RBLR Rays Weekly Roundtable – 10/22/2026 – The Calm Before Game 1
The Rays are hours away from a World Series, and the waiting has a strange texture to it. There’s too much time to think and fidgit, so our staff put it to use the way fans always do, picturing the games ahead while keeping one eye on the Tampa Bay teams that stood in this spot before.
Jacob Macauley (@raysfarmreport) : How A Game 4 Pitching Plan Could Shape The Bullpen
The Rays have surprised most by announcing Nick Martinez as their Game 1 starter instead of ace Drew Rasmussen, which theoretically sets them up to roll with Rasmussen in Game 2 and Freddy Peralta in Game 3.
So who takes the ball in Game 4? Griffin Jax seems like the likely choice for that start, but could the Rays possibly get creative? Tampa Bay could look to get Jax 1 TTO, in which he allowed a .281 wOBA and a 20.9% K-BB% this season. This allows the Rays to operate with Jax in the bullpen in Games 1 & 2, providing Kevin Cash the opportunity to have more depth and creativity to cover the middle innings the Rays might struggle to cover.
Although Kevin Cash has been pretty persistent with having him come out of the bullpen, Ian Seymour could also play a factor in 1 TTO role to go alongside Jax. Seymour posted a 26.6% K-BB%, but accompanied that with a .373 wOBA allowed his first time through the order.
Pairing Jax as an opener for Seymour, though, could be beneficial given the contrast of velocity and shapes both arms possess and could help the Rays keep their bullpen versatile for the first two games while maximizing their Game 4 start as much as possible.
Zach Daab (@RealZachDaab) : Extend Freddy?
On July 26, Freddy Peralta exited the an abbreviated start that would be last in a Mets uniform. The former Brewers ace’s ERA had ballooned to 4.99 while trade rumors swirled for the second time this calendar year for Freddy.
3 months later, Peralta will start Game 3 of the World Series after taking home ALCS MVP honors. This after being traded to the Rays and doing a complete 180 on his season.
The story of this season is still to be written, but before the pen hits paper on the Fall Classic, I’d like to take a moment to talk about the future of the resurgent Peralta.
The Rays are in a bit of an odd spot with their 2027 rotation. Setting the looming lockout aside, two of the starters that we thought of as the future are dealing with injuries. Shane McClanahan should be fine, but has suffered with on and off injuries since returning from surgery. Ryan Pepiot will look to make his own return from a long absence, but as most do in this scenario, will likely not be able to put up a lot of innings in 2027 even if he stays of the IL. The of course have Drew Rassmussen and Griffin Jax under contract through 2028, but Nick Martinez is set to be a free agent coming off a 1 year 13M deal.
Which leads us to the man who saw his ERA drop from 4.99-3.24 in a Rays uniform. Through adding a changeup, focusing on throwing strikes and changing his setup to out of the stretch, Fastball Freddy has been reborn.
The Rays should look to capitalize on both the revitalization of the RHP as well as his enthusiasm for playing in the Bay. During WS media availability, Peralta was asked about his time in Tampa and made clear his desire to stay.
Eric Neander should take him up on this. The changes he’s made are very sustainable as is his success. Despite his recent success, his age (going into his age 31 season) and struggles to start the year should make a contract very affordable for the Rays. I’d like to see them offer him something in the rage of 4 yrs, 35-40 Million. This would provide Peralta a long term home solidify his renaissance, and the Rays stability as they await their future starters to either develop in the case of Joe Boyle and Brody Hopkins or get healthy in case of Pepiot and McClanahan.
The lockout could change all this, but after a great postseason and clear good vibes, I’d like to see Eric be proactive and get this done soon.
Carter Brantley (@ctbrantley12) : Comparing Fall Classic Rays Squads
There’s a lot that has been said and will be said about the Rays’ matchup with the Brewers beginning this weekend.
So instead of focusing on the present we’re going to take a look back at the 2020 and 2008 teams and how they stack up versus this year’s group.
2020 is tough because they only played 60 regular season games, but we’ll do our best.
This is not to disparage anyone, as in order to get to this point the teams have to be pretty darn good, but more an exercise to remember some guys.
We’ll go position by position and see who’s got advantages where, and I’ll try to keep it brief.
Catcher:
Advantage: 2026
Liam Hicks has been an excellent hitter this year while being competent defensively. Mikey Z is a great name to remember, and his 2021 was truly wonderful, but he struggled in the shortened season. Dioner Navarro is another fond trip down memory lane, but he was not as good offensively as Hicks and not a great defender.
First base:
2008 (slight)
Ji-Man Choi! Well… he was fun. My heart wants to give personal favorite Jonny Aranda the edge here, but Peña was at least mostly as good at the plate and was significabrly better defensively.
Second base:
2020
B-Lowe. Need I say more?
Third base:
2026?
Absolutely gut-wrenching to not pick the franchise icon here, but Junior had an all-time 2026. As good as Longo was on defense, and as much as he was a very good hitter, Junior has been an MVP-caliber player.
Shortstop:
2020
I’m sure Taylor Walls fans will be outraged because according to them he’s better than Ozzie Smith and Cal Ripken, Jr. combined, but Willy Adames was good enough defensively and had an excellent shortened season at the plate. A 126 OPS+ is robust and while the +1 DRS isn’t eye-popping, the eye test and previous/future results would suggest he was better defensively than the numbers would suggest.
Left field:
2020
Randy. Sorry CC, but Arozarena had quite possibly the greatest postseason run ever.
Center field:
2020
I wanted BJ Upton to be the guy here so badly, but KK is undeniable. Best center fielder defensively of the 21st century.
Right field:
2026
Victor Mesa, Jr. with a surprise appearance! This has more to do with Hunter Renfroe/Manny Margot and Gabe Gross being the other 2 guys, but VMJ has also been really fun this season. Still not a huge advantage for the current team, though.
DH:
2026
Yoked Yandy. Ground/Air Beef. He’s the best DH the Rays have ever had.
Starting pitching:
2026
This was a tough call. Glasnow, Snell, and Morton are all great. Kazmir, Shields, and Garza were all pretty darn good. But Ras is a Cy Young candidate, and Nick Martinez and Freddy Peralta have both been excellent.
Bullpen:
2008
I know, the team that didn’t have a closer wins this, what gives? But JP Howell, Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler, Chad Bradford, and Trever Miller were all filthy. They had the depth that the other 2 teams might lack, while the other teams might’ve had slightly (only slightly) higher highs.
Overall:
2008
That team was loaded. Even when they didn’t have advantages on this list, they were still very much the most complete team. Deep lineup, good defense, great pitching. Managers were a wash, so I didn’t even consider it part of the conversation; both Maddon and Cash were/are great.
The RBLR Rays Roundtable is a weekly collection of analysis, insight, and perspectives from a cast of writers assembled because of their unique backgrounds and experience. Check this space weekly for new updates and features covering the Tampa Bay Rays, the Rays’ minor league prospects, and more!
