On heels of sweep, Rays look to '25 rotation for optimism

DETROIT -- Manager Kevin Cash admitted Thursday was “weird.”

He wasn’t talking about the Rays’ series finale at Comerica Park, although it turned out to be a strange game. They built up a three-run lead while Tyler Alexander shut out his former Tigers teammates for five innings, only for the bullpen to blow the lead in a 4-3 defeat that sealed a series sweep.

But the stakes of the game were unusual, mostly in the sense that there wasn’t anything significant on the line for Tampa Bay. The writing had been on the wall for some time, but it was the first time the Rays played a game after being officially eliminated from postseason contention since Sept. 30, 2018.

At best, the Rays (78-81) can finish with a .500 record if they sweep the Red Sox this weekend. Otherwise, they’ll have their first losing season since going 80-82 in 2017.

“It’s frustrating, but you have to accept it,” Cash said Thursday morning. “Hopefully, we can make the decisions needed and learn from where some things went wrong to improve upon it, because this is not a position that we want to be in moving forward.”

The Rays expect their lineup will bounce back next season. They’ve more than proven their ability to build quality bullpens. But the biggest reason for optimism as they finish this season with an eye on 2025? Their potential starting rotation.

“It's gonna be exciting, man. I really think so,” said Taj Bradley, who will start Friday night’s series opener at Fenway Park. “I think we're going to have the best rotation in the league, honestly.”

Bradley quickly joked that, while he might be biased in that assessment, his opinion “could be factual.” And there’s certainly a convincing argument to be made in favor of his point.

Consider the starting options the Rays have heading into the offseason:

LHP Shane McClanahan
LHP Jeffrey Springs
RHP Zack Littell
RHP Taj Bradley
RHP Ryan Pepiot
RHP Shane Baz
RHP Drew Rasmussen
LHP Tyler Alexander

“Hopefully, we're going to give somebody up in the front office a lot of headaches, but that's not for us to worry about, right?” Rasmussen said recently. “We have the opportunity to put together the best pitching staff in baseball.”

The Rays will have to sort through a few decisions with that group. Littell and Alexander are nearing the end of their club control and set to earn raises through the arbitration process. After a third major elbow surgery, Rasmussen returned this season as a two-inning reliever, with his future role still undecided.

But Tampa Bay has seen how quickly depth can disappear, so having too many starters would definitely qualify as what Littell called a “good problem to have.”

“Hopefully everybody stays healthy and we can have a lot of options,” Baz said. “But it's definitely exciting. Just what we've done over the last few weeks has been really impressive to me, too.”

Rays starters have allowed three earned runs or fewer in 19 consecutive games since Sept. 6, posting a 2.03 ERA during that stretch. And next season, the Rays should get a proven ace back atop their rotation.

After throwing an inning of live batting practice on Wednesday, McClanahan completed his rehabilitation program from Tommy John surgery. The two-time All-Star will head into what he expects to be a “normal” offseason and then return, ready to go, in Spring Training.

“I'm excited to get back and contribute,” McClanahan said last week. “I don't like not playing.”

Springs should also be back in the mix, too. The lefty came back from Tommy John surgery in late July and posted a 3.27 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 33 innings over seven starts before he was shut down with left elbow fatigue. But the most encouraging development might be the rise of Bradley, Baz and Pepiot, who will start the final three games of the season.

Bradley struggled in August, but the 23-year-old’s top-of-the-rotation potential shined through for two months this summer. Healthy enough to capitalize on the opportunity for consistent starts, Baz has put together a 3.07 ERA in 13 starts. And Pepiot has featured arguably the Majors’ most dominant fastball, while recording a 3.64 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 126 innings over 25 starts.

As disappointing as this season has been, that group gives the Rays something to be optimistic about next year.

“I don't know how you couldn't be,” pitching coach Kyle Snyder said. “Just the way that the bullpen and the starting rotation lines up going into next year, I think, is something for all of us to be excited about.”