PHOENIX — They’re the guys driving a Ford Taurus and leading the Indy 500.
They’re the guys who can’t afford a double-double burger, let alone a filet mignon, but make In-N-Out feel like a Mastro’s dining experience.
They’re the guys watching clubs desperately calling for team meetings to turn around their sinking seasons, while their lone team meeting is divvying up playoff shares.
They are the Tampa Bay Rays, the finest team in the American League, if not all of baseball, and on pace to shatter every record in franchise history.
They entered Saturday as the envy of every owner and front office in baseball with a 57-28 record, bludgeoning the opposition by a major-league leading 163 runs, and running away with the AL East with a payroll of just $76 million, third-smallest in baseball.
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They are the anthesis of the New York Mets and San Diego Padres, two teams who won the winter hype with a combined payroll of about $600 million, only to have records slightly better than the Colorado Rockies, and facing embarrassing sell-offs at the trade deadline.
“This team,” Rays outfielder Josh Lowe tells USA TODAY Sports, “is incredible for a reason. Everything you hear people saying about us is the truth. It starts with ownership all of the way down. They let us be ourselves. It’s our clubhouse. We care for one another, and we just have fun doing it.
“There’s just no pressure. They take all of the pressure off of you, and you realize it’s the same game you’ve been playing when you were a kid, making everyone feel so relaxed.”
It’s a team that certainly has a brilliant scouting department, develops their players as good as any franchise in the game, but they’ve also created such a comfortable environment that makes it almost impossible not to succeed.
It’s like walking into a Wall Street boardroom wearing a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, plopping down at the conference table, and making more money than everyone wearing Gucci suits and St. John dresses.
“Everyone dresses differently, they don’t care what we’re wearing,” says veteran reliever Jason Adam, whose career flourished two years ago after joining the Rays, his fourth different organization. “There’s a line of professionalism, but definitely not suit and tie.
“It’s pretty laid back. They don’t care about the outside stuff. They care about being a good teammate. They get the most out of us by believing in us, instilling confidence.
“They just help use all of that to our benefit, and let us go have fun, and beat up on teams.”
This is a team that jumped out to a 13-0 start, and hasn’t looked back, threatening to become only the sixth team in baseball history to go wire-to-wire, with their postseason odds now sitting at 99.8%, and 20% to win their first World Series.
“We are good,” says Rays manager Kevin Cash, who’s revered by his players and front office for creating the winning culture. “We are really good.”
It’s stunning how the Rays can turn journeymen into All-Stars almost the moment they walk through the clubhouse doors, while departing players are falling apart the moment they leave the organization.
Harold Ramirez, 28, who spent three years with the Miami Marlins and Cleveland Guardians, comes to Tampa Bay and morphs into a .300 hitter with a 127-plus OPS.
“You can just be yourself,” Ramirez says, “so when you can be yourself, you can be a better person, a better player. They always talk to you. They make me feel more confident. We don’t have rules here. Just be yourself, play the game the right way and compete.”
Left-handed reliever Jake Diekman, 36, pitched for seven different organizations the past 14 years, gets released by the Chicago White Sox six weeks ago, and becomes a dominant fixture in their pen.
“Honestly, I have never heard a negative conversation or a negative statement from a coach to a player since I’ve been here,” Diekman says. “Everything is just super positive. That’s the difference. You know if you’re here, they like some aspect of your game and try to bring the best out of it that they can.
“You can tell why they’re so successful. They put the people in the right positions to succeed, everything is super laid-back, and everyone feels welcome when they get here.”
Adam, 31, bounces around with the Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs, and now is the Rays’ most dependable reliever with a 2.03 ERA in 104 games the past 1 ½ seasons, striking out 118 in 97 ⅔ innings.
Pitching coach Kyle Snyder told Adam to trust his pitches, dominate the strikezone, and the results will come. Adam bought in. The rest is history.
“They simplify it from a pitching standpoint,” Adam says, “and they give you numbers to back why they believe in you. They say they’re all about the process, and they really are.
“It’s such a relaxed coaching staff in general. They practice what they preach. They don’t ride the highs and lows of the game. We lose two in a row, they don’t change, and all of a sudden start panicking, making us wear suits on the plane or something. They’re just good people, that’s the easiest way to put it.”
The Rays are the best at finding hidden gems, trading away their hottest commodities at their peak, and getting the most bang from their buck year after year after year.
You can go around all of baseball, and all of the ex-Rays will tell you there’s no place like Tampa, whether it’s former Cy Young winner Blake Snell of the San Diego Padres, outfielder Tommy Pham of the New York Mets or former All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria of the Arizona Diamondbacks. All of them would love to come back one day.
“Everyone that’s been there will tell you they miss it,” says Longoria, who spent the first 11 years of his career in the organization. “It’s just the way Cash and the front office does things. They make the players feel really comfortable being themselves. They bring guys in, lift up their best attributes and not try to change them into the player people think they can be. They figure out a way to look at the skill sets in a particular player, how he’ll fit into that clubhouse, and then amplify that specific thing he does well. …
“It’s just such a comfortable place to play. You don’t feel this enormous fan pressure of like, ‘If I don’t get a hit every game, I’m going to get booed or run off the field.’ If you’re a free agent there, you don’t have that same type of pressure being in a big market. You just don’t feel that weight like you feel in other places, but you do feel a lot of love.”
There’s no pressure. No World Series or bust proclamations. They haven’t fired a GM in 18 years. They’ve employed only two managers since 2006.
Rays veteran starter Zach Eflin, who signed a three-year, $40 million contract this winter, the largest free-agent contract in franchise history, went through five managers and three GMs in his eight-year stint with the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I’d love nothing more than to spend the rest of my career here,” says Eflin, who should become a first-time All-Star Sunday. “It’s just such a welcoming place. The people here are unbelievable. They’re so genuine. And there’s so much transparency with the front office, coaching staff and the players. There’s no secrets. There’s no drama. No added pressure.
“Just go out, play your game, be a pro, and you’re not going to have any issues.”
If there’s a problem, well, it will be quickly taken care of by Cash and company. When prized 22-year-old shortstop Wander Franco was acting, like well, an immature 22-year-old who’s guaranteed $182 million, he was benched for two days. He was even sent home for one day. The message was sent, loud and clear, and Franco was subtly reminded that no one is going to disrupt this close-knit group.
“We can embrace different individuals, and sometimes we can even go above and beyond supporting different personalities,” Cash says, “and I’d like to think that plays a big role. We preach to play hard, be a good teammate, and be yourself. Ultimately, it’s the players that drive the clubhouse.”
The Rays, whose attendance has increased by 22% to 17,260 a game this year, where they are a major-league best 34-10 at home, will never be big spenders in their AL East neighborhood. They can build a combination of Wrigley Field/Fenway Park and PNC Park to replace Tropicana Field, and the Rays can have a dynasty, and folks still aren’t going to be packing the joint.
No matter. The Rays are going to keep doing it their way, in their own style, letting everyone else try to somehow replicate the best-run organization in perhaps all of sports.
“It’s meaningful when our players are happy and comfortable,” Rays GM Peter Bendix says. “A happy player, a comfortable player, is a good player.”
So, forget the suits and sports jackets, but try to wear at least jeans a nice T-shirt on the team charters. You don’t want to take batting practice, it’s your prerogative. You want to play video games in the clubhouse, grab a joystick.
It’s the Rays’ Way.
“Our internal expectations are to compete every year, win what we think is the best division in baseball every year,’’ Bendix says, “and win as many World Series as we can.”
Just four months remain to get those parade floats ready.
AROUND THE BASEPATHS
—The Padres, several MLB executives say, would be foolish not to listen to trade offers this month for prized outfielder Juan Soto, turning the trade market upside down.
The Padres say they have not discussed trading Soto, and have no intention to move him. Yet, considering that Soto is a free agent after the 2024 season, will receive close to $30 million in his final year of arbitration, and there are no indications he’d be interested in signing a contract extension with the Padres, it would be negligent not to be open to trade talks.
The Padres wouldn’t command the same haul they gave up to the Nationals to acquire him a year ago, but the could certainly recoup a significant part of their investment, lower payroll in 2024, and restock their farm system in light of this year’s disastrous season.
Besides, by moving Soto, it would provide more financial flexibility in their pursuit of free agent Shohei Ohtani this winter.
—Even if the Padres hang onto Soto, they are expected to part ways with former Cy Young winner Blake Snell and All-Star closer Josh Hader at the trade deadline, who are each eligible for free agency after the season.
It would be the first time the Padres sold at the deadline since 2019.
—The New York Mets have no plans to trade co-aces Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander at the trade deadline, and first baseman Pete Alonso isn’t going anywhere. But they will shop outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha, starter Carlos Carrasco and relievers David Robertson and Brooks Raley.
—Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper, born and raised in Las Vegas, is moving his family to Knoxville, Tennessee, this winter. It’s less than a two-hour flight to Philadelphia. Harper becomes the latest MLB player to move to Tennessee, with Nashville becoming an absolute hotbed.
—There’s no GM who has shown more urgency than Perry Minasian of the Angels. He has called up four players from their 2021 and 2022 drafts, signed six free agents, and just traded for two infielders in Eduardo Escobar and Mike Moustakas.
The Angels realize that their best chance of keeping Shohei Ohtani is simply by winning.
—Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell’s price-tag certainly is increasing. He’s in the final year of his contract, and if the Reds earn a playoff berth, he could have an NL Manager of the Year Award on his résumé. Certainly, the Reds plan to keep him, and Bell loves Cincinnati, but his new contract will be a whole lot fatter than it would have been before the start of the season.
It’s surreal they are in first place in the NL Central with a staff 5.01 ERA, and only 19 quality starts.
—Do you realize that none of the seven players who received the highest contracts this past winter likely will be playing in the All-Star game?
Aaron Judge: $360 million.
Manny Machado: $350 million
Rafael Devers: $331 million
Trea Turner: $300 million
Xander Bogaerts: $280 million.
Carlos Correa: $200 million.
Jacob deGrom: $185 million
—It’s hard to fathom that Atlanta picked up 15 games in the standings over the Mets in the month of June. It helps, of course, when you have Ronald Acuña joining Carlos Beltrán as the only players in MLB history to hit at least nine homers and steal 14 or more bases in a month.
—The Nationals are making it no secret they will be moving third baseman Jeimer Candelario at the deadline, perhaps outfielder Lane Thomas, too.
—The Royals made a shrewd move signing free-agent closer Aroldis Chapman for $3.75 million, watching his stock soar, and then unloading him to Texas for prospect depth. The Royals now plan to unload reliever Scott Barlow.
—Scouts say that while LSU right-hander Paul Skenes is awfully impressive, and could pitch in the big leagues right now, he’s not the pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg was when he was picked first in the 2009 Draft out of San Diego State.
—How bad is the Padres’ season going?
They have been walked off eight times already this season and are still winless (0-7) in extra innings.
—The Houston Astros say they don’t have an untouchable prospect in their farm system, but would be highly reluctant to move outfielder Drew Gilbert. They hope DH/OFs Yordan Alvarez and Michael Brantley will return after the All-Star break.
—The Yankees rotation should get a nice boost with Carlos Rodón tentatively scheduled to make his season debut on Friday, July 7, vs. the Chicago Cubs.
—The Phillies plan to have Bryce Harper playing first base after the All-Star break, moving Kyle Schwarber to DH, and opening a spot for an outfielder at the trade deadline.
—The San Francisco Giants, who caught a break when they didn’t sign Carlos Correa to that $350 million contract, have quietly put together the best record in baseball since May 1 and are breathing down the necks of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers. They have gone 26-13 since catcher Patrick Bailey’s debut.
—Miami Marlins hitting machine Luis Arraez, who’s flirting with .400, has yet to strike out twice in a game this season and has never struck out three times in a game his entire career.
—White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson’s trade value has plummeted with his woes this season, and remains homerless since July 15, 2022.
—Just eight of 102 teams since 2012 who have had losing records after the first 81 games have ever reached the postseason, and one more is guaranteed this year:
Every team in the AL Central was under .500 at the halfway mark.
—It’s hard to believe that the Reds haven’t won a postseason series since 1995, and the Diamondbacks haven’t won one since 2007.
Certainly, they’ve got a chance to change that narrative this year.
Follow Nightengale on Twitter: @Bnightengale
