The 2028 Amateur Draft
 

https://i.imgur.com/rEk2axD.png

All of these picks are high-school kids except for Buckman.

Viola: A CF with the classic leadoff profile: 75 contact, 80 speed, 70 avoid Ks, 80 gap, 40 power, 45 eye, also projected 70/50/60 across the OF defensively.

Lake: SP with a 60/65/65 ceiling, projected to have four plus pitches.

Lowe: The Rays always seem to end up with guys named Lowe, and this catching prospect projects to be a good one with 60 contact, 65 power, and a potential 55 rating behind the plate.

Mendoza: Could be a special hitter (75 contact, 65 power, 80(!) avoid Ks) but seen more as a 3B (potential 65 at the position, only 40 at SS). Off to a tough 0-11 start in complex ball, though.

Ramirez: Prototypical power-hitting corner OF (60 contact/65 power).

Sanchez: 55/60/60 potential, more of a finesse than power starter.

Buckman: Y'all should hope he doesn't make it since I'll be saying "The Curious Case of Benjamin Buckman" way too often. Buckman hails from the University of Illinois-Chicago and is a groundball guy with 55/70/50 potential and is starting out at High-A Bowling Green.

July 17-19, 2028: at Colorado (3)
 

Game 1: 6-7 L. LP-G.Rodriguez (11-3, 4 9 7 7 1 6, 3 HR). HR-Santana (20), Wood (12), Cartaya (15), Franco (21). Grayson Rodriguez's HR rate has been way down from his years in Baltimore but put him in Coors and you get your regression as he was hit hard and they couldn't quite come all the way back.

Game 2: 9-0 W. WP-Orze (5-4, 5 5 0 0 0 2). HR-DeLoach (13), Albies (15). Kudos to Orze and the bullpen for getting a rare Coors Field shutout. DeLoach had a triple to go with his homer and was 3-5 with 2 RBI.

Game 3: 3-4 L. LP-Green (3-3). Starter-Eldridge (5.2 4 1 1 0 5). A tough loss as the Rays left 10 on base, mostly early and after finally taking the lead 3-1 in the 7th, Luis German and Max Green combined to allow 3 in the bottom of the inning to lose the game and the series.

Team record: 59-38. Apparently Toronto has decided to never lose again as the Jays swept the Tigers to drop the Rays into second place, a game behind. Next up: An off-day to travel home where we'll face the 49-48 Phillies.

July 21-23, 2028: vs Philadelphia (3)
 

Game 1: 10-1 W. WP-Swanda (10-6, 6 2 0 0 0 6). HR-Albies (16). Rays were up 9-0 by the 3rd with Albies' 3-run homer in the 1st kicking things off. Swanda was brilliant as his line indicated, Wander was 4-5 with an RBI and Riley Greene knocked in 3.

Game 2: 11-2 W. WP-Sears (6-0). Starter-Bradley (4.1 6 2 0 1 7, 92 pitches). HR-Greene 2 (4/22), DeLoach (14). Another day, another rout of the Phillies although this one took longer to materialize when a 7-run 5th erased a 2-1 Philly lead. Greene drove in 4 more with his 2 homers while Wood and Santana each knocked in a pair.

Game 3: 7-5 W. WP-Green (4-3). S-Diaz (21). Starter-G.Rodriguez (5.1 5 3 3 2 6). HR-Albies (17), Cartaya (16), Franco (21). Rays had to work harder for this one, losing a 5-2 lead then re-taking it in the 7th on a leadoff homer from Wander and a Cartaya (who had 3 RBI total) run-scoring double. Wander's dinger capped a 3-3, 2-RBI day.

Team record: 62-38. The Yankees finally cooled off the Jays, beating them 2 out of 3 so with the sweep the Rays leapfrogged Toronto back into first, a game ahead. Next up: The 52-48 Rangers visit the Trop.

MLB News: Atlanta superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. hit career homer #300 and the Blue Jays lost star SS Tim Anderson for 5 weeks with a hamstring strain.

July 24-26, 2028: vs Texas (3)
 

Game 1: 3-5 L. LP-Orze (5-5, 4.2 7 4 4 0 7). HR-Albies (18), Greene (5/23). Orze gave up 2 in the first and the Rays were chasing the game the whole way.

Game 2: 4-2 W. WP-Eldridge (8-5, 5 5 2 2 2 8). S-Diaz (22). A 3-run 3rd which included a run scoring on a wild pitch and another on a bases-loaded walk was decisive. Riley Greene was 2-3 with 2 RBI and is hitting 371/462/563 since the trade, so it's been a good deal even if the team hasn't been consistently winning of late.

Game 3: 4-7 L. LP-Swanda (10-7, 5 7 5 5 3 5, 3 HR). For the third straight night a Rays starter gave up 2 runs in the 1st, and although they came back to take a 4-2 lead off Texas ace Robert Ahlstrom, Swanda gave up a 3-run homer to former Rays farmhand Cooper Kinney (traded a few years back for Luis Castillo) and the Rangers took the series.

Team record: 63-40. Toronto won 2 of 3 so the Rays and Jays are now tied for the first place with the same record. Next up: An off-day then we head to Seattle for 3 games.

MLB News: Milwaukee traded veteran superstar Christian Yelich to St. Louis for a minor leaguer. They offered him to us but Yelich is signed through 2029 and I did not want that huge contract.

July 28-30, 2028: at Seattle (3)
 

Game 1: 6-3 W. WP-Bradley (4-2, 5.1 6 3 3 3 4). S-Diaz (23). The offense only managed 7 hits but scored 5 times in the 2nd thanks to errors, wild pitches and bases-loaded walks courtesy of the generous host Mariners.

Game 2: 5-4 W. WP-Green (5-3). S-Diaz (24). Starter-G.Rodriguez (6.1 6 4 4 2 6). HR-Santana (21). Albies' clutch 2-out RBI double in the 9th won it for the Rays while Santana knocked in 3 including a 2-run homer.

Game 3: 1-5 L. LP-Orze (5-6, 2.2 7 4 4 1 3). HR-Cartaya (17). Orze stunk against his old team and the rest of the team didn't fare much better.

Team record: 65-41. The Jays also took 2 of 3 over the weekend so the teams remain tied atop the AL East. Next up: 3 games in Cleveland.

Trade Deadline Fun
 

Well I came into the trade deadline not expecting to make a deal. With Marco Luciano out for the year I had been shopping for a 3B but as I had mentioned in a previous post the ones who would be upgrades are either untouchable or have big contracts extending beyond this year. Freili Encarnacion has actually been coming on late and it's not like Luciano was hitting the cover off the ball. Still, thanks to OOTP's new trade deadline day feature I received many offers and got caught up in things, making three deals in all.

https://i.imgur.com/lFwfUda.jpg

The first was an attempt to upgrade the backup catcher spot. The waiver claim of Cal Raleigh a couple of months back did not turn out to be upgrade I had hoped as the Big Dumper hit 123/191/153 in 73 at-bats and is only a 45 defenders. Hence the deal for Langeliers whom the Phillies made available. He's a better defender (55) and although he wasn't hitting much better than Raleigh he has a little more power. And mainly I was just sick of Raleigh.

https://i.imgur.com/hP5q50p.jpg

Speaking of backup catchers there was a fair amount of interest in Drew Romo, a 75-rated defender at the position but who has an even worse bat than Raleigh (and it was only good for 0.2 WAR at Durham). Chicago offered me this deal with Romo and someone else whom I forget but didn't want to give up, and when I took him out they still wanted the deal with just Romo. So we get a bullpen upgrade by bringing back Doval, he of the 75 stuff and 80 movement (and 45 control), whom we acquired at the deadline last year from Colorado. He signed a one-year deal with the Cubs who fell out of it. And they also threw in Mendez, who is a half-decent prospect and could play in the bigs as a 4th OF right now (the third guy Ochoa isn't really any kind of prospect).

The only problem with acquiring Doval is that there wasn't a natural opening on the staff for him to fill. The pen has pitched really well and everyone on the staff except Luis German and John Swanda is out of options and those two weren't being demoted. So we swung this deal to make room for Doval:

https://i.imgur.com/t1m3nrU.jpg

Yes we made a deal with our most unlikely trade partners, the team we're tied with atop the AL East - and may have helped them. Of course we already traded them Christopher Gau earlier this year when we also needed to make room so why not do it again? Beeter had been OK for us but was clearly the last man on the staff, relegated to long relief/mop-up work. He still has his 70/45/45 stuff so obviously he can help the Jays and the only reason we did this (aside from making room for Doval) is that they offered us a top 100 (#79) prospect in Castillo. He was Toronto's first-round pick in 2026 (18th overall) and is rated 50 current/65 potential contact, 75/75 gap and 55/60 power. He hit over .300 with moderate power at each MiLB stop and held his own coming off the bench in Toronto in 60 AB. Castillo will go to Durham for now as we have 1B and DH covered but should definitely figure into next year's plans.

So in terms of the current roster, Doval is in for Beeter and Langeliers for Raleigh (who cleared waivers and went to Durham).

July 31-August 2, 2028: at Cleveland (3)
 

Game 1: 5-3 W. WP-Green (6-3). S-Diaz (25). Starter-Eldridge (4.1 5 3 2 2 4). HR-Greene (6/24), Caminero (20). With two out in the 9th in a 3-3 game DeLoach and Wander hit doubles to break the deadlock and Albies singled in Wander. Shea Langeliers made his Rays debut and was 0-4, following in the tradition of our backup catchers this year.

Game 2: 6-2 W. WP-Swanda (11-7, 7 6 0 0 1 3). HR-DeLoach 2 (16), Cartaya (18). DeLoach had been in a mini-slump with the snowflake next to his name but broke out of it in a big way tonight, with a 3-run homer and a solo shot to lead the Rays to victory. Camilo Doval made his return to the Rays tonight and gave up a homer to the first man he faced in the 9th but got the next three to finish it out.

Game 3: 4-3 W (14). WP-German (4-0). S-Acosta (1). Starter-Bradley (5 5 1 1 0 5). HR-Wood (13). Max Green gave up a homer in the 8th to blow a 2-1 Rays lead and send us to extras where we eventually prevailed thanks to Wood's 2-run homer. German gave up a homer to Juan Soto in the bottom of the inning but Acosta came in and finished it out for his first Rays save to complete the sweep.

Team record: 68-41. So what did the sweep gain us? You guessed it - nada, thanks to the Jays sweeping the Yankees so the deadlock remains. Next up: Something will have to give as the Jays visit the Trop for 3 this weekend in a huge series after an off-day.

MLB News: The trade deadline was very active and the biggest deal saw Milwaukee trade star pitcher Corbin Burnes to the Padres for a package of five prospects. And then Burnes went out and pitched 7 no-hit innings in his San Diego debut but had to leave with a shoulder subluxation which might push his next start back a day. Seranthony Dominguez then came in and pitched two hitless innings to complete the combined no-hitter against Arizona.

Also former Rays Cy Young winner Blake Snell, now with St. Louis, saw his season end with a torn labrum and he'll miss most of 2029 as well.

Farm news: We had a couple of MiLB players of the month with Blaze Jordan, who started the year as our regular 1B before slumping badly, being named IL Batter of the Month after hitting .312-10-28. Jordan has bounced back nicely from a rough first month with Durham. Also at the AA level Montgomery OF Tommy Specht was named SL Player of the Month after a .375-6-16 July. Specht plays a 60 RF, has 65 speed, and has 55 power potential (but only 45 contact), making him a possible future 4th OF.

August 4-6, 2028: vs Toronto (3)
 

Game 1: 3-6 L. LP-G.Rodriguez (11-4, 6 7 6 6 2 7). HR-Wood (14). The showdown series with the Jays did not get off to a good start as Grayson was hit for 6 runs in the 2nd capped by a 3-run Vlad Jr homer. He settled in after that but the damage was done.

Game 2: 1-2 L. LP-German (4-1). Starter-Orze (4 5 1 1 1 2). The Rays dropped 2 behind the Jays after they couldn't hit and German was wild in the 5th, walking 3 to help Toronto to the winning run. To add insult to injury a couple of guys we traded to them this year pitched scoreless innings with Beeter pitching the 7th and Gau getting the save.

Game 3: 7-3 W. WP-Eldridge (9-5, 5 6 2 1 1 8). S-Doval (1). HR-Caminero (21), DeLoach (17), Santana (22), Wood (15). Tampa Bay avoided the sweep and avoided disaster with the win to pull them back within a game of the division lead. A 5-run 2nd keyed by DeLoach's 3-run shot was decisive.

Team record: 69-43. Next up: The White Sox visit the Trop for 3 games.

August 7-9, 2028: vs Chicago White Sox (3)
 

Game 1: 1-0 W. WP-Swanda (12-7, 6 2 0 0 1 9). S-Diaz (26). Swanda was brilliant and Wood's RBI double in the 2nd stood up for the rest of the game as the teams combined for only six hits.

Game 2: 10-2 W. WP-Bradley (5-2, 5 5 2 2 2 8). HR-Cartaya (19). Cartaya's 3-run homer in the 1st got them going and it was 7-0 after 2. Caminero was 3-4 with 3 RBI.

Game 3: 8-1 W. WP-G.Rodriguez (12-4, 6 4 1 1 2 11). HR-J.Jackson 2 (4), Caminero (22). Backup IF Jeremiah Jackson was tonight's surprise star, hitting a solo homer in the 2nd to tie it at 1 and then a 3-run homer in the 3rd to make it 5-1, driving in 5 in total on the night. Caminero stayed hot by going 4-4 with his solo homer, and it was good to see Grayson back on track after struggling since the ASB (20 ER allowed in his last 21.1 IP with 6 HR yielded in that stretch before tonight).

Team record: 72-43. This time a sweep gained us some ground as the Jays actually lost a game, so once again the teams are tied atop the AL East. Next up: A day off before play 3 in Minnesota.

MLB News: The Dodgers' Zach Eflin tore his UCL and will miss the rest of this year as well as all of 2029.

August 11-13, 2028: at Minnesota (3)
 

Game 1: 6-2 W. WP-Orze (6-6, 5 2 0 0 1 11). HR-DeLoach (18), Greene (7/25), Santana (23). Orze pitched his most dominant game as a Ray and DeLoach was 2-3 with 2 walks, a homer and 2 RBI to lead the offense.

Game 2: 6-13 L. LP-Swanda (12-8, 3.1 3 6 6 6 3). An ugly game all around with perhaps Swanda's worst outing as a Ray. Wander had 4 hits in a losing cause.

Game 3: 5-6 L. LP-Eldridge (9-6, 5 5 6 6 1 7). HR-Viera (6). Eldridge gave up 6 runs without getting an out to start the game, then was perfect for 5 innings. But it was too big a hole to climb out of even though they nearly did. Riley Greene had 3 RBI.

Team record: 73-45. Toronto took 2 of 3 so the Rays are now a game behind. Next up: A day off then 3 in Boston.

August 15-17, 2028: at Boston (3)
 

Game 1: 6-5 W. WP-German (5-1). S-Diaz (27). Starter-G.Rodriguez (5 9 5 5 1 8). HR-Caminero (23), Franco (23). Wander's homer in the 7th was the winner as they came back from 5-2 down to win and he was on base five times with two hits and three walks.

Game 2: 7-4 W. WP-Bradley (6-2, 5.1 4 2 2 3 6). S-Diaz (28). HR-Greene (8/26), Caminero (24), Santana (24), DeLoach (19). Riley Greene missed out on a cycle by a single, having doubled, tripled and homered and driving in 3 on the night to lead the attack.

Game 3: 11-1 W. WP-Orze (7-6, 6 3 1 1 1 3). HR-Franco (24), Wood (16), Cartaya (20). Orze was excellent again and Wander had another monster game, going 4-4 with two doubles, the homer and 6 RBI. He's now hitting 336/394/580 with 24 HR, 66 RBI and 5.6 WAR.

Team record: 76-45. Toronto took 2 of 3 so once again the teams are tied for first in the AL East. Next up: Back home for 3 against Baltimore.

MLB News: The Angels lost superstar Mike Trout for 5 weeks with an oblique strain.

August 18-20, 2028: vs Toronto (3)
 

Game 1: 7-4 W. WP-Swanda (13-8, 6 1 1 1 3 6). S-Diaz (29). HR-Albies (19), Caminero (25), Encarnacion (4), Wood (17), Cartaya (21). Rays went homer-happy to back Swanda and led 7-1 before JP Sears gave up 3 runs on a pair of homers in the 8th necessitating Diaz to come in an save. Diaz has been on an incredible run, not allowing a run since May 27 over his last 25 appearances in which he's racked up 19 saves. I forgot to mention at the beginning of the month that he was named AL Pitcher of the Month for July and is working on August as well. The win was costly though as Wander Franco strained his hamstring and will be out 3-4 weeks.

Transaction: Wander goes on the IL and Brooks Lee is back up from Durham. As he's a superior defender to Jeremiah Jackson, Lee should get the bulk of the starts at SS.

Game 2: 5-4 W (14). WP-Acosta (2-1). Starter-Eldridge (6 5 4 4 3 3). HR-DeLoach (20). Zach DeLoach's dramatic homer in the 9th tied it up and Wood's RBI single in the 14th won it in marathon 5:14 game.

Game 3: 5-2 W. WP-Sears (7-0). S-Diaz (30). Starter-G.Rodriguez (4.1 0 0 0 0 4). HR-Encarnacion (5). The Rays completed the sweep but at an extremely high cost - our ace Grayson Rodriguez, who was perfect through 4 1/3 against his old mates, tore his UCL and will be out for nearly a year. As for the game Mrs. Lincoln, Caminero's 2-RBI double and Encarnacion's 2-run homer were the big hits.

Team record: 79-45. Did the sweep allow us to gain any ground on Toronto? Of course not as the Jays swept Atlanta. The two teams now are tied for the best record in baseball and one of them will be hosting a Wild Card round in six weeks. Next up: An off-day then we're off to Oakland for 3 games.

Before going down with his injury, Wander did enough in 4 games to be recognized by the league:

https://i.imgur.com/0i1exe9.png

August 22-24, 2028: at Oakland (3)
 

Transaction: Grayson Rodriguez goes on the 60-day IL with his torn UCL and Charlie Ruegger is called up for a couple of days to help with the bullpen but later in the week G-Rod's spot in the rotation will be filled by top prospect Walt Khattak. Our first-round pick in 2026 out of Ryerson University and the #33 prospect in baseball, Khattak was 11-7, 3.57 with 2.4 WAR at Durham. He only has 50 stuff but 70 movement and 55 control, and had only allowed 8 homers in 141 IP with a 42/96 BB/K ratio.

Game 1: 6-5 W. WP-Riley (1-0). S-Diaz (31). Starter-Bradley (5 6 3 3 2 6). HR-Encarnacion (6), Greene (9/27). A thrilling comeback win for the Rays who trailed 5-1 after 7 innings. After they got 2 back in the 8th, Greene led off the 9th with a homer to make it 5-4 and Encarnacion drilled a 2-run double (after homering for the first run and driving in a run in the 8th) to win it.

Game 2: 3-9 L. LP-Orze (7-7, 4.1 9 5 5 2 4). Orze's brilliant run of late came to a crashing halt as he was hit for 4 runs in the 1st and the Rays were routed. Caminero was 3-4 with 2 RBI and has now hit in 15 straight games.

Game 3: 7-3 W. WP-Swanda (14-8, 5.1 5 3 3 2 3). DeLoach was 3-5 with 3 RBI and Cartaya had a big early 2-run double as the Rays bounced back to take the series.

Team record: 81-46. Jays took 2 of 3 to stay even with us. Next up: Back home for 3 against Cleveland including Walt Khattak's MLB debut start in the opener.

Transaction: With the Rodriguez injury we signed veteran starter Will Bednar to a minor league deal. Bednar was let go by the Padres and cleared waivers despite going 7-6, 3.71 in 19 starts and 7 relief appearances this year although he was a bit homer-prone (18 allowed in 121 IP). He'll give us some depth should we suffer any additional injuries or Khattak doesn't get it done.

August 25-27, 2028: vs Cleveland
 

Game 1: 6-1 W. WP-Khattak (1-0, 6.1 6 1 1 0 7). HR-DeLoach (21). The Walt Khattak era has begun in Tampa Bay and it was a most impressive debut by the 2026 1st round pick. The only blemish against him was a Juan Soto homer and he struck out Soto later (as well as fanning Jose Ramirez twice) as the rookie showed ice water in his veins. He had ample support keyed by DeLoach's 2-run homer and Albies' 2-run triple.

Game 2: 2-5 L. LP-Eldridge (9-7, 6 6 4 4 0 2). The bats were dominated by Cleveland's Logan Gilbert (7 4 1 1 1 9).

Game 3: 6-5 W. WP-E.Diaz (2-4). Starter-Bradley (6 5 5 5 0 6). HR-Encarnacion (7), Santana (25). The game couldn't have started off any worse after Taj was hit for 5 runs in the 1st inning, but he was unhittable after that and the offense kept chipping away. After tying it in the 7th Freili Encarnacion, who started the comeback with a solo homer in the 2nd, singled in the walk-off winner in the 9th. In an interesting quirk Ozzie Albies walked in all 5 of his plate appearances, tying the team single-game walk record held by Matt Joyce and Steven Souza Jr. in the mid-2010s.

Team record: 83-47. Of course the Jays won 2 of 3 as well so the teams remained tied at the end of a series once again. The Rays and Jays will play each other 7 times in September but all of those games will be in Toronto. Next up: 4 games in Baltimore.

Down on the farm:

https://i.imgur.com/uPqUsjv.png

Robby is raking at Durham after he was acquired from the rival Jays for Clayton Beeter and may very well be up with us in a few days with September roster expansion.

August 28-31, 2028: at Baltimore (4)
 

Game 1: 5-2 W. WP-Moran (5-1). S-Diaz (32). Starter-Orze (4 4 2 2 3 4). HR-DeLoach (22), Albies (20), Green (10/28). Albies' 2-run homer in the 9th broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Rays the win, and Greene went back-to-back with him.

Game 2: 10-4 W. WP-Swanda (15-8, 5 7 3 3 2 4). HR-Caminero (26), Langeliers (1/3), J.Jackson 2 (6). Production from the bench as Langeliers hit the first homer by a Rays backup C this season and Jackson had his second two-homer game of the month, driving in 3. Santana, Caminero and Langeliers each knocked in a pair.

Game 3: 2-6 L. LP-Khattak (1-1, 5 5 4 4 1 3). Khattak's second start wasn't as good as his first but better than the line indicated. He gave up a 2-run homer to Coby Mayo (who homered twice and drove in 5) in the 4th then put two men on in the 6th and left, only for JP Sears to allow those runners to score.

Game 4: 5-1 W. WP-Eldridge (10-7, 6 5 1 0 1 4). HR-DeLoach (23), Albies (21). DeLoach and Albies drove in all 5 runs as DeLoach homered to lead off the game and added a 2-run single while Albies had a solo homer and RBI single to back the quality pitching of Eldridge.

Team record: 86-48. Yes, Toronto also won 3 of 4 so we're still tied. Next up: Back home for 3 vs Houston.

September 1-3, 2028: vs Houston (3)
 

Transactions: Recalled 1B Robby Castillo and P Charlie Ruegger in September roster expansion. Castillo of course is one of the top hitting prospects in the organization and I'll try to work him into the lineup as much as I can. Ruegger's been a good soldier for the organization and pitched decently at Durham (2.70 ERA, 13 saves) after spending most of the last two years (and the early part of this year) with the big club.

Game 1: 7-8 L. LP-Bradley (6-3, 3.2 8 5 3 2 4). HR-Cartaya (22). Taj was terrible and the Rays were down 8-2 in this one before nearly coming all the way back. Cartaya came off the bench for a 3-run pinch-homer in the 9th to make it 8-7, and DeLoach got to second with two out but couldn't be brought home. Robby Castillo made his Rays debut and was impressive, going 2-4 with an RBI single and an RBI double in the 9th which preceded Cartaya's homer.

Game 2: 15-3 W. WP-Orze (8-7, 6 0 1 1 3 7). Orze was excellent but had to leave after 83 pitches despite the no-hitter given his poor stamina. As for the offense, I'm just going to paste the Rays batting part of the box score:

https://i.imgur.com/MHap4nm.png

The five runs scored by DeLoach tie a team single-game record.

Game 3: 7-2 W. WP-Swanda (16-8, 6 8 2 2 0 9). HR-DeLoach (24). Swanda dominated and the Rays scored 5 in the first inning with the help a couple of Houston errors.

Team record: 88-49. Unfortunately the Jays kept winning, sweeping Seattle and dropping us a game back thanks to our opening game loss. One of the Jays wins was a 3-1 decision with all the runs coming on a trio of Vlad Jr. solo homers. Next up: Kansas City visits for 3 games. The Royals are a dismal 58-80.

September 4-6, 2028: vs Kansas City (3)
 

Game 1: 1-4 L. LP-Khattak (1-2, 5 6 2 2 1 8). HR-Langeliers (2/4). Bats couldn't get anything going for a change, wasting a decent start from the rookie Khattak.

Game 2: 4-3 W. WP-Green (7-3). S-Diaz (33). Starter-Eldridge (6 4 2 2 0 9). HR-Encarnacion (8), Lee (1). Max Green blew a 3-2 lead in the 8th only for Brooks Lee to save him by hitting his first homer of the year in the bottom of the inning.

Game 3: 6-1 W. WP-Bradley (7-3, 5.2 4 0 0 2 6). HR-DeLoach (25), Albies (22), Greene (11/29). Taj bounced back nicely from his disaster start last time out and Greene drove in 3 including a 2-run homer to lead the attack.

Team record: 90-50. The Jays stumbled for a change, dropping 2 of 3 in Texas so the teams are for the umpteenth time tied in the standings. Next up: An off-day to fly to San Diego where we'll play 3.

September 8-10, 2028: at San Diego (3)
 

Game 1: 1-3 L. LP-Swanda (16-9, 5.2 5 3 3 4 2). The offense only managed six hits and after the Rays took a 1-0 lead in the 5th on Albies' RBI double the Padres answered with 3 in the bottom and that was that.

Game 2: 3-7 L. LP-Khattak (1-3, 1.1 6 6 5 2 0). HR-Wood (18), R.Castillo (1/4), Lee (2). The rookie Khattak was humbled by the Padres when they put up 5 in the 2nd against him. The Rays did get a trio of solo homers off old friend Tyler Glasnow but couldn't get anything else as he fanned 11 in 7 IP.

Game 3: 1-8 L. LP-Eldridge (10-8, 6 5 5 5 3 2). A lost weekend in San Diego concluded with being on the wrong side of another rout. The Padres' big-time trade deadline acquisition Corbin Burnes shut them down and is now 6-1, 1.39 in 8 starts for San Diego.

Team record: 90-53. Next up: A day off then a huge 3-game series in Toronto. The Jays took 2 of 3 in Oakland to move 2 games ahead in the standings so the Rays will need to take at least 2 of 3 to stay in the race.

September 12-14, 2028: at Toronto (3)
 

Game 1: 2-10 L. LP-Bradley (7-4, 3.1 6 5 5 0 5). HR-Albies (23), Caminero (27). Just a total disaster in Toronto as the Rays were routed and managed only 5 hits.

Game 2: 1-5 L. LP-Orze (8-8, 4.2 8 5 5 1 3). The losing streak reached 5 and the division deficit grew to 4 as the Rays were toothless again in Toronto. Looking like a wild card now.

Transaction: Wander Franco comes off the IL and Brooks Lee is optioned to Durham.

Game 3: 4-2 W. WP-Swanda (17-9, 6 8 2 2 2 3). S-Diaz (34). HR-Greene (12/30). The Rays stopped the rot and got back within 3 games to keep their division hopes on life support. Riley Greene's 3-run homer in the 3rd was the big hit and Swanda gutted out the win despite not having his best stuff.

Team record: 91-55. The Rays did clinch a wild card with the win in the finale. Next up: Home for 3 against the Yankees.

September 15-17, 2028: vs NY Yankees (3)
 

Tranasction: Taj Bradley was involved in a brawl in the final Toronto and was suspended for 6 games, so he goes on the restricted list and Andri Tavarez, who was up earlier this season, is recalled from AA Montgomery and will start the finale of this series.

Game 1: 8-1 W. WP-Khattak (2-3, 6 2 0 0 3 4). HR-Greene (13/31), DeLoach (26), Encarnacion (9). Khattak bounced back from a terrible outing with a brilliant one and Encarnacion was 3-4 with a 2-run homer to lead the offense. Albies had 4 hits and Greene knocked in 3.

Game 2: 3-0 W. WP-Eldridge (11-8, 6.1 4 0 0 1 3). S-Diaz (35). HR-Encarnacion (10). Another great start from the staff while Encarnacion's solo homer and Albies' RBI triple were the big hits.

Transaction: James Wood had hurt his back in the Toronto series and although it was "moderate" it was only supposed to be for 4-5 days. The trainer has now indicated it will take longer so Wood goes on the 10-day IL and OF Luis Leones is called up from Durham. Leones came over from Cincinnati in a deal that sent them Clayton Andrews at the start of the season and hit 314/345/592 in part-time action with the Bulls, homering 10 times in 191 AB.

Game 3: 8-2 W. WP-Tavarez (1-0, 5 6 1 1 1 4). HR-R.Castillo (2/5), Santana (26). Andri Tavarez was quite good in his spot start and Robbie Castillo had his best game as a Ray, going 3-4 with a 2-run homer and a 2-run triple. Santana drove in 3 with a 2-run homer and a double.

Team record: 94-55. Despite the sweep we gained no ground on Toronto which swept Boston at Fenway, so the deficit is still 3 games. Essentially, it's going to take a sweep of the upcoming 4-game series in Toronto or 3 out of 4 with some help along the way to have a shot at avoiding the wild card round. Next up: An off-day then 3 at home against Milwaukee, struggling at 62-88.

MLB News: Veteran Angels 3B Anthony Rendon hit his 300th career homer.

September 19-21, 2028: vs Milwaukee (3)
 

Game 1: 6-1 W. WP-Orze (9-8, 6 2 0 0 0 9). HR-DeLoach (27). Orze was brilliant and DeLoach tripled, homered and drove in 3 runs while rookie Luis Leones' first Rays hit was a 2-run single.

Game 2: 2-0 W. WP-Swanda (18-9, 7 1 0 0 1 4). S-Diaz (36). HR-Cartaya (25). Swanda pitched a gem as he kept his hopes of winning 20 alive and Cartaya's 2nd-inning homer turned out to be the only run they'd need tonight.

Game 3: 3-4 L. LP-Khattak (2-4, 5.1 4 4 4 1 7). HR-Langeliers (3/5). Rays were up 2-0 through 5 and Khattak was pitching a 1-hitter but the wheels came off in the 6th with Milwaukee scoring 4 times including a 2-run double allowed by Trey Riley to score Khattak's runners.

Team record: 96-56. The loss in the finale was tough in more ways than one as Toronto dropped their finale and we could have pulled within 2. Instead it's still 3 with 10 games left in the season. Next up: The Cubs visit for 3 before we head to Toronto for 4.

September 22-24, 2028: vs Chicago Cubs (3)
 

Game 1: 5-1 W. WP-Eldridge (12-8, 6 8 1 1 0 6). HR-Cartaya (26). A solid outing from Eldridge and 3 RBI from Cartaya, including a 2-run shot to open the scoring in the 5th, led the Rays to victory.

Game 2: 8-6 W. WP-Sears (8-0). S-Diaz (37). Starter-Bradley (5 5 4 4 5 2). HR-R.Castillo (3/6). A 5-run 7th overcame a 4-2 deficit with Junior Caminero having a huge game going 4-5 with 5 RBI including a triple and Robby Castillo driving in the other 3 with a homer in that 7th inning. Unfortunately the win proved costly when Wander Franco developed back spasms which will sideline him through October and hence the season.

Transaction: Wander is back on the IL, for good this time, and Brooks Lee is back up from Durham.

Game 3: 4-2 W. WP-Riley (2-0). S-Doval (2). Starter-Orze (5.2 7 2 2 0 4). HR-Santana (27), Greene (14/32). Riley Greene's solo homer broke a 2-2 tie in the 6th and Brooks Lee was 3-3 with a double and 2 runs scored.

Team record: 99-56. The sweep didn't buy them any ground in the standings as Toronto swept Milwaukee. This sets up their 4-game series in Canada, a series which the Rays pretty much have to sweep. Good luck with that, guys.

MLB News: Wander isn't the only player on a contender done for the season as the Mets have lost Starling Marte with a knee sprain.

September 25-28, 2028: at Toronto (4)
 

Transaction: James Wood was activated from the IL and Luis Leones was optioned back to Durham.

Game 1: 5-3 W. WP-Moran (6-1). S-Diaz (38). Starter-Swanda (6 6 2 2 2 7). HR-DeLoach (28), Albies (24), Wood (19). James Wood's 2-run homer in the 9th won it and the Rays moved within 2 of Toronto in their last-ditch attempt to take the division. Swanda pitched well enough to win but remains stuck on 18 so his 20-win hopes were dashed. The team hit the round number of 100 wins though.

Game 2: 2-8 L. LP-Khattak (2-5, 3.2 8 5 5 0 5). The rookie Walt Khattak was not ready for prime time and the Rays' faint hopes of winning the division suffered a near-fatal blow.

Game 3: 3-4 L. LP-Doval (0-1). Starter-Eldridge (5.1 5 2 1 2 5). HR-Santana (28), Encarnacion (11). This was essentially the final nail in the coffin for the Rays' division hopes, reducing the Jays' magic number to 1 with 4 games left. It was a back-and-forth affair before Doval put 2 on in the 9th and Edwin Diaz came in to put out the fire but instead gave up an infield single to load the bases and then hit Tim Anderson to let Toronto walk it off.

Game 3: 1-3 L. LP-Bradley (7-5, 5.1 4 2 2 3 6). HR-Langeliers (4/6). With several regulars playing through fatigue these last couple of nights the bench was emptied and not much offense was generated as Toronto officially clinched the AL East with the win.

Team record: 100-59. Next up: We close out the regular season with 3 games in New York against the Yankees.

Playoff race update: The divisions are wrapped up in both leagues as are the top two wild cards pretty much but each league has a tie for the third wild card. In the AL the Jays, Guardians and Angels are all division champs while the Rays and Astros look set to meet as the top two wild cards. Texas and Minnesota are tied for the third wild card, 2 behind Houston. Same situation in the NL as the Mets, Cards and Diamondbacks have all clinched their divisions with San Diego and Washington set as the top two wild cards. San Antonio (the former Pirates) and the Cubs are tied for the third wild card and they are 2 back of Washington.

MLB News: Milestone time asTexas' Corey Seager hit career homer #300 and Trea Turner, still with the Dodgers in this save, recorded his 2000th career hit.

September 29-October 1, 2028: at NY Yankees (3)
 

Transaction: We lost a key bullpen piece for most of October when lefty Jovani Moran had to go on the IL with chronic back soreness which will sideline him for three weeks. Lefty Andri Tavarez is called back up from Durham.

Game 1: 3-1 W. WP-Ruegger (1-1). S-Diaz (39). Starter-Orze (5 5 1 1 0 4). Nate Santana's bases-clearing double in the 8th won it for the Rays.

Game 2: 8-5 W. WP-Riley (3-0). S-Fairbanks (4). Starter-Sears (4 7 4 4 0 3). HR-Cartaya (27), Viera (7). Trailing 5-2 going into the 9th the Rays scored 6 times with Max Viera's grand slam winning it in what would have been a thrilling win had the game meant anything. Brooks Lee was 2-4 with 2 RBI.

Game 3: 10-8 W. WP-Khattak (3-5, 5.2 7 4 4 1 4). S-Doval (3). Robby Castillo drove in 3 and Ozzie Albies 2 to lead the offense as the Rays closed out the regular season with win #103 yet they have to settle for a wild card.

Final Regular Reason Record: 103-59. Next up: The AL Wild Card round where we'll host Houston.

Playoff race update: The third wild cards in each league went to Texas (AL), who tied with Minnesota but won the season series 5-1, and Chicago (NL), who beat out San Antonio by 2 games.

Final 2028 Regular Season Standings and Rays Stats
 

https://i.imgur.com/ps8PSs4.png

It was the Rays' misfortune to have the second-best record in MLB and share a division with the team that had the best, so they'll have to take care of 85-win Houston with up to three games at home. Congrats to Vlad Guerrero Jr., baseball's first triple-crown winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012, and to Texas' Robert Ahlstrom, who won the pitching triple crown (W, ERA, Ks). Both also won the quadruple crown of sorts as they led in batter and pitcher WAR respectively. Guess we know who the MVP and Cy Young winners in the AL will be.

https://i.imgur.com/epqToqc.png

Wonderful numbers all around as befits a squad which won 103 games, and all those 2nd place finishes in the batting categories were behind Toronto in 1st. The defense wasn't great but it wasn't terrible either.

https://i.imgur.com/uq373Oa.png

We were a pretty top-heavy team, and it really hurts to lose Wander for the playoffs which probably will keep us from making it three straight World Series titles (and 4 in 5). Riley Greene was an inspired acquisition, earning 4.2 WAR in just under half a year with us (he had 2.9 with Detroit in the first half for an excellent season total of 7.1). The bench was pretty awful though, except for Brooks Lee who's the one guy we have to play now. Freili Encarnacion turned out to be an improvement over the injured Marco Luciano in the end.

https://i.imgur.com/sCRvUph.png

An outstanding season of pitching, but like on the offense it would sure be nice to have our best guy back in Grayson Rodriguez, and without him as well it will be tough to navigate the playoff gauntlet. Edwin Diaz though was an inspired pickup, turning in a brilliant 3.1 WAR and almost unhittable in the second half of the season. He got us off the Pete Fairbanks 9th-inning rollercoaster of recent seasons. Luis German put up good numbers for the season but most of that was his unbelievable first half as he became unreliable in the second.

October 3, 2028: AL Wild Card Game 1
 

Already in trouble...

https://i.imgur.com/f5IbhpF.png

The bats didn't show up today and one bad pitch from John Swanda which Yoan Moncada deposited in the RF seats was the difference as the Rays lost their Wild Card opener to Houston 3-0. They were flummoxed by former Ray Shane Baz, who tonight looked more like the stud pitching prospect he was when coming through the Tampa Bay system than the journeyman pitcher with a 5.74 ERA during the regular season. So now it's up to Bryce Eldridge to keep the season and hopes of a three-peat alive tomorrow in Game 2.

Meanwhile Texas went up at Cleveland in their WC series thanks to all-world pitcher Robert Ahlstrom, who fanned 11 in 7 4-hit shutout innings:

https://i.imgur.com/FsIqZ63.png

October 4, 2028: AL Wild Card Game 2 & NL Wild Card Game 1
 

One game to decide it...

https://i.imgur.com/GsdvzXj.png

The Rays forced a Game 3 tomorrow by turning the tables on Houston and shutting them out behind a dominant performance from Bryce Eldridge and the bullpen. Zach DeLoach, who wouldn't have been playing had this been the regular season as he suffered a "moderate" back injury in Game 1, was the hero with a 2nd-inning grand slam, and James Wood added a 2-run shot as the Rays coasted (although aside from the homers they only had 4 other hits on the night). Taj Bradley will get the call tomorrow with Eric Orze waiting in the wings if needed.

Elsewhere, Texas is through to play the Angels in an ALDS and the NL got underway:

https://i.imgur.com/mTMveTi.png

October 5-6, 2028: AL Wild Card Game 3 & NL Wild Card Games 2-3
 

See ya next year...

https://i.imgur.com/CSwUKuz.png

With the best pitching in baseball this year the Rays looked like a good bet to advance to the ALDS after taking an early 3-1 lead (and later a 4-3 lead) against Houston but the pitching let them down tonight and the bats went silent in the final four innings to send them to a 7-4 defeat and elimination from the 2028 playoffs so there will be no threepeat for the Rays. Ultimately injuries to their best player (Wander Franco) and best pitcher (Grayson Rodriguez) were too much to overcome as with them they may have won the division or at least this Wild Card series. As it was they won 103 games although given the way they played against Toronto in their 7 games in September (losing 5 of them), the ALDS probably would have been the end of the road anyway. Instead the Astros will get a crack at the 108-win behemoth in Toronto.

Over in the NL:

https://i.imgur.com/pZqPnNY.png

St. Louis advances to face Arizona while Wilmer Flores' massive 3-homer game forces a Game 3 between Washington and San Diego that went this way:

https://i.imgur.com/6E8VB7C.png

7 innings of 2-hit ball from former Rays farmhand Michael Mercado (traded way back in 2023 in the Juan Soto deal) led the Nats to victory and a date with the top-seed Mets in the other NLDS.

Speaking of the Rays' farm, Durham fell to Buffalo (the Jays affiliate, natch) in 7 games in the opening round of the International League playoffs while Montgomery holds a 3-2 series lead over Pensacola in the first round of the Southern League playoffs.

As usual when the Rays are eliminated, the next posts will be full-round recaps of the remaining playoffs, so one each for the DS, CS and World Series rounds.

The 2028 Division Series Round
 

In the AL:

https://i.imgur.com/7D4Q5Jv.png

https://i.imgur.com/Fkl53HW.png

Not a lot of suspense in the ALDS as the Jays and Rangers took care of business with sweeps.

https://i.imgur.com/n5L9Luh.png

https://i.imgur.com/UOwt9nT.png

Chalk in the NL as the Mets and D-backs won the series they were favored to, even though Arizona had to settle for a gentleman's sweep.

The 2028 LCS Round
 

Upset time in the AL:

https://i.imgur.com/CkvkO8E.png

They were separated by 26 games in the final standings but it didn't matter to the Texas Rangers, who pulled off one of the great playoff upsets by dispatching the 108-win Blue Jays in 5 games to advance to the World Series. Corey Seager was named series MVP as the 82-win Rangers find themselves playing for all the marbles. Their opponents?

https://i.imgur.com/o7ZTVem.png
https://i.imgur.com/jpFR6gz.png

and that would be the Diamondbacks, who raced out to a 3-1 series lead but couldn't close the deal until their third attempt in Game 7 at Citi Field. This wasn't quite the upset the ALCS was as Arizona won 95 games this season but the Mets became the third of 2028's three 100-win teams after the Rays and Jays to be sent packing.

The 2028 World Series
 

https://i.imgur.com/6nVMggm.png
https://i.imgur.com/OgIs4Jv.png

Congrats to the Diamondbacks, who after losing last year's World Series to the Rays made it back and won it this time, ending the Rangers' Cinderella run through the playoffs as an 82-80 team.

Meanwhile a couple of Rays' farmhands were named MVPs in their respective leagues:

https://i.imgur.com/3Nt9c3I.png

Arakawa was signed out of Japan last winter and had a successful debut stateside. He has MLB power, patience and speed (26 steals) but his contact tool is a bit suspect as .255 at Durham probably translates to .230-.240 in the bigs. He will get a shot next season though.

https://i.imgur.com/JnIctLo.png

Specht isn't quite as good a prospect as Arakawa, but he's definitely overachieved his status as a 10th-round pick in 2022. He projects as a backup OF with 45 contact, 55 power, 65 speed and 60 corner OF defense.

2028-29 Offseason: State of the Team
 

Rays fans got the fine regular season that was expected but the quick playoff exit wasn't after back-to-back titles. We will lose a key cog next season and replacing him is going to be priority one this offseason.

Free Agents leaving: C Diego Cartaya*, C Shea Langeliers, OF Riley Greene, RPs Pete Fairbanks and Camilo Doval.

Arbitration-eligibles being non-tendered: RP Max Green, IF Jeremiah Jackson, C Cal Raleigh.

*Qualifying offer of $18.9M made, since he's asking for 10/330 in an extension I'm confident he declines it.

Owner Stu Sternberg gave us a projected payroll of $160M. If we take out the non-tenders that leaves us with approximately $135M in obligations, giving us a few bucks to spend.

Position-by-position outlook:

C: Truly the biggest area of need with Cartaya and his backups departing. Cartaya was a 5-win guy and one of the top catchers in the game so it's going to be a tall order to approximate his contributions. Right now the "incumbent" and only catcher left on the 40-man is Angel Rivera, who hit 251/339/410 at Durham with 8 HR in 239 AB. He has a good bat with potential 50 contact, 55 power and 60 eye and rates as a 45/50 defensive catcher. Depending on who we acquire Rivera will either be the backup or in a job-share.

1B: Junior Caminero had a fine season (27 HR, 100 RBI) and will be back. The only possibility he slides to DH is if we move Ozzie Albies here.

2B: And Albies is back as well. Albies' defense is lousy but until we have someone else who can do better overall at the position, he'll stay there.

SS: Wander is entrenched.

3B: Marco Luciano is the incumbent but he missed the second half of last season and Freili Encarnacion filled in adequately for him. Neither was gangbusters as they each played roughly half a season and Encarncion was worth 1.0 WAR to Luciano's 0.4.

IF: With J.Jackson being let go Brooks Lee, who played well while up for Wander last year, looks like the backup IF. Encarnacion may figure in as well as Luciano can play some 2B and SS.

LF: Natanael Santana is coming off a 28-HR, 2.1-WAR season and has the inside track.

CF: Zach DeLoach was outstanding and he has one more year left of team control (in which he'll earn at least $15M in arbitration).

RF: James Wood was a disappointment last year, hitting .232 with only 19 HR but was still worth nearly 2 WAR.

OF: Fu-Chi Chin was the backup but we may be looking to upgrade from him as his glove disappointed and he didn't hit a whole lot. We have some options at Durham with IL MVP Mitsuyoski Arakawa, Luis Leones (who was up briefly) and Hendry Mendez, who came over in the deal that brought us Camilo Doval from the Cubs. Beyond them there's Elijah Green, who can play elite OF defense, while Joshua Mears and Lonnie White are still on the 40-man.

DH: Robby Castillo, who played for us in September, has the inside track as the left-handed side of a platoon here, and Max Viera, who disappointed last year, could be the righty half, but we could stand an upgrade here too. Maybe this guy:

https://i.imgur.com/eCPqvDE.png

This would be Nelson Haro, the #5 prospect in baseball, who's ready for the bigs. He hit a pedestrian 276/328/414 at Montgomery last year but as you can see he was unhappy and I'm confident he'll perform better in the bigs.

Rotation: Swanda, Eldridge, Orze, Bradley and Khattak all return and Grayson Rodriguez is due back around August. Luis German is capable of starting as well but he'll be more needed in our depleted bullpen.

Bullpen: Speaking of which Edwin Diaz returns as one of the game's most dominant closers but his setup guys (Green, Doval, Fairbanks) are all gone. Trey Riley and Aldry Acosta were excellent after being picked up on waivers and will return, as will German and Charlie Ruegger who pitched very well after coming back up from Durham. We're thin on lefties though as long man JP Sears and the unproven Andri Tavarez are our only current options there. So we're definitely looking for a power lefty.

So these are our main objectives for the upcoming offseason:

1) Find a full-time or at least job-share catcher
2) Find a reliever or two, especially a power lefty
3) Possible upgrades in a corner OF or 3B

2028-29 Offseason, Part 1
 

We'll start off with a wave of notable retirements: Kevin Gausman, Danny Jansen, Michael Conforto*, Jordan Luplow*, Jordan Montgomery, Lorenzo Cain*, Giancarlo Stanton, Liam Hendriks*, Seiya Suzuki*, Kyle Schwarber, Yasmani Grandal, Mike Brosseau*, Lance McCullers Jr.

*former Rays

Awards Season

Gold Glove: A pair of departing free agent Rays won - Diego Cartaya (C) and Riley Greene (RF).

Silver Slugger: The Rays dominated the AL winners with Diego Cartaya (C), Wander Franco (SS), Riley Greene (RF) and Junior Caminero (DH) all getting the nod.

Reliever of the Year: We had a deserving winner in the AL:

https://i.imgur.com/p8FWqBW.png

Joey Gerber of the Mets, who racked up 53 saves with a 1.35 ERA, was the NL winner.

Rookie of the Year: Former Rays farmhand Willmer De La Cruz, who was let go by our organization and signed a minor league deal with Baltimore, took the AL award in a very weak crop of rookies this year. De La Cruz only hit 241/307/308 with 3 HR but he did win the AL Gold Glove at 2B. In the NL Arizona SS Robert Delgado was honored, hitting .281-4-47 and earning 2.9 WAR.

Cy Young: Texas's Robert Ahlstrom, who won the pitching triple crown in the AL with 19 wins, a 3.00 ERA and 274 whiffs, was a unanimous pick for Cy Young with our John Swanda taking third. Also unanimous was San Diego's Corbin Burnes in the NL, 16-8 with a 2.49 ERA including a 9-1, 1.82 run down the stretch with the Padres after coming over from Milwaukee.

MVP: Also a no-brainer in the AL as Vlad Guerrero Jr won the triple crown at .344-58-135 as well as leading the majors in WAR at 9.6. He was unanimous and Rays Riley Greene and Wander Franco finished 4th and 5th. In the NL the Dodgers' Trea Turner took home the prize, handily beating out Cardinal OF Dylan Carlson with 25 of the 30 first-place votes. Turner hit .322-34-104 and led the NL in WAR at 7.7. Old friend Spencer Torkelson, now with Washington, finished 5th.

We made a trade:

https://i.imgur.com/xxKnrVH.png

We were awash in backup OFs and needed a lefty arm, so I was happy to get Okuda, who has mostly been a starter but can pitch in relief. He earned 2.5 WAR last year with the Angels in a hybrid role and earned 3.1 as a starter in 2026. And he's signed for $2.2M for 2029 so a relative bargain.

December 5: Who says you can't go home again? Diego Cartaya has left us to rejoin the Dodgers on a massive 8/239 deal. We of course acquired Cartaya from LA four years ago and now he'll net us a supplemental first-round pick. Meanwhile, reigning NL MVP Trea Turner has joined the Cubs for 3 years and $96M.

December 6: Longtime Cleveland star 3B Jose Ramirez will now torment us from within the division as he joined the Red Sox with a 3/68 pact. He's now 36 but still put up a quality 4.5 WAR season last year.

December 11: The Red Sox continue to splurge, signing OF Ketel Marte from the world champion Diamondbacks for 3/62.

December 12: Brailyn Marquez, who has been one of the top starters in the NL the last few years with Miami, joined the Phillies on a big 7/205 deal.

December 14: A couple of star OFs found new homes. First was our free agent Riley Greene, who is now a Cub for 4/112, and the Phillies followed up their Brailyn Marquez signing by grabbing longtime Twin Byron Buxton for 4/72.

December 15: Former Ray Tyler Glasnow, who had a nice season last year at age 35 with San Diego, has decided to ply his trade at Coors Field - a questionable decision given his 40 movement. He'll receive 3/66 to try to keep the ball in the park.

December 26: Added C Easton Carmichael and 1B Elbert Craig to the 40-man roster.

Probably neither of these guys gets taken in the Rule 5 draft, but we can't afford to lose the 2.5-star Carmichael because we need all the catching depth we can get.

December 27: Lost P Will Bednar to the Orioles in the Rule 5 Draft.

Bednar was signed as a MiLB free agent late last season and didn't figure into our plans although he would have been useful depth. Baltimore took him with the first overall pick. 35 players in total were taken in one of the more active Rule 5 drafts in recent memory.

December 28: The Phillies were at it again, signing starter Eury Perez from the Yankees, where he spent his contract year after coming over from Miami, for 6/100.

December 30: Veteran superstar Manny Machado moved up the California coast, joining San Diego's division rival Giants on a 2/44 deal. Meanwhile Jonah Heim, the #2 free agent catcher on the market behind Cartaya, joined Boston for 5/65 as that was more $ and term than I would have wanted to spend, even as catcher-desperate as I am.

2028-29 Offseason, Part 2
 

January 4: Signed C Ryan Jeffers to a minor league deal with a $1.3 MLB option.

Well we finally signed a catcher, although he's not terribly exciting. Jeffers is a good defensive catcher who was a positive framer last year and he does have 55 power and a 60 eye (albeit with 40 contact). We'll pair him with Angel Rivera for now and yes it's going to be a big dropoff from Diego Cartaya but unless we want to trade one of our top young starters or a mega-prospect like Nelson Haro we're not getting a frontline guy.

January 6: Hasta la vista to Pete Fairbanks, who joined Oakland on a 2/8.3 deal.

January 7: The Dodgers added Alex Verdugo for 5/76.

January 10: The Hall of Fame voting is in:

CF Carlos Beltran 84.7 (7th year) Inducted HOF
SP Zack Greinke 83.3 (2nd year) Inducted HOF
2B Robinson Cano 68.7 (1st year)
C Joe Mauer 63.3 (6th year)
1B Joey Votto 63.0 (1st year)
C Yadier Molina 43.1 (2nd year)

The voters made Beltran wait no doubt due to the Astros scandal, but he finally made it in along with another member of those 2019 Astros in Greinke. An excellent showing for Robby Cano in his first year on the ballot while Mauer and Votto plug along.

Also in a big free agent signing the Giants added longtime Arizona OF Alek Thomas on a 4/100 deal.

January 13: The Twins brought back OF Alex Kirilloff on a 5/62 contract after trading him to Toronto last year.

January 15: Former Rays reliever Chris Gau joined Seattle for 3/10 and one-time Yankees star pitcher Gerrit Cole, who's now 38 and has missed most of the last two seasons with injuries, had to settle for a 1/2.2 deal with the Dodgers.

January 23: There's a long drive to deep right field, and Nick Castellanos has signed a 3/47 contract with the Yankees.

February 18: Aging star Christian Yelich signed a 1/14 deal with Cincinnati.

February 22: Camilo Doval, with us parts of the last two years, has joined Oakland on a 1/5.8 deal where he joins former teammate Pete Fairbanks.

February 23: Good news and bad news on Grayson Rodriguez. The good news is that he should able to come back about 5 weeks earlier so instead of August he should be back around midseason. The bad news is that his 65/50/50 profile has been downgraded to 60/45/45 and we're committed to him through 2030.

March 9: Claimed C Raffaele Velazquez on waivers from Cincinnati.

Velazquez is an intriguing option with 45 contact, 60 power and 50 (potential 55) defense and he's only 23 with an option left. He'll provide some much-needed depth and has a shot a joining the big club.

2029 Opening Day Roster and Preseason Predictions
 

Only one injury of note during the spring which was suffered by our leadoff guy and CF Zach DeLoach who has back spasms that will keep him out of action for the first week of the season so he starts the year on the IL.

Otherwise the Opening Day rosters shakes out as thus:

C-A.Rivera, Jeffers
1B-Caminero
2B-Albies
SS-W.Franco
3B-Luciano
IF-B.Lee, B.Jordan
LF-N.Santana
CF-Arakawa
RF-Wood
OF-E.Green
DH-R.Castillo

Blaze Jordan was out of options and will make the team as the DH against lefties platooning with Robby Castillo. Elijah Green will platoon with Arakawa in CF while DeLoach is out.

SP-Swanda, Eldridge, Bradley, Orze, Khattak
LR-German, Sears
MR-Ruegger, Okuda, Acosta, Tavarez
SU-Riley, Moran
CL-E.Diaz

Seriously considered giving MLB's #5 overall prospect Nelson Haro a spot on the roster but with Caminero and Castillo holding down 1B/DH and Haro being a lefty hitter we'll start him at Durham since he's never really played above AA. We also had to waive OFs Joshua Mears and Luis Leones as they were out of options, I especially hope Leones clears.

A look at the boys:

https://i.imgur.com/4OOabbZ.png

With the 5-WAR DeLoach not on the roster, the preseason predictions were down on us:

https://i.imgur.com/OTLJaaC.png

At least they're not forecasting anyone to be a juggernaut in the AL, including last year's 108-win Toronto.

April 2-4, 2029: vs LA Dodgers (3)
 

The opening day box:

https://i.imgur.com/rhVnTbU.png

A tough one as we couldn't get any offense going and great pitching only carried us so far. It was not a good day for debutants as Arakawa and Rivera were a combined 0-8 with 7 strikeouts and Ryan Okuda was the pitcher who finally blinked, getting hit in the 12th for the loss.

Game 2: 4-2 W. WP-Acosta (1-0). S-Diaz (1). Starter-Eldridge (4.1 6 2 2 1 8, 92P). HR-Rivera (1). The story today was rookie catcher Angel Rivera, whose 3-run homer in the 4th was the key blow as the Rays got into the win column for 2029.

Game 3: 4-5 L (10). LP-Sears (0-1). Starter-Bradley (7 5 2 2 1 7). HR-E.Green (1), Santana (1). This one hurt. Leading 4-2 after 8 and with Edwin Diaz unavailable, Luis German gave up a leadoff homer to former Ray Diego Cartaya, Charlie Ruegger allowed the tying run and JP Sears gave up the winner in the 10th. Elijah Green homered in his Rays debut and Santana's was an inside-the-park job.

Team record: 1-2. Next up: An off-day then Minnesota visits for 3 games.

Rays news: We signed a slew of veteran pitchers to minor league deals, mainly to beef up Durham but you never know as Noah Syndergaard, Dane Dunning, Edward Cabrera and Michael Grove are all headed to North Carolina.

MLB News: Old friend Shane McClanahan is going to miss 4 months for the Giants with a torn triceps and another old friend Pete Fairbanks is out 3-4 months with a torn back muscle.

April 6-8, 2029: vs Minnesota (3)
 

Game 1: 5-12 L. LP-Orze (0-1, 2 9 4 4 0 3). HR-Jordan (1), Jeffers (1). A brutal night at the Trop for the Rays and their fans. Blaze Jordan and Ryan Jeffers hit back-to-back pinch homers in the 9th, the latter in his first Tampa Bay at-bat.

Transaction: Activated Zach DeLoach from the IL, optioned Mitsuyoshi Arakawa to AAA Durham. Arakawa was 1-13 in his time up.

Game 2: 2-3 L. LP-Moran (0-1). Starter-Khattak (4.1 5 2 2 2 5). HR-Santana (2). Moran gave up a homer to Teoscar Hernandez in the 8th to break the tie and the losing continues for the Rays. Robby Castillo was ejected for charging the mound after being hit following Santana's homer and is suspended for 3 games.

Transaction: Castillo goes on the restricted list, and Mitsuyoshi Arakawa gets a reprieve from his demotion.

Game 3: 2-16 L. LP-Swanda (0-1, 5 7 5 5 2 7). HR-Santana (3). This was actually a 2-1 Minnesota lead going into the 6th before they put 13(!) runs on the board in the inning as our middle/long relief continues to be horrible, along with the team as a whole really. A truly awful start to the season.

Team record: 1-5. Next up: An off-day then off to Houston for the first 3 road games of the year as fumigators attempt to clear the stink out of the Trop.

Rays news: We signed another veteran pitcher to a minor league deal as former Guardian Daniel Espino joins Durham. He has a better chance to help the big club than the batch we signed last week. Speaking of the batch, Noah Syndergaard has already gone on Durham's IL with a dead arm.

MLB News: Syndergaard's old running mate Jacob deGrom, now 40, will miss the rest of the season for San Diego with a UCL tear. Also a couple of late-signing free agents as Jesse Winker goes to Philly for $7.3M and Corbin Carroll joins the Dodgers for $3.3M.

April 10-12, 2029: at Houston (3)
 

Game 1: 7-3 W. WP-Eldridge (1-0, 7.1 6 2 2 3 4). HR-Santana (4), Albies (1), B.Jordan (2). A trio of 2-run homers and a fine outing from Eldridge got the Rays into the win column for only the second time this season.

Game 2: 1-5 L. LP-Bradley (0-1, 6 6 4 4 1 5). The offense only managed 6 hits as the Rays resumed their 2029 losing ways.

Transaction: Robby Castillo comes off the restricted list and Mitsuyoshi Arakawa is sent back to Durham.

Game 3: 1-5 L. LP-Orze (0-2, 5 6 4 4 0 9). HR-Franco (1). Almost a carbon copy of yesterday's game as this time they only had five hits. This team looks really bad.

Team record: 2-7. Next up: Back home for 3 against the White Sox, a team off to a similarly-terrible 2-8 start.

April 13-15, 2029: vs Chicago White Sox (3)
 

Game 1: 4-0 W. WP-Khattak (1-0, 7 5 0 0 2 5). HR-DeLoach (1). Back in the win column thanks to a strong outing from Khattak and the bat of DeLoach, who had a solo homer and an RBI double while Wander added an RBI double.

Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-German (1-0). S-Diaz (2). Starter-Swanda (5.2 4 2 2 3 5). HR-Luciano (1). Luciano's grand slam in the 6th won it for the Rays, with Albies going 3-4 with a double, triple and RBI.

Game 3: 3-1 W. WP-Acosta (2-0). S-Diaz (3). HR-Caminero (1), DeLoach (2). Starter-Eldridge (7 5 1 1 3 6). The Rays were being no-hit by Chicago's Matt Brash until the 6th, shut out until Caminero's solo homer to dead center in the 7th, and won it in the 8th with 2 out when DeLoach unloaded a 2-run blast as they completed the sweep of the one team going worse than them coming in.

Team record: 5-7. Next up: Toronto comes in for 4 games so the level of competition takes a big step up.

MLB News: Former Ray and current Nat Spencer Torkelson did something I've never seen done in all my saves over all the years - have consecutive 5-hit games. In fact he was named NL Player of the Week after going a remarkable 16 for 20. Also not only were the White Sox swept by us this weekend, to add injury to insult their ace starter Aaron Nola will have to undergo Tommy John surgery.

April 16-19, 2029: vs Toronto (4)
 

Game 1: 9-3 W. WP-Bradley (1-1, 5 5 3 3 2 4). HR-Albies (2), DeLoach (3). Albies and DeLoach were a 2-man offense with the former going 3-4 with a homer and 3 RBI and the latter knocking in 5 with an RBI double and a grand slam.

Game 2: 2-3 L. LP-Okuda (0-2). Starter-Orze (5 4 1 1 1 4). The offense was anemic (4 hits) and Ryan Okuda continues to be a disaster with the Rays, allowing 2 runs in the 6th to lose it and now has been hit for 12 runs and 13 hits in 4.2 IP.

Game 3: 2-3 L (12). LP-German (1-1). Starter-Khattak (6.2 8 1 1 0 4). HR-Franco (2). Another awful game from the offense, which had a man on 2nd with either 0 or 1 out in the 9th, 10th and 11th and couldn't get him home. Luis German also is struggling after his big 2028 as he walked 3 in the 12th including the winner with the bases loaded.

Transaction: Finally had it with this offense and decided to bring up the #3 prospect in baseball, Nelson Haro. In case you've forgotten, here is his profile:

https://i.imgur.com/pswVwcS.png

All he can do is hit, and he was 429/472/673 in 11 games at Durham. He'll take over as the DH against righties for Robby Castillo who was 3-for-32 with 0 extra base hits this year and has been optioned to the Bulls.

Game 4: 3-5 L (11). LP-Moran (0-2). Starter-Swanda (5 6 3 3 1 5). HR-Lee (1). Losing losers find a way to lose once again as Moran is another guy who's been great in the recent past but has struggled this year as he walked 3 in the 11th including one with the bases loaded to lose it. Brooks Lee's dramatic late-inning 2-run homer tied it but only served to prolong the misery. Nelson Haro was 1-5 in his debut with a single but hit the ball hard every time up.

Team record: a not-nice 6-9. Next up: The Angels visit the Trop for 3 games.

April 20-22, 2029: vs LA Angels (3)
 

Game 1: 11-9 W. WP-Eldridge (2-0, 5 9 6 6 1 6). S-Diaz (4). HR-Wood (1), Franco (3), Luciano (2), Caminero (2), DeLoach (4). Rays overcame a 2-HR, 4-RBI game from Shohei Ohtani by hitting 5 of their own including a Wood grand slam with Caminero knocking in 3. Ryan Okuda did it again, giving up 3 in the 9th and necessitating Diaz to come in for the save.

Transaction: JP Sears suffered a biceps strain and will be out 5-6 weeks. He'll be sorely missed as he's been kind the glue of our staff in long/middle relief these last few years. We purchased the contract of Daniel Espino from Durham to take over his role.

Game 2: 7-6 W (12). WP-Espino (1-0). Starter-Bradley (5.1 6 4 4 0 3). HR-Santana (5), Wood 2 (3). Once again the Rays overcame a pair of Ohtani homers as James Wood matched him with his own pair, including the equalizer in the 8th and then Wood capped his 2nd straight 4-RBI day by singling in the walk-off winner in the 12th as the teams traded the lead five times today. Daniel Espino recorded the win in his Rays debut.

Game 3: 6-8 L (14). LP-Okuda (0-3). Starter-Orze (3.2 1 1 1 3 2, 86 pitches). HR-DeLoach (5). Rays led this one 4-2 going into the 8th when Charlie Ruegger gave up back-to-back homers to Rendon and Trout and then Jovani Moran came in and gave up a third straight homer to none other than Ohtani, his 5th in the 3-game series. DeLoach's dramatic 2-out homer in the 9th tied it and the Rays squandered several chances in extras to win it before we were forced to turn to Okuda as the only rested pitcher in the pen in the 13th. He got through that inning but his new frontiers in suckitude continued by allowing 2 in the 14th. He actually lowered his ERA to 19.96 in the outing with 17 runs allowed in 7 2/3 IP this season. He's out of options so he can't be sent to the minors and he still has good ratings so I'm not sure what to do with him.

Team record: 8-11. Next up: 3 games in Baltimore.

April 23-25, 2029: at Baltimore (3)
 

Game 1: 2-6 L. LP-Khattak (1-1, 5.2 9 6 6 2 5). HR-Caminero (3). Another lousy game from the Rays with Caminero (3-4, homer) the only one having a good day.

Game 2: 2-3 L (11). LP-Espino (1-1). Starter-Swanda (5.1 5 1 1 3 3). HR-Santana (6). Santana's 2-run homer in the 4th gave them a 2-1 lead until Acosta served up a homer in the 7th and then Espino loaded the bases in the 11th and proceeded to balk home the winning run as this team keeps finding new ways to lose, although scoring only 2 runs is a time-honored prescription for defeat.

Game 3: 8-6 W. WP-Eldridge (3-0, 6 9 6 6 2 3). S-Riley (1). HR-Wood (4). James Wood's 3-run shot in the 5th capped a comeback from 6-2 down, putting the Rays ahead to stay. Wander was also 4-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI and Eldridge got the win despite a lousy outing as they snapped a 3-game losing streak.

Team record: 9-13. Next up: A day off then Boston comes to the Trop for 3 games.

Rays news: Dane Dunning, one of the veteran starters we signed to give us depth at Durham, stretched an elbow ligament and is out 11 months.

April 27-29, 2029: vs Boston (3)
 

Game 1: 8-2 W. WP-Bradley (2-1, 6 5 2 2 2 4). HR-Albies 2 (4), Franco (4), Caminero 2 (5), Wood (5). The series got off to a great start when Albies, Franco and Caminero hit back-to-back-to-back jacks in the first inning and the Rays rolled from there. All the homers except Albies' 2nd were solo shots.

Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-Orze (1-2, 5.2 6 2 2 1 3). A 3-run 5th broke open a scoreless game and Santana's 2-run single provided needed breathing room as the Rays won again. Edwin Diaz had to leave in the 9th trying for the save with back spasms but will be fine in a couple of days.

Game 3: 9-0 W. WP-Khattak (2-1, 8.1 4 0 0 5 5). HR-Albies (5), DeLoach (6), Luciano (3). Khattak took a shutout into the 9th but had to leave with two on and 126 pitches thrown as the Rays routed Boston and swept the series. Albies added a 2-run double as he and Luciano each knocked in three.

Team record: 12-13. We've moved into 2nd in the AL East, 2 1/2 behind Toronto as thankfully nobody is running away with things in the division. Next up: An off-day then we head to Anaheim to play 3 against the 16-9 Angels, against whom we took 2 of 3 about 10 days ago.

MLB News: Mets star SS Francisco Lindor hit his 300th career homer.

May 1-3, 2029: at LA Angels (3)
 

Game 1: 6-2 W. WP-Swanda (1-1, 6 5 2 2 2 1). Swanda finally got his first win of the season despite pitching well (3.66 ERA) with help from Caminero (2 RBI) and Santana (RBI triple).

Game 2: 5-8 L. LP-Eldridge (3-1, 4 6 4 4 1 3). HR-Caminero (6). Caminero had a huge day, going 3-4 with a 2-run double, solo homer and 4 RBI but it wasn't enough as the pitching wasn't good. Daniel Espino came into a 4-3 game in the 7th and let it get away, giving up 4 runs on a pair of homers.

Game 3: 4-1 W. WP-Bradley (3-1, 8.2 5 1 1 2 8). S-Diaz (5). HR-Wood 2 (7), Albies (6). Taj pitched one of the best games of his career, coming within one out of a complete-game shutout before giving up a homer to Mike Trout and then walking a guy. Rays hit 3 solo homers off Shohei Ohtani for the bulk of their offense as they made it six wins in seven and took 2 of 3 from the Angels for the second time this season.

Team record: 14-14, only 1 1/2 behind Toronto for the division lead. Next up: We head east to Texas for 3 games with the Rangers who are off to a 16-13 start.

May 4-6, 2029: at Texas (3)
 

Game 1: 14-15 L. LP-Diaz (0-1). Starter-Orze (3 8 6 6 0 2). HR-Albies (7). What a rollercoaster. Texas went up 6-0 after 3 innings but the Rays went ahead 14-6 in the 8th. Texas got two back off Ryan Okuda (of course) in the 8th and Okuda started the 9th by putting a man on. Charlie Ruegger came in, allowed Okuda's man to score and 3 of his own allowing Texas within 14-12 so Edwin Diaz came in to stop the madness and instead gave up a 3-run walk-off homer to give the Rangers an improbable win. The homer allowed ended a remarkable run by Diaz in which he had 44 consecutive scoreless appearances and 36 straight saves. Albies was 4-6 with the homer and 4 RBI while Caminero was 2-5 with 2 RBI in what should have been a winning effort.

Transaction: Daniel Espino had to leave yesterday's game with a blister, and we claimed reliever Roel Ramirez on waivers.

Game 2: 4-7 L. LP-Khattak (2-2, 5 5 5 5 3 7). More lousy pitching including a terrible debut from Roel Ramirez, who gave up 2 runs on 4 hits of his own and allowed a couple of Khattak's men to score. Caminero was 2-4 with a pair of RBI singles.

Game 3: 5-3 W. WP-Swanda (2-1, 6.2 5 3 3 4 6). S-Diaz (6). Rays salvaged the finale thanks to Swanda and Caminero, who capped a great series by going 3-4 with 3 RBI, driving in 7 over the 3 games. Diaz scared us again by putting men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out in the 9th but whiffed his way out of it.

Team record: 15-16. Remarkably despite the poor series the Rays pulled with 1/2 of the division lead as the Jays were swept in Anaheim. Next up: 4 games in Toronto against those same Jays with a chance to take the division lead.

MLB News: Max Green, our lefty setup guy last year and the last substantial free agent still out there, finally signed a 1/20 deal with the Dodgers.

May 7-10, 2029: at Toronto (4)
 

Game 1: 6-0 W. WP-Eldridge (4-1, 9 2 0 0 0 6). HR-Santana (7), E.Green (2). Eldridge threw a 102-pitch 2-hit shutout, the first of his career (and first complete game) and Santana had a first-inning grand slam to give him a comfortable lead.

Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-Bradley (4-1, 6.2 5 1 1 0 4). HR-DeLoach (7), Franco (5). Taj was excellent and the DeLoach/Franco combo was 5-9 with 2 HR and 3 RBI to lead the way as the Rays opened up a 1-game lead on Baltimore in the East.

Game 3: 6-7 L. LP-Diaz (0-2). Starter-Orze (4.2 5 4 4 3 4). HR-Caminero (7), Luciano (4), Santana (8). Diaz blew his 2nd save in 3 games, giving up a 2-run homer to former Ray Austin Meadows in the bottom of the 9th to lose a 6-5 lead. Santana's big series continued with a 3-run homer.

Game 4: 5-13 L. LP-Khattak (2-3, 2.1 7 3 3 0 1). HR-DeLoach (8). The pitching was brutal. Khattak had to leave in the 3rd with an abdominal strain, Okuda came in and gave up his usual 4 runs, etc, etc. and the Rays left Toronto in the same place they came in - 2nd, 1/2 game behind the Jays, although now they're tied with Baltimore.

Team record: 17-18. Next up: Back home for 3 against Washington.

May 11-13, 2029: vs Washington (3)
 

Game 1: 2-3 L. LP-Swanda (2-2, 5.1 6 2 2 3 5). The offense could only scrape together 3 hits, although they did draw 7 walks so there were more than a few chances to score more but they didn't and it's three straight losses.

Game 2: 4-5 L. LP-Eldridge (4-2, 3 6 4 4 3 0). HR-Albies (8). Coming off a 2-hit shutout Eldridge was terrible today and although Albies' 2-run shot got them within one, they couldn't get over the hump once again.

Game 3: 4-5 L. LP-Riley (0-1). Starter-Bradley (7 5 3 3 1 6). HR-Albies (9). Groundhog Day for the Rays as they lost the fifth straight game and third of the series by a run. Looked like they might win this one when they went ahead in the 7th 4-3 but Trey Riley gave up a pair in the 8th to let the Nats prevail. This team is starting to circle the drain.

Team record: 17-21. Toronto swept its series so the Rays now find themselves 3 1/2 back, and at 17-21 we're not even looking at a wild card right now. Next up: Not getting any easier as we're off to 22-16 Philly for 3.

MLB News: Houston lost star RF (and former Ray for a season) Kyle Tucker for 6 weeks with a strained triceps.

May 14-16, 2029: at Philadelphia (3)
 

Game 1: 4-3 W (11). WP-Diaz (1-2). S-German (1). Starter-Orze (5 6 2 2 0 4). HR-DeLoach (9), Caminero (8), Haro (1). Rays somehow won this one despite getting only 5 hits in 11 innings and fanning 19 times, but Caminero's homer in the 9th sent us to extras and Nelson Haro picked a great time to hit his first MLB homer in the 11th to win it.

Game 2: 6-3 W. WP-Okuda (1-3). Starter-Khattak (5 6 3 3 1 3). HR-Green (3), Santana (9), Luciano (5). Deja vu all over again as for the second straight night the Rays won a game they trailed 3-2 after 8. This time they scored 4 in the 9th with back-to-back jacks from Santana and Luciano turning things around before Wander added a 2-run double. Ryan Okuda actually went 2 scoreless in this one for the win but Walt Khattak had to leave with a bone spur in his elbow and will be lost for about 2 months.

Transaction: Khattak goes on the IL and journeyman 32-year-old minor leaguer Carlos Espinal is called up, and when he pitches he'll make his MLB debut. He had 7 saves and a 1.23 ERA at Durham. Luis German is ticketed for the rotation to take Khattak's place.

Game 3: 1-3 L. LP-Swanda (2-3, 6 9 3 3 0 4). HR-Green (4). No late-inning magic today as they were held to a mere four hits with Elijah Green's solo homer all they could muster.

Team record: 19-22, still 3 1/2 behind Toronto. Next up: An off-day then more interleague action against Atlanta, this time at home.

May 18-20, 2029: vs Atlanta (3)
 

Game 1: 5-1 W. WP-Eldridge (5-2, 8 4 1 0 2 5). Rays trailed 1-0 going into the 6th but the bats came alive and backed a great outing from Bryce Eldridge. Wander drove in a pair and Santana had 3 hits, scoring twice.

Transaction: Claimed P Tanner Dodson on waivers from Cincinnati, designated P Carlos Espinal for assignment and placed him on waivers.

Sadly the feel-good story of the career minor leaguer and 32-year-old Espinal concluded without him still getting to throw an MLB pitch as Dodson, who is rated 55/70/55 as a reliever, was claimed and came full circle back to the Rays who drafted him in 2018 before trading him to the Dodgers in early 2022.

Game 2: 5-2 W. WP-Acosta (3-0). S-Diaz (7). Starter-Bradley (5.2 5 1 1 1 12). HR-Rivera (2). Taj was dominant and the Rays scored 3 times in the 7th as Caminero capped a 3-hit day with a 2-run tie-breaking double. Wander was 4-5 with an RBI as well.

Game 3: 6-1 W. WP-Orze (2-2, 5.2 3 1 1 1 9). HR-Santana (10). The Rays completed the sweep and got back to .500 thanks to a great Orze outing and a 3-4, 3-RBI day from rookie Nelson Haro which included a pair of doubles with Santana's 2-run homer also proving to be big.

Team record: 22-22. Back to within 1 1/2 of Toronto for the division lead and 1/2 back of the third wild card. Next up: Baltimore visits for 4 games.

May 21-24, 2029: vs Baltimore (4)
 

Game 1: 15-1 W. WP-German (2-1, 5 4 1 0 1 8). HR-Caminero (9). Luis German's first start was a success and he had all the support he could dream of. Wander was 3-6 with 5 RBI including a bases-clearing double, Caminero had a 3-run homer, and DeLoach had his own bases-clearing double as the Rays climbed over .500 for the first time all season.

Game 2: 3-4 L. LP-Swanda (2-4, 5 5 2 1 1 11). Despite being dominant at times Swanda remained our hard-luck guy, dropping to 2-4 despite a 3.60 ERA. It was 4-0 Baltimore before a Rays comeback came up short.

Game 3: 4-1 W. WP-Eldridge (6-2, 6 5 1 1 2 5). S-Diaz (8). HR-Franco (6), Luciano (6). It was 1-0 Orioles before the Rays got 2-run homers from Franco and Luciano in the 6th & 7th innings to turn the game around.

Game 4: 7-0 W. WP-Bradley (5-1, 7 3 0 0 2 8). HR-Wood (8). Taj lowered his ERA to 2.94 with another gem and the Rays took an easy win to move 2 games over .500. But they suffered a key injury as Wander Franco strained his hip and will be out three weeks, a tough blow considering how key he is to the team. His replacement Brooks Lee knocked in a couple and Wood had a 2-run homer to lead the offense.

Team record: 25-23. So what did taking 3 of 4 get them in the division race? A game farther behind as Toronto took 4 from the Yankees. They have moved into a tie for the second wild card spot though. Next up: off to Oakland for 3 games.

MLB News: Mets slugger Pete Alonso hit his 400th career homer, and Baltimore lost star catcher Adley Rustchman for six weeks with an oblique strain in the series we just played.