The Tampa Bay Rays started the 2023 MLB season in an impressive fashion, winning their first 13 games. But the way they are ending it is the complete opposite.

The Rays have been handed a quick postseason exit, being swept in the best-of-three NL Wild Card series by the Texas Rangers. The failure to make some noise in the postseason didn’t sit well with manager Kevin Cash.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s part of the game,” said Cash during a press conference.

Tampa Bay looked like the best team in MLB until July when they started falling off. However, they still managed to win 99 games, the second-most in franchise history. But they couldn’t get anything going against the Rangers, allowing 11 runs and managing just one.

Cash is pleased that the Rays at least managed to get on the scoreboard. Before that, Tampa Bay was riding the second-longest scoreless streak in the postseason in MLB history, including the 2022 postseason, with 33 innings in which they failed to get a single run. They were dangerously close to tying and possibly breaking the unflattering record of 34 scoreless innings held by the Los Angeles Dodgers (1966 to 1974).

“I’m glad we scored a run because if not we’d have been talking about that a lot,” Cash added. “Look, our bats just didn’t come to life.”

The post Rays “Frustrated” With Quick Postseason Exit, Says Manager Kevin Cash appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Rays are not going anywhere. According to multiple reports, the franchise managed to strike a deal with the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, for a new stadium.

Rays’ new ballpark is expected to cost $1.2 billion and will be opened in 2028. The stadium will come with a fixed dome and is expected to seat 30,000 spectators.

The Rays have been playing at St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field since the team’s inaugural MLB season in 1998. The 30-year lease is set to expire in 2027, and the franchise didn’t show any intention of renewing it.

Due to Tropicana Field’s less-than-satisfactory condition and poor attendance, the MLB has tried to come up with several different options for the Rays in recent years. There have been talks about relocation as well as splitting the season between St. Petersburg and Montreal. However, neither of those options got any major traction.

The new stadium guarantees that Tampa Bay Rays will remain in St. Petersburg for the foreseeable future. It might also help with the attendance struggles as the ballpark will likely have many more attractions and offer a better baseball-viewing experience than Tropicana Field.

The Rays have already clinched a playoff spot for the 2023 season, currently owning a 92-59 record and sitting at the No. 2 in AL East. This is the fifth consecutive year in which the Rays will be in the postseason.

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Tampa Bay Rays’ ace Shane McClanahan will have Tommy John surgery next week to address a forearm injury that has kept him out since early August. The news was confirmed on Tuesday by the team’s manager Kevin Cash.

“Tough loss, no doubt,” Cash told the reporters.

McClanahan will reportedly miss the rest of the 2023 campaign and the entire 2024 season while rehabbing.

After McClanahan initially landed on the Injured List back in August, Cash said that McClanahan is getting additional opinions before deciding on how to proceed. He added that all options are on the table, including Tommy John procedure.

This will be the second Tommy John surgery for McClanahan. He had the procedure for the first time while being a freshman at USF in 2016.

McClanahan had a strong start to the season, posting an 11-2 record in his 21 starts and helping the Rays to become one of the hottest teams in MLB. He had a 3.29 ERA with 121 strikeouts before going down with the injury. He was selected as an All-Star but didn’t play due to the injury. 

Without McClanahan, the Tampa Bay Rays will hope that the likes of Tyler Glasnow, Zach Eflin, and Aaron Civale can step in and keep their rotation from falling apart. The Rays are currently second in AL East with a 72-50 record.

The post Rays’ Shane McClanahan Opts for Tommy John Surgery, Is Expected to Miss 2024 MLB Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Rays just can’t stop winning in 2023. The Rays got a 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, remaining perfect to start the season and improving to an 11-0 record.

The Rays are now closing in on the record for most wins to start the MLB season. The only two teams that had a better start than Tampa Bay are the Milwaukee Brewers in 1987 and the Atlanta Braves in 1982, who each started 13-0.

Starter Shane McClanahan delivered a strong performance against the Red Sox, having a 1.59 ERA and nine strikeouts in five innings. Yandy Diaz had three hits and one home run, while Brandon Lowe, Josh Lowe, and Isaac Paredes also added homers to keep the Rays’ hot streak going.

“It’s unbelievable. Everyone kind of wrote us off about our offense,” McClanahan said after the game. “But we believe in these guys, and they are showing why we believe in them. It’s been awesome.”

Tampa Bay’s batters already have 29 home runs for the season, which is tied for most through 11 games in major league history. The only team that had as many across the same number of games are the St. Louis Cardinals, who achieved the feat in 2000.

The Tampa Bay Rays will have a chance to continue their winning streak on Wednesday when they face Boston Red Sox again on their Tropicana Field.

The post Tampa Bay Rays Remain Perfect in 2023, Improve to 11-0 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The number of pitchers on the Tampa Bay Rays’ injured list just keeps on growing. The latest to get added on it is veteran closer Andrew Kittredge, who is set to have a Tommy John surgery.

Kittredge, who was an All-Star last year, initially landed on the list due to loose bodies in his elbow. However, what was supposed to be a minor procedure turned out to be a much bigger issue. Further examination showed that he has ligament damage. He will now miss the rest of the 2022 campaign and possibly the better part of the 2023 MLB season as well.

Kittredge has played only 17 games this campaign while struggling with other health issues, including lower back tightness. He went 3-1 with five saves, 14 strikeouts, and a 3.15 ERA.

“There’s no doubt it is frustrating, just because we lean on Kitt so much,” said Rays’ manager Matt Cash. “We felt like he came back, he was in a good spot, and then the next day after his outing, his arm just kind of locked up on him.”

Andrew Kittredge made his MLB debut with the Rays in 2017. After alternating between majors and Triple-A for several years, Kittredge finally got his shot last year and took the most of it. He posted a 9-3 record with 1.88 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 57 appearances on the mound.

The post Rays’ All-Star Andrew Kittredge Needs a Tommy John Surgery appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Rays are taking no chances with their young star shortstop Wander Franco. Despite Franco having just one season in the majors under his belt, the Rays opted to sign the 20-year-old to a massive 11-year contract.

According to reports, the base value of the agreement between the two sides is $185 million. However, Franco’s contract could end up being worth $223 million with a 12th-year option and bonuses.

Franco had an impressive outing in 2021, finishing the regular season with a .288 batting average, seven home runs, and 39 RBIs in 70 games. He was even better in the playoffs, hitting .368 and adding two homers and four RBIs.

This was enough for the Rays to shatter the franchise record with Franco’s deal. The previous record was a six-year, $100 million contract that All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria inked back in 2012. It is also the biggest deal handed to the player with less than one full year of MLB service, topping the $100 million over eight years given by the Atlanta Braves to Ronald Acuna Jr.

The Rays signed Wander Franco in 2017 as one of the top international prospects in the class. He was considered the number one prospect in baseball in both 2020 and 2021 but didn’t make the Rays active roster until June.

The post Rays Lock Wander Franco to 11-Year, $185 Million Contract appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a heartbreaking Game 1 opening 5-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, things didn’t look promising for the Boston Red Sox. Sure, it was only one game, but such a defeat could’ve broken the spirit of many other teams. But not this Red Sox team. A week later, on the heels of three straight victories, they’re now advancing to the ALCS.

In Game 2, Boston showed Tampa why they’re the team to beat with an astonishing 14-6 victory. In Game 3, Boston took the lead in the series with another 6-4 win. But it was in Game 4 that the emotions were running high, after Kike Hernandez gave Boston their second straight walk-off win to vanquish the Tampa Bay Rays for good, ending the series 3-1.

Boston is now set to face the Houston Astros in the ALCS, and will certainly have their hands full with that. If they manage to get past Houston, they’ll be given the task of facing either the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, or Atlanta Braves, depending on which of them makes it.

Needless to say, Boston’s road to the crown still may have plenty of bumps, but if this opening series is any indication, we think they’ll have the tools to handle it.

The post Red Sox Beat Rays, Advance to ALCS appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After losing in the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Tampa Rays have reportedly just traded the one man who almost won it for them—Blake Snell.

The Rays traded their star starting pitcher to the San Diego Padres for four young prospects, in a move that suggests they’re possibly rebuilding for the future.

We last saw Snell when he was striking out multiple Dodger players in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series, in what may have been the greatest performance of his career.

What happened next boggled the minds of many, with Rays manager Kevin Cash taking Snell out of the game. The result was a Dodger victory, leading many to wonder what would have been had Snell stayed in the game.

Nevertheless, Snell is now set to be a Padre, and therefore has much to be excited about. He’ll join a star-studded cast of players, and thus may find himself in the playoffs once more.

The 2018 AL Cy Young winner is coming off a strong season, boasting a 3.24 ERA and an even better 3.03 postseason ERA. If he does anything close to that this season, the Padres should be pretty happy.

The post Rays Trade Blake Snell To The Padres For Prospects appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After declining his $4.5 million club option for the 2021 season earlier this fall, the Tampa Bay Rays reached an agreement with catcher Mike Zunino on a one-year deal with a club option for 2022 to bring the catcher back to the Trop.

Zunino’s new contract is said to be valued at $2 million for the 2021 season. If the club declines his club option for the next season, he will be owed a $1 million buyout.

If they exercise the option, the value on the contract depends on his performance and playing time in 2021, but the value of the deal could reach up to $7 million.

The Rays are bringing back Zunino at a position where they desperately need players for the upcoming season. A part-time starter last season, his former backstop partner Michael Perez left Tampa after being claimed by the Pirates off waivers earlier this fall.

Zunino should be valuable for the Rays once again thanks largely to his defensive acumen behind the plate. The Florida native has batted under .200 for the Rays the past two seasons and has never been able to recreate the magic of his breakout 2015 season in Seattle.

Expect the Rays to ink or trade for another catcher before the offseason ends, but they can at least be assured that they have half of the solution settled.

The post Rays Bring Back C Mike Zunino on 1-Year Deal with Club Option for 2022 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Rays appear to be ready to make some big roster moves after falling short in the 2020 World Series. According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the Rays are willing to listen to offers for their ace pitcher Blake Snell this offseason.

Reportedly, Snell’s trade value, which is considerably high at the moment, and his earnings are the two main factors behind the Rays’ decision. The organization believes they could get some valuable assets in return while also creating badly needed financial flexibility by getting out of the 27-year-old Snell’s contract that pays him $39 million in the next three seasons.

Feinsand reports that the Seattle Mariners and the LA Angels are currently the two teams that have the most interest in Snell.

Mariners have a longtime business history with the Rays and also can make a good offer thanks to a plethora of prospects. The move would likely work out for Snell as well, considering he was born and raised in Seattle.

Angels, on the other hand, would like to boost their rotation, and there is no better way to do that than adding a former Cy Young winner to their roster. The only question is whether they have enough assets to pull off a deal like this.

Blake Snell made his MLB debut with Rays in 2016 and has since become one of the team’s most impactful pitchers. This was especially the case in the 2018 MLB season when he led the American League in wins and ERA while winning the Cy Young Award and receiving an All-Star nod.

Snell’s career stars include a 42-30 record, 3.24 ERA, and 648 strikeouts.

The post Rays Consider Trading Ace Pitcher Blake Snell appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Rays started the 2023 MLB season in an impressive fashion, winning their first 13 games. But the way they are ending it is the complete opposite.

The Rays have been handed a quick postseason exit, being swept in the best-of-three NL Wild Card series by the Texas Rangers. The failure to make some noise in the postseason didn’t sit well with manager Kevin Cash.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s part of the game,” said Cash during a press conference.

Tampa Bay looked like the best team in MLB until July when they started falling off. However, they still managed to win 99 games, the second-most in franchise history. But they couldn’t get anything going against the Rangers, allowing 11 runs and managing just one.

Cash is pleased that the Rays at least managed to get on the scoreboard. Before that, Tampa Bay was riding the second-longest scoreless streak in the postseason in MLB history, including the 2022 postseason, with 33 innings in which they failed to get a single run. They were dangerously close to tying and possibly breaking the unflattering record of 34 scoreless innings held by the Los Angeles Dodgers (1966 to 1974).

“I’m glad we scored a run because if not we’d have been talking about that a lot,” Cash added. “Look, our bats just didn’t come to life.”

The post Rays “Frustrated” With Quick Postseason Exit, Says Manager Kevin Cash appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Rays are not going anywhere. According to multiple reports, the franchise managed to strike a deal with the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, for a new stadium.

Rays’ new ballpark is expected to cost $1.2 billion and will be opened in 2028. The stadium will come with a fixed dome and is expected to seat 30,000 spectators.

The Rays have been playing at St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field since the team’s inaugural MLB season in 1998. The 30-year lease is set to expire in 2027, and the franchise didn’t show any intention of renewing it.

Due to Tropicana Field’s less-than-satisfactory condition and poor attendance, the MLB has tried to come up with several different options for the Rays in recent years. There have been talks about relocation as well as splitting the season between St. Petersburg and Montreal. However, neither of those options got any major traction.

The new stadium guarantees that Tampa Bay Rays will remain in St. Petersburg for the foreseeable future. It might also help with the attendance struggles as the ballpark will likely have many more attractions and offer a better baseball-viewing experience than Tropicana Field.

The Rays have already clinched a playoff spot for the 2023 season, currently owning a 92-59 record and sitting at the No. 2 in AL East. This is the fifth consecutive year in which the Rays will be in the postseason.

The post Tampa Bay Rays Strike a Deal for a New Stadium in St. Petersburg appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Tampa Bay Rays’ ace Shane McClanahan will have Tommy John surgery next week to address a forearm injury that has kept him out since early August. The news was confirmed on Tuesday by the team’s manager Kevin Cash.

“Tough loss, no doubt,” Cash told the reporters.

McClanahan will reportedly miss the rest of the 2023 campaign and the entire 2024 season while rehabbing.

After McClanahan initially landed on the Injured List back in August, Cash said that McClanahan is getting additional opinions before deciding on how to proceed. He added that all options are on the table, including Tommy John procedure.

This will be the second Tommy John surgery for McClanahan. He had the procedure for the first time while being a freshman at USF in 2016.

McClanahan had a strong start to the season, posting an 11-2 record in his 21 starts and helping the Rays to become one of the hottest teams in MLB. He had a 3.29 ERA with 121 strikeouts before going down with the injury. He was selected as an All-Star but didn’t play due to the injury. 

Without McClanahan, the Tampa Bay Rays will hope that the likes of Tyler Glasnow, Zach Eflin, and Aaron Civale can step in and keep their rotation from falling apart. The Rays are currently second in AL East with a 72-50 record.

The post Rays’ Shane McClanahan Opts for Tommy John Surgery, Is Expected to Miss 2024 MLB Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Rays just can’t stop winning in 2023. The Rays got a 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, remaining perfect to start the season and improving to an 11-0 record.

The Rays are now closing in on the record for most wins to start the MLB season. The only two teams that had a better start than Tampa Bay are the Milwaukee Brewers in 1987 and the Atlanta Braves in 1982, who each started 13-0.

Starter Shane McClanahan delivered a strong performance against the Red Sox, having a 1.59 ERA and nine strikeouts in five innings. Yandy Diaz had three hits and one home run, while Brandon Lowe, Josh Lowe, and Isaac Paredes also added homers to keep the Rays’ hot streak going.

“It’s unbelievable. Everyone kind of wrote us off about our offense,” McClanahan said after the game. “But we believe in these guys, and they are showing why we believe in them. It’s been awesome.”

Tampa Bay’s batters already have 29 home runs for the season, which is tied for most through 11 games in major league history. The only team that had as many across the same number of games are the St. Louis Cardinals, who achieved the feat in 2000.

The Tampa Bay Rays will have a chance to continue their winning streak on Wednesday when they face Boston Red Sox again on their Tropicana Field.

The post Tampa Bay Rays Remain Perfect in 2023, Improve to 11-0 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The number of pitchers on the Tampa Bay Rays’ injured list just keeps on growing. The latest to get added on it is veteran closer Andrew Kittredge, who is set to have a Tommy John surgery.

Kittredge, who was an All-Star last year, initially landed on the list due to loose bodies in his elbow. However, what was supposed to be a minor procedure turned out to be a much bigger issue. Further examination showed that he has ligament damage. He will now miss the rest of the 2022 campaign and possibly the better part of the 2023 MLB season as well.

Kittredge has played only 17 games this campaign while struggling with other health issues, including lower back tightness. He went 3-1 with five saves, 14 strikeouts, and a 3.15 ERA.

“There’s no doubt it is frustrating, just because we lean on Kitt so much,” said Rays’ manager Matt Cash. “We felt like he came back, he was in a good spot, and then the next day after his outing, his arm just kind of locked up on him.”

Andrew Kittredge made his MLB debut with the Rays in 2017. After alternating between majors and Triple-A for several years, Kittredge finally got his shot last year and took the most of it. He posted a 9-3 record with 1.88 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 57 appearances on the mound.

The post Rays’ All-Star Andrew Kittredge Needs a Tommy John Surgery appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Rays are taking no chances with their young star shortstop Wander Franco. Despite Franco having just one season in the majors under his belt, the Rays opted to sign the 20-year-old to a massive 11-year contract.

According to reports, the base value of the agreement between the two sides is $185 million. However, Franco’s contract could end up being worth $223 million with a 12th-year option and bonuses.

Franco had an impressive outing in 2021, finishing the regular season with a .288 batting average, seven home runs, and 39 RBIs in 70 games. He was even better in the playoffs, hitting .368 and adding two homers and four RBIs.

This was enough for the Rays to shatter the franchise record with Franco’s deal. The previous record was a six-year, $100 million contract that All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria inked back in 2012. It is also the biggest deal handed to the player with less than one full year of MLB service, topping the $100 million over eight years given by the Atlanta Braves to Ronald Acuna Jr.

The Rays signed Wander Franco in 2017 as one of the top international prospects in the class. He was considered the number one prospect in baseball in both 2020 and 2021 but didn’t make the Rays active roster until June.

The post Rays Lock Wander Franco to 11-Year, $185 Million Contract appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a heartbreaking Game 1 opening 5-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, things didn’t look promising for the Boston Red Sox. Sure, it was only one game, but such a defeat could’ve broken the spirit of many other teams. But not this Red Sox team. A week later, on the heels of three straight victories, they’re now advancing to the ALCS.

In Game 2, Boston showed Tampa why they’re the team to beat with an astonishing 14-6 victory. In Game 3, Boston took the lead in the series with another 6-4 win. But it was in Game 4 that the emotions were running high, after Kike Hernandez gave Boston their second straight walk-off win to vanquish the Tampa Bay Rays for good, ending the series 3-1.

Boston is now set to face the Houston Astros in the ALCS, and will certainly have their hands full with that. If they manage to get past Houston, they’ll be given the task of facing either the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, or Atlanta Braves, depending on which of them makes it.

Needless to say, Boston’s road to the crown still may have plenty of bumps, but if this opening series is any indication, we think they’ll have the tools to handle it.

The post Red Sox Beat Rays, Advance to ALCS appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After losing in the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Tampa Rays have reportedly just traded the one man who almost won it for them—Blake Snell.

The Rays traded their star starting pitcher to the San Diego Padres for four young prospects, in a move that suggests they’re possibly rebuilding for the future.

We last saw Snell when he was striking out multiple Dodger players in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series, in what may have been the greatest performance of his career.

What happened next boggled the minds of many, with Rays manager Kevin Cash taking Snell out of the game. The result was a Dodger victory, leading many to wonder what would have been had Snell stayed in the game.

Nevertheless, Snell is now set to be a Padre, and therefore has much to be excited about. He’ll join a star-studded cast of players, and thus may find himself in the playoffs once more.

The 2018 AL Cy Young winner is coming off a strong season, boasting a 3.24 ERA and an even better 3.03 postseason ERA. If he does anything close to that this season, the Padres should be pretty happy.

The post Rays Trade Blake Snell To The Padres For Prospects appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After declining his $4.5 million club option for the 2021 season earlier this fall, the Tampa Bay Rays reached an agreement with catcher Mike Zunino on a one-year deal with a club option for 2022 to bring the catcher back to the Trop.

Zunino’s new contract is said to be valued at $2 million for the 2021 season. If the club declines his club option for the next season, he will be owed a $1 million buyout.

If they exercise the option, the value on the contract depends on his performance and playing time in 2021, but the value of the deal could reach up to $7 million.

The Rays are bringing back Zunino at a position where they desperately need players for the upcoming season. A part-time starter last season, his former backstop partner Michael Perez left Tampa after being claimed by the Pirates off waivers earlier this fall.

Zunino should be valuable for the Rays once again thanks largely to his defensive acumen behind the plate. The Florida native has batted under .200 for the Rays the past two seasons and has never been able to recreate the magic of his breakout 2015 season in Seattle.

Expect the Rays to ink or trade for another catcher before the offseason ends, but they can at least be assured that they have half of the solution settled.

The post Rays Bring Back C Mike Zunino on 1-Year Deal with Club Option for 2022 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Rays appear to be ready to make some big roster moves after falling short in the 2020 World Series. According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the Rays are willing to listen to offers for their ace pitcher Blake Snell this offseason.

Reportedly, Snell’s trade value, which is considerably high at the moment, and his earnings are the two main factors behind the Rays’ decision. The organization believes they could get some valuable assets in return while also creating badly needed financial flexibility by getting out of the 27-year-old Snell’s contract that pays him $39 million in the next three seasons.

Feinsand reports that the Seattle Mariners and the LA Angels are currently the two teams that have the most interest in Snell.

Mariners have a longtime business history with the Rays and also can make a good offer thanks to a plethora of prospects. The move would likely work out for Snell as well, considering he was born and raised in Seattle.

Angels, on the other hand, would like to boost their rotation, and there is no better way to do that than adding a former Cy Young winner to their roster. The only question is whether they have enough assets to pull off a deal like this.

Blake Snell made his MLB debut with Rays in 2016 and has since become one of the team’s most impactful pitchers. This was especially the case in the 2018 MLB season when he led the American League in wins and ERA while winning the Cy Young Award and receiving an All-Star nod.

Snell’s career stars include a 42-30 record, 3.24 ERA, and 648 strikeouts.

The post Rays Consider Trading Ace Pitcher Blake Snell appeared first on SportzBonanza.