The Rays are bringing Drew Rasmussen back for 2027, locking in their ace with a $20 million club option after a season that ended with both a pennant and a playoff showcase.
Tampa Bay exercised the option on Saturday, just three days after Rasmussen took the ball in the final game of the season - World Series Game 5 against the Brewers - and made clear afterward that he wanted to stay put. “This organization, man, it's the best,” he said.
Now the move is official, and Rasmussen will return to the Rays after a huge 2026 run. The 31-year-old put together a 2.67 ERA with 174 strikeouts across 172 innings and 30 starts for the American League champions. He earned his second All-Star nod, finished with an AL-best 0.91 WHIP and gave up just three runs over his first three postseason starts, covering 21 innings, as Tampa Bay won the third pennant in franchise history.
His work over the last several seasons has been just as impressive. Since the start of 2022, Rasmussen’s 2.74 ERA ranks fourth among pitchers with at least 500 innings, behind only Tarik Skubal (2.64), Blake Snell (2.69) and Chris Sale (2.71). Statcast also had him near the top of the sport this year, with his +41 run value ranking third among pitchers, behind only Jacob Misiorowski (+52) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (+44).
After Game 5, Cash didn’t hide what he thought of Rasmussen’s performance on short rest. “That guy is a stud,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
Rasmussen’s path to this point has been defined by resilience. He has had three major right elbow surgeries - two Tommy John procedures before his professional career even began, plus an internal brace procedure that limited him to 73 1/3 innings from 2023-24. Even with that history, he has fought his way into the group of MLB’s top starters.
In Other News...
Taylor Walls Finally Got The Rays Recognition He Had Earned
Taylor Walls season already had the kind of defensive reputation that tends to travel well inside a clubhouse, but now it comes with hardware to match. The Rays shortstop won the American League Gold Glove at his position, giving Tampa Bay its 10th Gold Glove overall and finally turning three straight nominations into a breakthrough. It also adds another name to the organizations defensive standard, with Walls set to attend the Gold Glove banquet and join the group on the Rays Gold Glove wall.
The recognition landed before the clubs playoff run, and it clearly meant more than a line on a rsum. Walls spoke about how emotional the moment was for him, and the reaction traced back to his youth baseball memories with his father, which gave the honor a personal weight beyond the usual award-night formality. For a player whose value has long been tied to the glove, this was the kind of acknowledgment that felt overdue and deeply earned. [Read more 🡒]
Taylor Walls Finally Got The Recognition Rays Fans Wanted
Taylor Walls has been earning praise for his glove for years, and now it has turned into hardware. The Rays shortstop won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, a fitting cap to a season in which his defense again stood out more than his bat and his value was measured in the plays he made in the field.
Walls had already built a reputation as one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, and he backed it up by leading major league shortstops in several advanced defensive metrics. For Rays fans who have watched him come close before, the recognition carries a little extra weight, even if the full significance of the award still leaves one more layer to the story. [Read more 🡒]
Former Rays Managers Are Back In A Debate Fans Know Well
The Hall of Fame has put a familiar pair of names back in the conversation, and Rays fans know exactly why they matter. Joe Maddon and Lou Piniella were included on the National Baseball Hall of Fames Contemporary Baseball Era non-player ballot, a group that also features executives and managers such as Brian Sabean, Sandy Alderson, Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Ted Turner and Bill White. For Tampa Bay followers, it is a reminder of how much of the franchises early identity was shaped by two skippers whose careers already carried plenty of weight before they ever crossed paths with the Rays.
The decision now moves to a 16-member committee that will vote Dec. 6, with election requiring 75 percent support. It is the kind of Hall of Fame process that can stir old arguments about impact versus longevity, and both Maddon and Piniella fit squarely into that debate for different reasons. For Rays fans, the outcome will not just be about Cooperstown, but about whether two of the most recognizable managers connected to the franchise get another layer of validation on one of baseballs biggest stages. [Read more 🡒]