Rays Built an October Contender Without Sacrificing Their Future

The Tampa Bay Rays weren't supposed to be here.

There were plenty of questions surrounding this team coming into the season, and even more when Shane McClanahan went down for a second straight playoff run.

Yet here we are.

The Rays finished the regular season 98-64, won the American League East and earned the top seed in the AL.

How did they do it?

I don't think there is one answer.

Tampa Bay didn't have one superstar carry them for six months. Junior Caminero certainly had an incredible season, but the Rays won 98 games because they consistently did a lot of things well.

The numbers back that up.

Tampa Bay went 25-4 in one-run games and 61-35 in games decided by three runs or fewer.

You don't consistently win close games without doing the little things right.

The Rays finished with an 18.8% strikeout rate, the lowest in baseball. On the other side, their pitching staff had a 6.9% walk rate, also the lowest in baseball.

Rays hitters consistently put the ball in play while their pitchers rarely gave opposing teams free baserunners.

Then add the defense.

Add Chandler Simpson creating problems with his speed and ability to get on the base paths, Caminero hitting 42 home runs, Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda rounding out the offensive core, and Drew Rasmussen putting together another great season.

Then look at what Tampa Bay did at the trade deadline.

The Rays added Freddy Peralta, Liam Hicks, and Tyler Wells without having to completely tear apart the farm system to do it.

Theo Gillen is still with the club, as is recently drafted first-round pick Grady Emerson. They also held on to a majority of their pitching prospects, including some that could make an impact this postseason. 

Peralta arrived with a 4.99 ERA and finished September as the American League Pitcher of the Month. Hicks became another important piece of the lineup.

They didn't completely mortgage the future because they realized they had a chance to win now. Tampa Bay found ways to improve the roster while holding onto their top prospects thanks to the great work behind the scenes from Erik Neander and the Rays front office.

Now they have 98 wins and a legitimate opportunity to make a deep run in October, one that I feel very confident about compared to past experiences in the postseason. 

The Rays have proved they can win with pitching, or power, speed or defense. It's been a full team effort led by a few blooming superstars in the sport. 

And now, we get to see them play some playoff baseball this weekend.