PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Let the marathon begin.
With pitchers and catchers reporting this week to training camps in Florida and Arizona, baseball will be a staple of the American sports world well into the football season. As teams seek to form an identity and others attempt to create a climate of respectability, some face formidable challenges.
That could be the case involving the Tampa Bay Rays.
Here’s a team that continuously attracts talent. Within the immediate past, this process involves players and front office personnel scoped by other teams. To that end, the Rays’ minor league system and development program rank among the best in the game.
Yet, the coming 2026 presents a notable trial for a team which seeks to regain glory. For the past two seasons, the Rays finished under .500 and this was behind five consecutive postseason runs. The 2025 record of 77-85 was the worst since a season of 68-94 in 2016.
In an effort to climb the ladder of the AL East, perhaps the most competitive division in the majors, the Rays appear disjointed and in search of cohesion.
Coming into camp this week, major concerns of lack of power, lack of a closer, and an uncertain starting rotation appear most pressing. To that end, the Rays did not seek “big name” talent in the off-season and in fact, let Pete Fairbanks, their closer for the past four seasons, walk as a free agent. Fairbanks eventually signed with the Miami Marlins.
Given the need to establish a working set of three outfielders, a starting rotation, define middle relievers and identify the closer, the Rays open camp with a high degree of competition.
“I think we need that,” field manager Kevin Cash told The Tampa Bay Times. “We need to create a little bit of that. We were not very good last year. It’s OK to have a little bit more urgency with how you prepare, get ready for the season, and also perform during spring training.”
Cash and Erik Neander, the team’s president of baseball operations, will get their first look, this week, at an imperfect starting rotation.
Two, which started the 2025 season in the rotation, are gone. Plus, the recovery of Shane McClanahan is likely the biggest uncertainty. The left-hander went down with a triceps injury during his final spring training start against Boston and missed the entire 2025 season.
Neander, at the winter meetings in December, told reporters McClanahan is well on the road to recovery and expects the lefty to step into the rotation.
That leaves only Ryan Pepiot (11-12, 3,86 ERA for 31 starts) and Drew Rasmussen (10-5, 2.76 ERA for 31 starts and All-Star game selection) a pair of right-handers, as returning. Given McClanahan’s uncertainty and veteran left-hander Steven Matz’s durability, the Rays’ search for bodies in the rotation continues.
Matz, who will be 35 this coming May 29, and signed as a free agent last Dec, 16, is an 11-year veteran of the major leagues. The Rays are his fifth team. Overall, he is 60-62, with a 4.19 ERA for 172 starts and 246 total appearances
If you go … The Rays’ workouts at Port Charlotte is open for fans to watch. The first workout for pitchers and catchers is Thursday, Feb.12. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and that’s because teams normally do not conduct workouts in the afternoon. Unlike NFL teams, major league baseball does not conduct 2-a-day workouts but primarily in the morning. … … The first full squad workout is scheduled for Tuesday Feb, 17. The address for the Rays camp is, 2300 El Jobean Road, Port Charlotte. …The Rays open their spring slate of games on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Port Charlotte against the Atlanta Braves. … The team will host a World Baseball Classic exhibition game against Team The Netherlands at Port Charlotte on March 4 … The Rays’ spring break-out game of prospects will be played on Thursday, March 19 against the New York Mets at Port St. Lucie. … The Rays’ final spring game is slated for Tuesday, March 24, against the Braves in North Port at 12 noon. After this contest, the Rays are off to St. Louis to open the major league season against the Cardinals on Thursday, March 26. … The home opener at renovated Tropicana Field is Monday April 6 against the Chicago Cubs at 4:10 P.M.
