Projecting the 2027 Rays lineup

First off, let's address the elephant in the room.

Curtis Mead's stock has been hard to track over the years, and his status for this year's team is still very up-in-the-air, despite his scorching start.

But, this show of potential improvement (important to remember; it's Spring Training) is a fun sign of potential things to come, and if he continues to rake into wherever he ends up for the regular season, Mead could factor into the Rays' future plans in a far bigger role than previously anticipated.

Hence, the attempted prediction of what the Rays' lineup in 2027 will look like.

What will the world be like, where the Rays will be playing, how their stadium situation shakes out, who knows, and who cares to even try to predict?

But that future lineup is a far more fun thing to talk about, so here it is.

1. Chandler Simpson, CF

2. Junior Caminero, 3B

3. Tre' Morgan, 1B/LF

4. Curtis Mead, DH/1B

5. Xavier Isaac, LF/1B/DH

6. Carson Williams, SS

7. Brayden Taylor, 2B

8. Aidan Smith, RF

9. Dominic Keegan, C

Now, some important things to note here: Brailer Guerrero, the very talented (but very young) corner outfielder is not listed here, despite his very rosy projections by most baseball people.

He should be amazing, if all things go well, but he won't be ready by 2027. He'll still be under 21 years old, and unless some crazy, Juan Soto-type of ascension occurs where he tears his way through the minors, he'll still probably be in Montgomery.

You'll also see that Morgan, Isaac, and Mead all sort of have interchangeable positions, and frankly Isaac's place in this lineup is tenuous at best.

His contact rates are scary, but it's still better to be optimistic and assume he figures that out.

Where things get even more complicated is where Isaac will play, because Morgan could turn into a Gold Glove caliber first baseman, and Mead probably isn't destined for a corner outfield spot, so for now we can stick Isaac in left, put Morgan at first, and DH Mead, but that could change (as could everything about this list).

Lineup construction itself has always been a bit silly and unimportant, but for the sake of argument, Simpson is an ideal leadoff choice due to his on-base potential and lack of power; it won't matter too much that he can't hit for extra bases if he's leading off games and his speed can make for a very shocking start to games.

I love using extremes in the leadoff spot when all things are equal in terms of on base ability (because that's the most important aspect of a leadoff hitter), whether it's extreme speed or power, and Simpson fits the former.

Then Junior in the 2-hole was an easy choice, he's likely to be the best hitter on the team, and Tre' Morgan in the third spot is fun, but there's a legit argument to be made for Morgan to lead off and Simpson to be thrown pretty low in the order depending on how their development goes over the next few years.

Mead, Isaac, Williams, and Taylor could all become interchangeable depending on who becomes the best hitter, but that's around where it could be expected for them to end up.

And finally with Aidan Smith, the very well-rounded outfielder, he slots into the 8-spot simply because he has the least amount of seasoning and the most risk. He could even end up sticking in center, he could also still be in AA or AAA, because he'll only be 22 by the time 2027 rolls around.

So, Smith is the least predictable of the bunch, but also potentially the most fun, as he arguably has some of the highest upside of this group other than Williams and Junior.

Keegan is an obvious choice, with his big power numbers hopefully translating to the majors in 2026 (or sooner).

Overall, the Rays are in a great spot with their organizational depth, and there's a reason they're constantly the envy of baseball.