3 takeaways from announced Tampa Bay Rays World Series roster

At last, the World Series rosters have been announced, and we know who the Tampa Bay Rays are rolling with. It’s virtually unchanged, except for one pitcher being swapped out. 

Garrett Cleavinger is in, and Brody Hopkins is out. 

Everybody else is staying. Before we get to three takeaways about the World Series roster, here is the full rundown, per a press release from the team. 

Takeaway 1: Adding Cleavinger Works Given the Splits

He never pitched in a game when he was on the ALCS roster. Granted, neither did Cleavinger when he was on the ALDS roster, but at least he's a veteran bullpen arm. He also provides another lefty out of the bullpen.

Among the 12 pitchers on the roster, the Rays still only have four lefties, with the others being Cam Booser, Steven Matz and Ian Seymour.

The Brewers were worse against lefties this year, posting a .706 OPS against them compared to a .759 OPS against righties. Might as well play the odds game here. Cleavinger isn't going to be a shutdown reliever, but the extra option for a lefty is logical.

Takeaway 2: Some Pitchers Just Have to Be Trusted

Look, if there were other options to turn to, Ian Seymour and Cole Sulser may not be here. But that's just the reality. The Rays bullpen isn't that deep. Pitchers who have caused headaches will be around.

For the entire postseason, they've opted for 12 arms when the max is 13. They pick their poison, prioritize length and march on.

Sulser may not see much action. You can expect to see Seymour. Ideally, it would be with a multi-run lead, but Kevin Cash may opt to send him out there out of necessity in a matchup.

For better or for worse, trust will have to be given.

Takeaway 3: This is a Team That Needed an Extra Bat More Than Ever

As usual, they'll have to get creative. They've ridden 14 position players the whole way, and they'll need that extra option to win it all.

The Brewers' lineup is considered deeper, and they've been a force all postseason. Their .739 OPS is the only team OPS from the postseason above .700. The Rays' team OPS sits at .649.

Still, the Rays have 35 runs scored compared to the Brewers' 34. Manufacturing runs were everything for this team in the regular season, and it's remained the same in the postseason.

Jorge Mateo is one of the fastest players in baseball. Taylor Walls led the American League with 12 sacrifice hits. He had four sac flies to go along with it.

They've made it this far despite some offensive woes. Making it into a chess game when you don't have big bats throughout the lineup is what it takes.

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