The Tampa Bay Rays Have ONE Major Concern Heading Toward October

The Tampa Bay Rays know exactly how to get to the World Series, despite never taking home the hardware for themselves. 

And following the recent moves at the MLB Trade Deadline, the organization, led by Erik Neander, may finally be in the right spot to make it happen. 

Earlier this week, MLB.com released a list discussing the biggest question facing all 30 teams down the stretch of the season, and for the Rays, talent was not questioned, availability was. 

"The Rays have put themselves in position to win a division in which they were widely predicted to finish last. That is still the goal, so their focus must remain on an AL East title and a first-round bye past the Wild Card Series, said MLB writer Adam Berry. "But it's also critical that their most important players are healthy, strong and hitting their stride at the right time. In their last three trips to the postseason, the Rays bowed out quickly because they simply ran out of starting pitching (2021), impact hitters ('22) and a combination of both ('23). In a wide-open AL, this is the year to play your best baseball in October."

This is certainly a valid concern to have based on the past few trips to the MLB playoffs for Tampa Bay. 

However, no blockbuster trades were needed, like a potential Shohei Ohtani trade in 2023 that almost sent Junior Caminero to the West Coast. Instead, the front office bolstered the roster in multiple ways to ensure depth and, hopefully, availability. 

The team entered Thursday looking for a series win over the Toronto Blue Jays and a five-game lead over the New York Yankees for the division lead, despite having one of their starting pitchers, Griffin Jax, on the injured list. A few of their mainstays in the batting order, such as Victor Mesa Jr., are dealing with injuries as well. 

However, the Rays continue to find ways to win. 

And what might be the craziest part of the entire season for Tampa Bay is that they have yet to unleash their full potential. Tampa Bay acquired Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets at the trade deadline. After three starts, he's showing progress in every appearance, but still has some ways to go before he is back to his former Milwaukee Brewer self. 

If the Tampa Bay pitching team can bring back that performance, then the Rays will certainly have one of the most dangerous pitching staffs in all of baseball heading into October.