New Season, New Stadium, Same Tampa Bay Rays
Many teams thrive with the noise behind them, while others love playing in the shadows and surprising everyone. The Tampa Bay Rays love hiding in plain sight and being a surprise.
In April, the American League East was set up to be the best division in baseball: the Toronto Blue Jays lost in the World Series in seven games back in October against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees still had the reigning AL MVP in Aaron Judge, as well as improved pitching, the Boston Red Sox improved the batting lineup with Ranger Suarez, the Baltimore Orioles were looking for a bounce-back season after signing former Gator star Pete Alonso in free agency and the Rays … were looking to finish last in the division.
Last season, the Rays finished 77-85 and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The pitching staff struggled to stay healthy, and it had only one starter, Drew Rasmussen, who had an earned run average of less than three.
The Rays also struggled to find offensive consistency throughout the lineup, but third baseman Junior Caminero established himself as a future star. He ended the season batting .264 with 45 homers and 110 runs batted in at just 21 years old. Alongside him was infielder Yandy Díaz, who continued to bat well by hitting .300 with 25 homers and 83 RBIs.
The Rays were also entering their first year under new ownership after Stuart Sternberg agreed to sell the team on Sept. 30, 2025 to a group led by real estate developer Patrick Zalupski.
The Rays believed they had the tools to compete in 2026, however, the media did not think it was possible.
Sportsbooks such as BetMGM and websites such as USA Today had the Rays win total in the upper 70s (MGM had the line set at 76.5). However, the team exceeded all outside expectations, but not those in the clubhouse.
Rays radio play-by-play announcer Neil Solondz said the team had high hopes coming into the year.
“I can’t say that the expectation was to be the best team in the American League, but I think the expectations were much higher internally than they were externally,” Solondz said.
One of the things that garnered excitement was the return of the team’s home, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, he said. The stadium was battered by Hurricane Milton in 2024 and left the roof shredded and the interior damaged. It cost about $60 million to repair, according to ESPN. And it forced the Rays to play the 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, where the Yankees play their spring games.
“I think when you go a year when you’re playing in a place that isn’t your’s because of what the hurricanes did, I think that it made you appreciate Tropicana Field that much more,” Solondz said.
The stadium is more suited for the team’s roster and it showed as the Rays went 55-26 at home this season, tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the best in baseball.
Part of that success, he said, has to do with the connection between the front office and coaching staff, led by manager Kevin Cash, who he believes is one of the best managers in baseball.
“Most of the coaches on the staff have been with the Rays organization for a good while. So I think there’s all an understanding as to what the Rays way is and the expectations that Kevin has.
“I think the Rays have a good sense of self and what it takes to win, and I think regardless of resources, this organization has good players. You don’t win 98 games by accident.”
After his first All-Star appearance in 2025, Caminero entered the MVP conversation this season, and is expected to be a finalist for the award after hitting .276 with 42 homers and 101 RBIs. Solondz said he would never set a bar on any player, but he was impressed by what he saw last season and going into this one.
“I think Junior works so hard in his craft and has such an appreciation for what is required of him that I think he, in many different ways, grew and improved, and that’s a sign of a guy not only who is a great player, but I think more than that, he wants to be great.”
Caminero never gets the appreciation of how great he is as a teammate, he said.
“If you watch him in the dugout on a daily basis, he gets as excited for his teammates succeeding as he does for his own success. And to me, that’s the sign of not only a good young player, but a good team player.
“He’s a big reason why this team is where it is right now.”
As Tampa Bay prepares for its first postseason appearance since 2023, Solondz believes nothing is going to change with how the Rays will play.
“They showed a tremendous amount of heart, they showed the ability to come back in games and win and I think more often than not, they didn’t beat themselves.
“I think when you make fewer mistakes and you force the other team to make plays, it gives you that much of a greater chance of winning.”
Even though the Rays exceeded expectations, the highlight for fans this season had nothing to do with on-field performance. On Aug. 27, the Tampa City Council voted 4-3 in favor of approving a new $2.3 billion stadium located in Tampa, which is expected to open in time for the 2029 season. The team’s lease for Tropicana Field expires in 2028.
However, Solondz said the outside noise of the stadium has not affected the team and will not affect them for the playoffs.
“By and large, the players are focused on their jobs on the field, this year, this moment, and they’ve done a great job staying compartmentalized and when things haven’t gone well on the field.”
The top-seeded Rays face the Yankees in the best-of-five AL Division Series beginning at 6:30 p.m. today at Tropicana Field on TBS, truTV and HBO Max.
Category: MLB, MLB Playoffs, Tampa Bay Rays
