2 Rays relievers set to join Team USA in World Baseball Classic

The Tampa Bay Rays will be represented well in the upcoming World Baseball Classic in March. 2025 All-Star infielder Junior Caminero will play for the stacked Dominican Republic. His co-third baseman will be seven-time All-Star Jose Ramirez which further expresses the firepower of this club. Up-and-coming star first baseman Jonathan Aranda will likely rejoin a scrappy Mexico lineup after an All-Star campaign of his own. Former Rays Randy Arozarena and Isaac Paredes will also join Aranda on a respectable roster. Team USA will be represented by two Rays players and they both happen to be coming from the bullpen.

Rays relievers Garrett Cleavinger and Griffin Jax will be joining Team USA roster for World Baseball Classic

Garrett Cleavinger has been a member of the Rays since 2022, but Griffin Jax is very new to the organization. Tampa Bay acquired the 31-year-old right-hander in a trade with the Twins at the 2025 deadline. The deal included a highly anticipated Rays prospect in Taj Bradley. Bradley was drafted by the Rays in the 2018 draft, but his major league performances never lived up to his minor league hype. The young starter finished his Rays tenure with a distasteful 4.86 ERA. Bradley's 3.3 walks/9 innings was likely the culprit for his struggles. However, the front office decided to send him away in a trade while his prospective makeup remained optimistic.

The return of Griffin Jax was about as good as it could've gotten in this circumstance. Jax was a reputable relief pitcher for the Twins since he arrived on the scene in Minnesota in 2021, compiling a 3.6 WAR over five seasons. In the righty's short time with the Rays so far, he produced a 3.60 ERA with 27 strikeouts in only 20 innings. It was an easy decision to add the Arizona native's services to Team USA.

Left-handed flamethrower Garrett Cleavinger will be joining a right-handed heavy Team USA bullpen. Righties David Bednar, Mason Miller, and Clay Holmes have recently confirmed their status for the World Baseball Classic, leaving Cleavinger as one of the only left-handed relievers on the roster. They should consider adding a few more, but they locked up a solid option when they sought out the Rays set-up man. In four seasons in Tampa Bay, Cleavinger has a 2.96 ERA and an absurd 192 strikeouts in only 152 innings of work. I will be exciting to see both Rays hurlers compete on one of the biggest stages.