Tampa Bay Rays: 5 Players Deserving of an Extension

The Tampa Bay Rays have been putting the pieces together lately, with recent series wins over the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees. They now find themselves tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the second wild card spot, in the thick of the playoff race. The performances of key players have stood out not only down the stretch, but throughout the season as well as some players are hoping for a nice payday in the offseason.

The Rays have already extended Manuel Margot for 2 more years after getting a deal done in April. The young stud Wander Franco also inked his 11-year extension just before the season began. More deals are bound to get done once the season comes to a close, but it's a matter of who the front office values most in the core of this team in the future.

Keeping a strong nucleus together is a vital piece for any winning baseball team. Sustained success for any club requires the right mix of controllable players, free agent signings, and retaining the right nucleus. The Rays are an organization who have done this with excellence for a decade, and will look to continue this run of success.

I can make a compelling argument for a fair share of Rays players, but I think there are five standouts that have shown why they deserve to get paid and remain as a staple of this team going forward. Here are 5 Tampa Bay Rays deserving of an contract extension.

1. LHP Shane McClanahan

Shane McClanahan has undoubtedly been the shining star on the Rays' pitching staff this season. A breakout year for the young southpaw, he was named to his first All-Star Game while also getting the honor to start for the American League. He boasted a 1.71 ERA heading into the All-Star Break with strikeout numbers battling for the best in the league. He's shown he can be a leader of this team on the bump, using his commanding and powerful presence to mow down the opposition and put the Rays in a position to win.

Recently, he's been a victim of some bad luck, as his post-ASG starts haven't looked great to the casual eye compared to his numbers pre-ASG. It's not too much I would worry about though, because one of the things that has helped Shane grow from last year is his poise. The kid has a lot of passion for the game and wants to demonstrate his elite abilities as he has been doing, so it's understandable if he gets a little bit frustrated when things don't go necessarily how he envisioned. The best part about it though is he gets back out on the mound and continues to attack and compete. He doesn't let his frustration in the moment boil over and ruin his outing, a sure sign of maturity.

He's on pace to obliterate his numbers from last year as well, showing an immense amount of growth. His WHIP is down to 0.87 this year compared to 1.27 year, with only a .189 opponent batting average. That's a full .063 below the .252 he allowed last year. That's not even mentioning the ridiculous strikeout pace, amount of quality starts, and low hard hit ball rate.

Shane has truly molded himself into the ace of this staff with an arsenal that any opposing hitter would be worrisome about. An extension could avoid arbitration in the next couple of years while locking down one of the best young arms in the game. The show he's been putting on warrants some acknowledging by the front office, as he should be the mainstay in this pitching staff for years to come.

2. 3B/DH Yandy Diaz

The Rays' powerful third baseman has been very productive at the plate this season, providing a lot of consistency from the right side. Though August has not been very good to him with only a .170 average and some more strikeouts mixed in than usual, he's coming off an outstanding July where he absolutely tore the cover off the ball. A .330 average with 13 XBH, 18 RBI, and 15 runs scored certainly helped the Rays when offensive production elsewhere was tough to come by.

Yandy Diaz provides the offensive threat the Rays need from a right handed hitter. You would think with as jacked as he is, he should be launching balls out left and right. But that's not what he does. Yandy is elite at working at-bats, hitting to the opposite field, finding gaps in the defense, just overall being smart at the plate. Even when he hits a slump which every hitter can do from time to time, he finds ways to be productive. Drawing walks and moving runners over are just as important as base hits at times, and he understands how to make the most out of his at-bats.

He's posting the best WAR of his career at 2.5 this year and providing solid defense as an everyday third baseman. His offensive skills make him a coveted player and I think this resurgence-type of year bodes well for Diaz. Also set for arbitration next year, it would be smart to keep a player like Diaz as a part of this young and growing roster. His consistency at the plate is much needed by the Rays and he's an obvious clubhouse favorite among his teammates.

4. C Francisco Mejia

The 26-year old catcher that came over from the San Diego Padres in the Blake Snell trade has been a real bright spot at the plate for the Rays. Francisco Mejia has been hitting a cool .269 this year, really putting together some better plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills throughout the season. In a spot where the Rays haven't been known for a whole lot of offensive production, Mejia has shown he has the potential to take over a full-time catching role with the squad. His average is the highest of his career as he looks to get even better day by day.

Mike Zunino's season-ending injury provided a lot of extra playing time for Mejia, who's seemingly taken advantage by showing what he can do offensviely, especially in clutch situations. It always just seems that if Mejia is coming up to hit in a spot where you need some runs, he's there to come through and you love to have with that type of ice in his veins. Even last night, Mejia shot a 3-run double down the 1st base line off of Aroldis Chapman in the 10th inning, giving the Rays a cushion against a divison rival with 2 outs. The Josh Donaldson grand slam in the last half of the 10th would walk the Yankees off, but nonetheless Mejia provided the team with an incredible opportunity to sweep the Yankees in New York with that one swing.

I have faith in the Rays when they make trades that seem completely wild at first glance. It was tough to see Blake Snell have to leave the team, but I truly think the return they got might be absolutely worth it. I see all the potential in Francisco Mejia to be an everyday backstop for this team and with Mike Zunino's contract coming to an end after this year, I see this as the perfect time to lock him in. His abilities on both sides of the ball continue to improve and finding a catcher with as much potential as him is hard to come by.

5. RHP Tyler Glasnow

Now this take could be a little wild given Glasnow's season-ending TJ surgey last year and the fact that he hasn't thrown a single pitch in game action yet in 2022. However, I think there's good reason to keep Tyler as an integral part of this rotation moving forward. Pitching coach Kyle Snyder said a few weeks ago that the chances were "not zero" regarding a return to the Rays this year, and since then he's thrown 2 successful bullpen sessions before getting ready to face live hitters on August 20th, per MLB.com.

This is huge because having a dominant arm like Glasnow back with the Rays opens the doors to quite a few possibilities. Since he started his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016, he has a career WHIP of 1.25, opponent batting average of .221, and an 11.3 K/9 ratio. Similar to Sugar Shane, he pitches with so much power that he can blow pitches right by hitters just as much as he makes them look goofy on his breaking ball. Everybody knows by know that the Rays fleeced the Pirates years ago, acquiring Glasnow along with Shane Baz and Austin Meadows for just Chris Archer. They knew both Glasnow and Baz would be special additions to this rotation, especially given how young they are.

Again, I understand how it can be tough to see through the injury stint, but think about this as an opportunity to shape the Rays' rotation for years to come. Extend Glasnow, who's been a top arm for the club and an infectious personality, and then think about the names you could be pairing him with. Shane McClanahan, who just broke out as the Rays' ace. Shane Baz, also acquired in the trade and working back from injury. How about Patiño, Rasmussen, even McKay and Chirinos? Let's not also forget about the Rays' top prospect Taj Bradley, who's been promoted to AAA.

There's a ton of potential here to bring Glasnow back for a couple of years, putting him with some elite arms and fantastic young talent. This rotation could certainly be talked about as one of the best in baseball.