Tampa Bay Rays 2023 Season Preview
Smart organizations almost always get the benefit of the doubt from me. There may not be a smarter one in baseball than the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays made the playoffs for the fourth straight season and have ranked 30th, 28th, 26th and 24th in year-end 40-man roster payroll over that span according to Cot’s Contracts. Last season’s year-end mark of $97,486,640 was the highest in franchise history and first time outside of the bottom five in payroll since 2012.
The Orioles aren’t really spending a whole lot, but the Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox certainly are, which makes all of Tampa Bay’s accomplishments that much more impressive. Now, the Rays may even get a respite with the changes to the schedule that take away 24 games against division opponents. For a smart, well-prepared team with a distinct home-field advantage, welcoming more opponents into the fold could yield some serious dividends.
Over the last 15 seasons, the Rays have had a losing record just four times and they were all grouped together from 2014-17. I don’t anticipate one, and neither do the oddsmakers, as one of sport’s model organizations gets ready for another run to the postseason.