3 signs that will hint Rays are about to have a successful 2025 season

The Rays are coming off what many would call a down season.

Missing the playoffs simply isn't part of the way the Rays do business anymore; it's not the Devil Ray days, Randy Winn isn't patrolling the outfield and Dewon Brazelton is no longer toeing the rubber every fifth day.

The expectations are bigger and the aspirations are higher.

So, how can the Rays bounce back from a middling 2024 campaign to return to a playoff appearance in 2025?

Here are three signs that things are headed in that direction; meaning, if these things happen, it's more likely than not that the Rays will have a good season and will be playing October baseball.

1. Christopher Morel and Junior Caminero are mashing

If both of these sluggers are hitting well, the Rays' offense will be absolutely humming.

And with the pitching staff looking formidable as ever, that would be more than enough to push them into the postseason.

Caminero is coming off a moderately successful 2024 run in the majors, where he showed off his amazing power and elite bad speed to power his way to a 105 wRC+.

Morel's 2024 was a bit less impressive, especially because Caminero is still only 21 and has limited time in the bigs, while Morel has at least been around a couple seasons.

Despite still possessing the same bat speed as ever, Morel struggled to the tune of a .634 OPS and weak quality of contact marks.

Without Morel hitting, his value is unfortunately incredibly low, meaning he's hurting the team a lot more than another player such as Jonny DeLuca or Taylor Walls would be with a struggling bat.

The defensive side of the ball is still a question mark for Morel, both in where he should play and how well he can play the position he ends up at well enough to warrant playing time.

A corner outfield spot seems to be the best fit for both his profile (athletic, good arm) and the Rays' roster needs.

So, if he can hold down left field and hit more like his 2022 and 2023 self, which involved pulling the ball a lot more than he did last season, that means the Rays have found themselves another gem, and they could be headed back to the postseason.

2. Either Brandon Lowe OR Yandy Diaz will be traded (but not both)

This line of thinking can be confusing; if Yandy Diaz or Brandon Lowe are gone, doesn't that mean the Rays were sellers at the deadline and things aren't heading in the right direction?

That's a distinct possibility, and if they're both dealt, then yes, that's absolutely correct, but stick with this line of thinking for a moment.

The Rays love playing the long game, the possibility exists where things are going well and they still sell a little bit at the deadline.

And if they feel compelled to deal one of the players while they're winning games that means a couple things: one, the player they trade was playing really well, and two, the Rays know they need at least one of these monsters to continue to be competitive in 2025, but they want to win more in the future, meaning they're okay with parting ways with one of them.

It may be overly optimistic to think that the Rays would be able to sustain success while trading one of their better major league hitters, but with the way the organization operates, every player has to know going into the season they or any of their teammates can be dealt at any time. Therefore, it won't be a huge blow to morale, especially if they bring in major league-ready talent like they did with Paredes and Morel last season (maybe a bad example, but the point still stands).

3. Three of their five Opening Day starting pitchers are healthy at any given moment

This might be a pretty high bar to set with the way pitching injuries happen in the majors nowadays, but if it does swing this way, the Rays are in for an absolute banger of a season.

Their rotation is nails, even if one of them goes down, because they have more than enough depth to overcome whatever injuries may take place.

Recently acquired Joe Boyle is a fascinating pitcher and could theoretically be an interesting bulk option, even if not a starter, similar to how Drew Rasmussen was used last season.

Jacob Waguespack also looks poised to be a quality depth arm in case the Rays need to shuffle around their rotation or bullpen.

So, even if things go completely awry and only 2 or 3 pitchers are healthy come June or July, that's ok, the Rays have not only decent options but arguably great options waiting in the wings.