Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the American League East Division. The Rays are one of two major league clubs based in Florida, along with the National League’s Miami Marlins. The team plays its home games at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The team began play as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1998 Major League Baseball season after many years of efforts to bring a team to the area. In 2008, the team changed its name to the Rays, which now represents both manta rays and rays of sunshine. That same year, the Rays had their first winning season and won the American League championship but lost the World Series.

Since then, the Rays have made the postseason many times, including winning the American League again in 2020. They have not yet won a World Series title. The Rays have strong rivalries with the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, both also teams in the AL East. They also have a rivalry with the Miami Marlins, their fellow Florida team.

History

Main article: History of the Tampa Bay Rays

See also: History of baseball in the Tampa Bay area

Background and push for an expansion team

The Tampa Bay area has long been connected to amateur and professional baseball. Tampa and St. Petersburg were among the first places to host Major League Baseball spring training in the 1910s. The Tampa Smokers and St. Petersburg Saints were founding members of the minor league Florida State League in 1919. It wasn’t until after World War II, with population and economic growth, that the area was considered for major professional sports.

Efforts to bring Major League Baseball to Tampa Bay began in the late 1960s. Civic leader Jack Lake argued that St. Petersburg could support a team. Though Tampa got the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team in 1974, many tries to get a baseball team failed in the 1970s to early 1990s. Teams like the Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins thought about moving but stayed. St. Petersburg built Tropicana Field in the mid-1980s to attract a team, but it took more years.

When MLB planned to add two teams for the 1993 season, many thought one would be in Tampa Bay. But the area’s bids were split, and MLB chose Denver and Miami instead. One group sued but later sold their rights.

In 1992, investor Vince Naimoli tried to buy the San Francisco Giants to move them, but MLB blocked it. Naimoli sued and, as part of settling, MLB awarded him an expansion team in 1995. The team began playing in 1998 at Tropicana Field.

Naimoli first wanted to call the team the “Tampa Bay Sting Rays,” but another team had that name. So, they became the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Some local pastors didn’t like the “Devil” name, but fans supported it in a poll.

The Devil Rays’ first manager was Larry Rothschild, and their first player was pitcher Tony Saunders. They also signed veteran players like Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff.

1998–2005: The Devil Rays and early struggles

The Devil Rays played their first game on March 31, 1998, losing to the Detroit Tigers. The next day, they won their first game. Though they were over .500 early, they ended the year with 99 losses.

The team struggled in the next few years. Many veteran players were past their best years. Manager Larry Rothschild was fired in 2001 and replaced by Hal McRae, but the team kept losing. In 2002, they had a franchise-worst record of 55–106.

Lou Piniella, a Tampa native and former World Series manager, took over in 2003. The team improved to 63 wins in 2003 and 70 wins in 2004, but still struggled to attract fans. In 2005, Carl Crawford and new players like Jonny Gomes helped, but the team finished with 67 wins and 95 losses.

Tensions grew between owners and managers. After the 2005 season, owner Stuart Sternberg bought the team and hired Joe Maddon as manager.

2006–2015: The Rays, Joe Maddon, and first postseason appearances

In 2006, Sternberg hired Joe Maddon to manage the team. The Rays rebranded in 2008, dropping “Devil” and becoming the Tampa Bay Rays. They changed their colors and increased the team’s budget. With players like Carl Crawford, James Shields, and new additions like David Price, the Rays had their best start ever and made the playoffs for the first time in 2008. They won the American League Division Series and the American League Championship Series but lost the World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies.

In 2009, the Rays had a winning record but didn’t make the playoffs. In 2010, they won the AL East but lost in the ALDS. They made the playoffs again in 2011 and 2013 but lost each time. After a losing record in 2014, Maddon left, and Kevin Cash became the new manager.

2015–present: The Kevin Cash era

Kevin Cash became the team’s manager in 2015. In 2019, under Cash, the Rays made the playoffs again. In 2020, despite a shorter season due to COVID-19, the Rays won their division and reached the World Series but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The team continued to make the playoffs in later years but faced challenges with injuries. In 2022, they made history with the first all-Latino lineup in MLB. Despite strong starts in some seasons, injuries and trades led to mixed results.

In 2025, the Rays began discussions to be sold to a new owner.

Season results

Main article: List of Tampa Bay Rays seasons

Here are the results of the Tampa Bay Rays for their last five seasons in Major League Baseball. The information shown here is up to date through the 2025 Major League Baseball regular season.

Rivals

AL East

Tampa Bay's main rivals are the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

Boston Red Sox

Main article: Rays–Red Sox rivalry

The rivalry between the Red Sox and the Rays started in 2000. Over the years, there have been some exciting moments and intense games between the two teams.

New York Yankees

As part of the same division, the Yankees and Rays play each other often. The rivalry grew stronger in 2008 during spring training and has had some memorable moments since then.

Citrus Series

Main article: Marlins–Rays rivalry

The Rays also have a rivalry with the Miami Marlins because they are both teams from Florida. Tampa Bay has won more games in this rivalry so far.

Ballparks

Tropicana Field

Main article: Tropicana Field

The Tampa Bay Rays have played at Tropicana Field since they began in 1998. The stadium was originally called the "Florida Suncoast Dome" and was built in the late 1980s to bring a Major League Baseball team to the area. After St. Petersburg got an MLB team in 1995, the dome was renovated and named after Tropicana Products, a company based in nearby Bradenton.

In 2006 and 2007, Tropicana Field had more upgrades to make the experience better for fans. Players also got a new Field Turf surface in 2007, which was later changed to AstroTurf in 2011.

George M. Steinbrenner Field

Main article: George M. Steinbrenner Field

On November 14, 2024, the Rays announced they would play the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. This is where the New York Yankees hold their spring training games.

Tropicana Field was badly damaged by Hurricane Milton in October 2024, so the Rays needed a new home for the next season. George M. Steinbrenner Field was chosen because it is ready to host regular-season games and had recent upgrades like better lighting and larger locker rooms.

Proposed new ballpark

Main articles: Rays Ballpark, Ybor Stadium, and Gas Plant Stadium

The Rays have looked for years for a better home. They tried to build a new stadium in different parts of the Tampa Bay area but faced many challenges. In 2023, they planned to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg next to Tropicana Field, but in March 2025, they decided not to pursue it.

In January 2026, the Rays found a new possible location near Hillsborough College's Dale Mabry campus. The state of Florida approved the land transfer for this project in February 2026.

Logo and uniform history

1998–2000: Devil Rays rainbow

During their first three seasons, the Tampa Bay Rays wore special white home and gray road uniforms with colorful "Devil Rays" writing (home) and "Tampa Bay" writing (road) across the chest. The team also had unique caps for these uniforms.

2001–2007: Rays greens

In 2001, the team changed their uniforms to use more green. They also changed the writing on their jerseys and shortened the name on the home uniforms to just "Rays".

2008–present

Since 2008, the Rays have used a consistent uniform design. The home jersey is white with "Rays" written in blue across the chest. The road jersey is gray with the same design. The team also has alternate uniforms in different colors.

"Turn Back the Clock" Nights

The Rays sometimes wear special throwback uniforms to celebrate their history. These uniforms look like the ones they wore in the past. Opponents sometimes wear throwback uniforms too.

City Connect

In 2024, the Rays introduced new uniforms called "City Connect". These uniforms have designs that represent the Tampa Bay area, including the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and local symbols.

Team media

Radio

WDAE (620 AM) has been the main radio station for the Rays since 2009. The main announcers are Andy Freed and Neil Solondz. Dave Wills was an announcer for 18 years until he passed away in March 2023. Rich Herrera hosted shows before and after games from 2005 to 2011. The original announcers when the team started in 1998 were Paul Olden and Charlie Slowes. Slowes now works for the Washington Nationals, and Olden returned to photography before becoming the announcer at Yankee Stadium in 2008.

Television

FanDuel Sports Network Sun has shown most Rays games for many years. Before 2025, some games were also on Ion Television stations across Florida, with WXPX-TV in Tampa as the main station. Starting in 2025, some games will be shown on WTOG in St. Petersburg.

Dewayne Staats and former player Brian Anderson are the main TV announcers. Staats worked with Joe Magrane for the first 11 years, but Magrane left in 2009 to work for the MLB Network. Kevin Kennedy was the main commentator in 2009 and 2010, and then Anderson took over. Starting in 2024, Andy Freed sometimes fills in for Staats when the team is away.

After some changes with their TV network, the Rays started their own streaming service called Rays.TV in 2026. This service uses the same announcers as before and will show games online. The Rays will also show ten games on regular TV in the Tampa Bay area each season.

Awards

Staats, Magrane, Wills, Olden, and Slowes have all been considered for the Ford C. Frick Award, an award for great broadcasters that can lead to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Rookie

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were part of the 2002 movie The Rookie. The movie tells the true story of pitcher Jim Morris, who played a short time for the team. He pitched in 21 games over two seasons, with an earned run average of 4.80.

Rays fandom

The Tampa Bay Rays have fun mascots and traditions that make their games special. Their main mascots are Raymond, a sea dog who cheers with fans, and DJ Kitty, a big cat character who dances and plays music to get everyone excited.

Fans also ring cowbells during games, especially when the other team is struggling. The team has had fun nights with famous wrestlers visiting and playing matches after games. They also created special slogans to inspire players and fans, like "9=8" to aim for the playoffs. Players even got cool haircuts called "rayhawks" during exciting seasons.

Roster

The Tampa Bay Rays are a professional baseball team from the Tampa Bay area in Florida. They play in Major League Baseball and are part of the American League East Division. Florida also has another team, the Miami Marlins, which plays in the National League.

Minor league affiliations

The Tampa Bay Rays have partnerships with several minor league teams to help develop players. These partnerships allow players to gain experience and improve their skills before possibly joining the main team.

Awards, league leaders, and individual records

See also: Tampa Bay Rays award winners and league leaders

The Tampa Bay Rays have their own Hall of Fame that started in 2023.

The Rays have retired three numbers. These numbers are shown near the center field scoreboard. Evan Longoria’s number 3 will join them on July 12, 2026. Every team in baseball retired Jackie Robinson’s number 42 in 1997, so no Rays player has ever worn that number.

Some of the team’s best single-season performances include:

• Highest batting average: .330, Yandy Díaz (2023)
• Most games played: 162, Aubrey Huff (2003), Evan Longoria (2014), and Delmon Young (2007)
• Most hits: 198, Aubrey Huff (2003)
• Highest slugging percentage: .627, Carlos Peña (2007)
• Most doubles: 47, Aubrey Huff (2003)
• Most triples: 19, Carl Crawford (2004)
• Most home runs: 46, Carlos Peña (2007)
• Most RBIs: 121, Carlos Peña (2007)
• Most stolen bases: 60, Carl Crawford (2009)
• Most wins by a pitcher: 21, Blake Snell (2018)
• Lowest ERA: 1.89, Blake Snell (2018)
• Most strikeouts: 252, Chris Archer (2015)
• Most complete games: 11, James Shields (2011)
• Most shutouts: 4, James Shields (2011)
• Most saves: 48, Fernando Rodney (2012)

Main article: Florida Sports Hall of Fame

Team salaries

Opening Day payrolls for the team's 25-player roster since 1998 are shown here.