DRaysBay
A Tampa Bay Rays Blog: Ball on a Budget
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Latest Entries
What is the thing you’re afraid to say out loud about this team?
DRaysBay works best as a place for community and conversation. Accordingly, in the lead up to the new season, we are posting “Daily Questions” in the month of February. I look forward to seeing you in the comment section! This is a safe space, right? RIGHT?
Ron DeSantis, Rob Manfred show support for new Rays stadium at Hillsborough College
Today, Governor DeSantis and MLB Commissioner Manfred gathered with Hillsborough College President Ken Atwater and Rays CEO Ken Babby to show a united front in the effort to build a Rays stadium at the current Hillsborough College site. “Baseball belongs in Tampa Bay,” DeSantis said. “Baseball can succeed in Tampa Bay.” Governor DeSantis led off, […]
Ben Williamson looks to improve his bat, but knows his glove will never let him down
As Danny Russell reported, the Rays have traded for infielder Ben Williamson. Williamson is known for his plus plus defense, but he’s struggled to translate his college and minor league hitting success to the majors. The Mariners promoted Williamson early in 2025, but sent him back to Triple A Tacoma to work on his hitting. […]
Which player do you defend no matter what the numbers say?
DRaysBay works best as a place for community and conversation. Accordingly, in the lead up to the new season, we are posting “Daily Questions” in the month of February. I look forward to seeing you in the comment section! Which player has your unwavering belief? Forget the performance on the field yesterday, you have your […]
Rays acquire 3B Ben Williamson in three-team deal
The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired slick fielding third baseman Ben Williamson from the Seattle Mariners as part of a three-team deal with the St. Louis Cardinals that will generally be known as the Donovan trade: Drafted 57th overall in 2023 after what Baseball America called a “monstrous senior season” at William & Mary, Williamson […]
MLB to Produce and Distribute Rays Broadcast
The Tampa Bay Rays announced today that Major League Baseball will take over production and distribution of local television broadcasts beginning with the 2026 season. The partnership ensures that fans across Florida will be able to watch Rays games through their cable or satellite provider and through MLB’s direct‑to‑consumer streaming service. “Since our first days […]
2026 DRaysBay Community Prospect List: Vote for No. 13
Previous Winner 12. Xavier Isaac, 1B22 | L/L | 6’3” | 240AA | .201/.366/.446 (144 wRC+) 175 PA, 9 HR, 1 SB, 19.4% BB, 29.7% K Isaac had his season cut short large-in-part due to the discovery of a brain tumor, disrupting an otherwise great start to the season that duplicated his cup of coffee […]
Which loss, trade, or season still bothers you the most?
DRaysBay works best as a place for community and conversation. Accordingly, in the lead up to the new season, we are posting “Daily Questions” in the month of February. I look forward to seeing you in the comment section! What moment in this franchise history haunts you, keeps you up at night, barges into your […]
What’s the strongest reason to believe this season won’t be a waste?
DRaysBay works best as a place for community and conversation. It’s what differentiates the SB Nation sites from others. Accordingly, in the lead up to the new season, all MLB sites will have an initiative for “Daily Questions,” starting today. I look forward to seeing you in the comment section! Let’s start off Daily Questions […]
Daily Question: February 1, 2026
DRaysBay works best as a place for community and conversation. It’s what differentiates the SB Nation sites from others. Accordingly, in the lead up to the new season, all MLB sites will have an initiative for “Daily Questions,” starting today. I look forward to seeing you in the comment section! What’s the strongest reason to […]
2026 DRaysBay Community Prospect List: Vote for No. 12
Previous Winner Anderson Brito, RHP21 | 5’10” | 155A+ (HOU) | 3.28 ERA, 2.91 FIP, 49.1 IP (12 GS), 31.1% K, 13.4% BBAFL | 11.1 IP, 6 H, 7 BB, 22 K Acquired in the Brandon Lowe trade, Brito has three plus pitches with a fastball that touches 100 with cut-ride, and two breakers in […]
Tampa Bay Rays announce 2026 Spring Training invitees
The Tampa Bay Rays have announced their non-roster invitees to Spring Training and the list is made up of several top prospects and former top draft picks as well as several players with big league experience. The most notable player to receive an invite is Brody Hopkins, whom many consider to be the team’s top […]
2026 DRaysBay Community Prospect List: Vote for No. 11
Previous Winner Santiago Suarez, RHP21 | 6’2” | ?A+ | 2.88 ERA, 2.07 FIP, 40.2 IP (10 GS), 26.9% K, 3.6% BBAAA | 5 ER (9 H, 2 BB, 3 HR) 11.0 IP (2 GS), 9 K Suarez climbed the ladder to Triple-A to finish a short season, as some triceps/shoulder issues hampered his 2025, but […]
Upgrades in the Outfield
The Rays front office has quietly done a nice job restructuring the outfield group – so quietly that the improvements may have even flown under the radar of many fans. The outfield production was less than ideal last season. Together, Rays outfielders produced an 85 wRC+ – which was the 5th lowest among all outfields […]
2026 DRaysBay Community Prospect List: Vote for No. 10
Previous Winner Michael Forret, RHP22 | 6’3” | 190A+ (BAL) | 1.51 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 59.2 IP (16 G, 15 GS), 33.5% K, 7.5% BBAA (BAL) | 1.88 ERA, 2.03 FIP, 14.1 IP (3 GS), 15 K, 3 BB A product of the State College of Florida Manatee – Sarasota (formerly Manatee Junior College), Forret […]
2026 DRaysBay Community Prospect List: Vote for No. 9
Previous winner (via runoff) 7. Jadher Areinamo, INF22 | R/R | 5’8” | 160A+ (MIL) | .255/.316/.397 (126 wRC+) 415 PA, 11 HR, 15 SB, 8.2% BB, 11.6% KAA (TB) | .255/.316/.697 (111 wRC+) 159 PA, 4 HR, 6 SB, 7.5% BB, 11.9% KVEN | .364/.420/.692 162 PA, 13 HR, 5 SB, 8.6% BB, 12.3% […]
Rays Co-Chair Bill Cosgrove’s Union Home Mortgage named key team sponsor
When new owners stepped in to purchase the Rays, one of the lingering questions was how intwined those new owners would make their businesses with the Tampa Bay Rays. Would Tropicana Field become Dream Home Finders Field (named for the managing partner Patrick Zalupski’s company)? Could the next new stadium? Time will tell, but the […]
What is in the Rays-Hillsborough College MOU?
We’ve known for some time that the Hillsborough College (HC) Dale Mabry site was the leading candidate for a potential Tampa Rays stadium, and on Tuesday the HC board unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) authorizing the college to pursue a partnership with the Rays. Now, thanks to Neil deMause of Field of Schemes, […]
Baseball Prospectus announces 2026 top Tampa Bay Rays prospects
Prospect season continues and with it, Baseball Prospectus has published their list of the top 20 prospects in the Tampa Bay Rays system entering the 2026 season. There are some suprises on the list as Baseball Prospectus is much higher on Ty Johnson than other prospect sites (other than our own, which ranked Ty Johnson […]
2026 DRaysBay Community Prospect List: Runoff!
Previous Winner NONE Exactly half of the votes in the previous poll went to two players: INF Jadher Areinamo and RHP TJ Nichols. Accordingly, for this next poll, we will do a runoff of these two players. The winner of the vote will receive the No. 7 slot, and the loser will receive the No. […]
Rays Winter Ball Standout Performers
The Rays had several interesting names getting some reps in international leagues during the offseason. I’ve recapped the performances from some of the standouts below and looked ahead to what it could mean for them in 2026. Australian Baseball League Leonardo Pineda The 2024 international signee has played less than 100 professional games since joining […]
Hillsborough College gives unanimous approval to Rays new stadium MOU
The Hillsborough College District Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Tampa Bay Rays, authorizing the College to pursue a partnership for the redevelopment of its Dale Mabry Campus. The team announced statements from Rays Chief Executive Officer Ken Babby, Hillsborough College President Dr. Ken Atwater, and […]
Rays to present new stadium plan to Hillsborough College
The Tampa Bay Rays new ownership group has prioritized the 108 acre Hillsborough College Dale Mabry campus for a new stadium in Tampa, between Tampa International Airport’s secondary runway and the Buccaneer’s Raymond James Stadium, and has an aggressive goal of opening a new stadium for the 2029 season. Today, the Rays take the first […]
2026 DRaysBay Community Prospect List: Vote for No. 7
Previous Winner Daniel Pierce, SS19 | R/R | 6’0” | 185 The 14th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Pierce is a preternatural defender at short stop, with a top flight glove that could rival any player in the organization. Early reports say he’s already started building muscle as a professional, which is helpful for […]
2026 DRaysBay Community Prospect List: Vote for No. 6
Previous Winner Ty Johnson, RHP24 | 6’6” | 205AA | 2.61 ERA, 2.33 FIP, 110.1 IP (26 G, 20 GS), 34.7% K, 8.8% BB A dip-and-drive pitcher with a quick arm action and a limited arsenal with a flat plane have given Johnson a reliever projection most of his minor league career, but his success […]