5 reasons why the Rays will be better than they were in 2024

Any Rays fan will tell you that 2024 was a season to forget. Although the Rays barely finished with a losing record at 80-82, their streak of five straight postseason appearances came to an end and the offense, which is arguably the most exciting part of this sport, was atrocious. We can put last year in the rear view mirror though because 2025 will be a much better season for Rays baseball and here's five reasons why.

1. Full year of Junior Caminero

First of all, the long-awaited first full season of rising superstar Junior Caminero will finally arrive in 2025. Rays fan have been pumped for this time ever since his short seven game stint in 2023. Injuries kept him off the roster for a while in 2024, but Caminero should be the everyday third baseman for the Rays now for the foreseeable future. The 21-year old infielder is projected to hit around .260 with about 30 home runs which would be an enormous boost to a struggling offense.

2. Return of Shane McClanahan

After suffering from an injury that required the infamous Tommy John surgery, the Rays have been forced to be without the services of Shane McClanahan for the better part of 2023 and all of 2024. Tampa Bay still managed to produce the ninth best ERA in the major leagues because well... of course. Obviously, McClanahan will only boost the Rays pitching stats, as the left-handed ace carries a career 3.02 ERA. Followed by the former first round pick, Kevin Cash has six more talented starters at his disposal, making up one of the best rotations in the American League.

3. Healthy Josh Lowe

As Josh Lowe goes, the Rays will go. This couldn't be more true for this roster due to the outfielder's great potential. In 2023, a healthy J. Lowe produced a 3.7 WAR by slashing .292/.335/.500 with 20 home runs. It was the first 20-20 season in the 27-year old's young career and the Tampa Bay ball club followed in his footsteps with 99 wins. If the Georgia native can replicate his 2023 success, then the Rays will improve substantially.

4. New faces at positions with poor offensive output last season

Heading into this offseason, the Rays had two major deficiencies on the offensive side of the game: catcher and shortstop. Neander was true to his promise of adding offense to their weakest positions by signing veteran catcher Danny Jansen and distinguished shortstop Ha-Seong Kim.

A season ago, Rays catchers hit a miserable .192, while their shortstops accrued a batting average that wasn't much better at .212. Jansen won't carry the club offensively, but he will certainly be a step in the right direction in 2025. Meanwhile, Kim will likely prove to be a very productive hitter for the Rays, as his career slash line is a significant improvement at .242/.326/.380.

5. Pitching depth

The Rays front office gave a great deal of focus on adding depth to their pitching staff, especially the bullpen. Eric Orze, Mike Vasil, Nate Lavender, Andrew Wantz, Joe Boyle, Alex Faedo, Joey Krehbiel, and Justin Sterner were the pitching additions over the offseason. All of them, except Lavender and Wantz, will be available to pitch in 2025. Therefore, the organizational depth at this paramount position will continue to pile on. After finishing the 2024 season as a top-5 bullpen in the American League, they could be even more successful this season.