anything else between now and the postseason. [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 🡒]