Rays: 16 Things to Look Forward To in 2016

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Sep 12, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Houston Astros catcher Hank Conger (right) celebrates with right fielder George Springer (left) after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the seventh inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

Number Sixteen Thing to Look Forward to: Team Cohesion

The Rays made a lot of roster changes in 2015, bringing in new faces that may not have been as comfortable playing a prominent role in the clubhouse, such as Asdrubal Cabrera, Grady Sizemore, and Steven Souza. Many were in their first season, such as Kevin Kiermaier, Richie Shaffer, and Mikie Mahtook, while others were journeymen such as Joey Butler.

What the organization did in adding Miller, Conger, and Morrison to the team is to add some very high quality personalities for the clubhouse, while the remainder of the team largely remains the same or comes from within the organization. That combination is a recipe for a great clubhouse outlook and should help the team build cohesion that is may have lacked in other seasons.

The core of this team is going to be together for a long time. Longoria and Archer are both signed long-term, the bulk of the remainder are under control for a long period of time, and while trade rumors are swirling, there’s a good chance the Rays will head into 2016 with the bulk of the current roster together.

You can’t put a value on team cohesion and what it means in terms of wins, but after seeing how it can feed into success in both Chicago and Houston in 2015, it does indicate that there’s at least some value to everyone getting along and helping each other out.

Next: Summary and Happy New Rays Year!!!