Rays drop one spot in most recent power rankings after unproductive offseason

MLB posted their "way too early" power rankings as we begin a new calendar year. 2025 will bring a lot of change, but the Rays position in the baseball world didn't move very much according to insiders. The Rays have dropped only one spot in the power rankings to No. 20, behind their AL East rival Red Sox (along with the Yankees and Orioles of course).

First of all, the top-10 clubs in the rankings includes two AL East opponents in the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees have delivered an impressive offseason for a fanbase that is very often difficult to please. After losing out on Juan Soto due to a record-breaking deal, the Yankees front office signed lefty ace Max Fried, MVP first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, and traded for Devin Williams and Cody Bellinger.

These moves help their overall team in a multitude of ways as their pitching staff will be exceptionally deep, their outfield defense is much improved, and they leveled up at first base with Goldschmidt replacing Rizzo. Coming in at No. 3 in the early power rankings, the Yankees will be a force to be reckoned with in 2025 and beyond.

In the No. 7 spot, the Baltimore Orioles are coming off of back-to-back 90+ win seasons and seem to be improving each season, as their youthful talent gets more comfortable in the big leagues. Although they didn't have a great offseason in terms of adding players, the Orioles will still be an above-average club led by former Rookie of the Year, Gunnar Henderson and star catcher, Adley Rutschman.

The Red Sox fill in at the halfway point, as they remain the No. 15 ranked club. Despite, the solid additions of Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler, MLB still doesn't feel like their pitching staff makes up for the mediocre offensive potential. Losing power-hitting outfielder Tyler O'Neill certainly didn't aid in that department, but if they can sign veteran infielder Alex Bregman in the coming days, then the rankings would probably turn more in their favor.

The fourth AL East team in these power rankings is the Tampa Bay Rays as MLB dropped them one slot from No. 19 to No. 20. As Rays fans, we can't argue with this arrangement because our club finished with a middling 80-82 record in 2024. Also, the Tampa Bay front office really only made one major move, along with multiple minor league deals that could possibly wind up being game-changing decisions.

The key signing of this offseason for the Rays was former Blue Jays and Red Sox catcher, Danny Jansen. We wouldn't consider Jansen to be an elite backstop, but he will unquestionably improve the Rays situation behind the plate.

One minor league deal that could boost the Rays offense significantly was the signing of former Silver Slugger Eloy Jimenez. The 28-year old designated hitter will still have to make the roster out of spring training, but the slugging potential is nearly unlimited for him. Therefore, we are confident that this Rays team can exceed expectations, as they've done time and time again, but it's still understandable to see them merely at the brink of the top-20.