Winning 77 games feels like a failure when you're used to the postseason being a birthright. For the Tampa Bay Rays, finishing 2025 with a 77-85 record was a slap in the face. It landed them 4th in the AL East, staring up at the Blue Jays and Yankees, who both coasted to 94 wins. Honestly, it was a weird year.
Hurricane Milton shredded the roof off Tropicana Field. The team spent the season playing at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Basically, they were nomads in their own backyard. But if you’re looking at the tampa bay rays standings today, in the middle of January 2026, you shouldn't be looking at the L column from last October. You should be looking at the trade wire.
Erik Neander is doing that thing again. You know, the thing where he trades away fan favorites for a haul of guys you've never heard of who will eventually win 90 games.
Where the Tampa Bay Rays Standings Left Off
The 2025 season was a slog. Finishing 17 games back from the division lead isn't just a "down year" for this franchise—it's an identity crisis. The Rays were 41-40 at home (well, at the Yankees' spring training home) and a dismal 36-45 on the road. They couldn't hit. Simple as that.
Junior Caminero was a bright spot, sure. The kid mashed 45 home runs. Forty-five! As a 22-year-old! But outside of him and Yandy Díaz’s usual .300 average, the lineup had more holes than a screen door.
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- Final 2025 AL East Standings:
- Toronto Blue Jays (94-68)
- New York Yankees (94-68)
- Boston Red Sox (89-73)
- Tampa Bay Rays (77-85)
- Baltimore Orioles (75-87)
The pitching, usually the bedrock of the organization, was... fine? A 3.94 team ERA isn't bad, but it wasn't the "Rays Way" dominance we expect. They had a 4th-best WHIP in the league (1.22), which tells you they were still preventing baserunners, but they lacked the strikeout punch they had in the Shane McClanahan prime years.
The Great 2026 Roster Shakeup
If you're tracking the tampa bay rays standings for the upcoming 2026 season, the roster looks wildly different than it did three months ago. In December, they pulled the trigger on a massive three-team deal. They sent Brandon Lowe—the heart of the lineup for years—to the Pirates. In return? They snagged Jacob Melton from the Astros and Anderson Brito.
Then came the Shane Baz trade.
Trading Baz to the Orioles felt like a gut punch to some fans. But look at the return: Caden Bodine, Slater de Brun, Austin Overn, and Michael Forret. That is a classic Rays move. They exchanged one high-ceiling arm for a boatload of depth and high-level prospects. It’s a gamble that they can rebuild the rotation on the fly while McClanahan works his way back to 100%.
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Why 2026 Looks Different
The Rays are heading back to the Trop. The roof is getting fixed, and the team is returning to St. Pete. There's a psychological boost there that shouldn't be ignored. More importantly, the farm system is about to burst.
Carson Williams is the name everyone is whispering about. He’s the top prospect in the system and arguably the best shortstop prospect in baseball. He’s expected to make his mark on the tampa bay rays standings early in 2026. Between him, Caminero, and the newly acquired Gavin Lux (who came over in that wild Josh Lowe/Reds/Angels three-way trade), the infield is suddenly young, fast, and dangerous.
The Catcher Conundrum
One thing that held them back in '25 was the lack of offense behind the plate. Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes are great at calling games. They’re defensive wizards. But they hit like pitchers.
Word around the league is that Neander isn't done. They’ve been linked to J.T. Realmuto. Imagine this team with a veteran presence like that. If they land a legitimate offensive threat at catcher, that 77-85 record from last year is going to look like a distant, bad dream.
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Actionable Insights for the 2026 Season
If you're a bettor or just a die-hard fan trying to gauge where the team is headed, keep your eyes on these specific markers as Spring Training approaches.
- Monitor the Strikeout Rates: The Rays' pitching staff saw a dip in K/9 last year. If guys like Ryan Pepiot and a healthy Drew Rasmussen start missing bats again, the Rays will climb the standings fast.
- The "Carson Williams" Clock: Watch his spring stats. If he breaks camp with the team, it signals the Rays are "going for it" rather than a slow rebuild.
- Bullpen Volatility: The Rays traded away several relief pieces this winter. They’re banking on guys like Griffin Jax and Kevin Kelly to anchor the late innings. If the "Stable" isn't stable by May, it's going to be a long summer.
- Stadium Transition: Moving back to Tropicana Field after a year at a minor league park is a big deal. Watch their home record in the first two months.
The AL East is a gauntlet. The Yankees and Blue Jays aren't going anywhere, and the Red Sox are resurgent. But the Rays thrive when everyone counts them out. They finished 4th last year, but the underlying metrics—especially that WHIP and the emergence of Caminero—suggest they are much closer to 90 wins than 80.
Get ready for the 2026 campaign. The rotation is deeper, the infield is younger, and the chips are finally back on the table.