<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/stu-sternburg-gave-rays-employees-parting-gifts-after-selling-team');   ga('set', 'title', 'Stu Sternburg gave Rays employees parting gifts after selling team');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Former-Tampa-Bay-Rays-owner-Stu-Sternberg.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Stu Sternburg gave Rays employees parting gifts after selling team</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-14T13:42:31-07:00">October 14th, 1:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-14T13:42:31-07:00">October 14th, 1:42pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Tampa Bay Rays will look wildly different heading into the 2026 season. However, the biggest change is at the top of the organization. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-next-step-sale-mlb-owners-vote">Stu Sternberg made the decision to sell the team during the season</a> as Tampa Bay tries to figure out its future. He sold the team to Patrick Zalupski and a new ownership group. Eventually, they will help the Rays move into a new stadium.</p><p>Tampa Bay’s season was derailed by injuries that left the team on the outside of the playoff picture. As the season came to a close, the Rays’ future became a point of contention. The team played in an unfamiliar stadium and struggled to find its groove throughout the regular season. However, Sternberg wanted to end his tenure as team owner on a high note.</p><p>As most owners are, Sternberg is appreciative towards the employees that worked for him during his time as the team’s owner. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, he gave all of Tampa Bay’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6707644/2025/10/10/tampa-bay-rays-stu-sternberg-employee-bonuses/" rel="noopener">employees bonuses</a> on his way out the door. It puts a bow on what has been a successful career as the Rays’ owner.</p><p>Now, Zalupski and the new ownership group will inherit the challenges that Sternberg faced over the last year. However, the Rays have the pieces in place to succeed as early as next season. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-junior-caminero-makes-22-year-old-history">Junior Caminero emerged as Tampa Bay’s future star</a> in his rookie year. He could lead the team back to contention playing in a new stadium overseen by Zalupski and the team’s new owners.</p><p>Sternberg’s time as the Rays’ owner came to an anti-climactic end. However, he made sure to give his employees something to remember him by as he hands the reigns to the new owners. Now, he will join the rest of Tampa Bays’ fans and cheer for the team’s success from the outside.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Stu Sternburg gave Rays employees parting gifts after selling team

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-pete-fairbanks-viral-moment-vs-orioles');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rays closer Pete Fairbanks explains wild act caught on camera vs. Orioles');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/MLB-Toronto-Blue-Jays-at-Tampa-Bay-Rays.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Rays closer Pete Fairbanks explains wild act caught on camera vs. Orioles</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-24T20:53:19-07:00">September 24th, 8:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-24T20:53:19-07:00">September 24th, 8:53pm</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Orioles</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Tampa Bay Rays found themselves at the center of a viral moment Wednesday night—one that had little to do with playoff races but everything to do with optics. In the ninth inning of the Rays’ 6-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-pete-fairbanks-nl">Pete Fairbanks</a> hit Orioles rookie Samuel Basallo with a 96.6 mph fastball, then turned to the stands and blew a kiss.</p><p>Confusion erupted online. Some thought the gesture was directed at the Orioles’ dugout. Others assumed it was retaliation. In reality, the Rays closer cleared it up postgame.</p><p>The Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka took to his X (formerly known as Twitter) account to <a href="https://x.com/afkostka/status/1971023212537684336">share</a> Fairbanks’ explanation after the game.</p><p>“Pete Fairbanks said there was a fan above the Orioles dugout who chirped him. The kiss was not directed toward Orioles players or coaches. Fairbanks said in no way did he intentionally hit Samuel Basallo and wishes him well.”</p><p>That message quickly spread across MLB viral moment accounts, with fan reactions split. While some Orioles fans called for retaliation, others accepted Fairbanks’ apology. The pitcher has never been known for antagonistic behavior, and his comments matched his usual blunt, accountable style.</p><p>Basallo, the Orioles’ top prospect and the No. 8 overall ranked player per MLB Pipeline, exited the game with a wrist contusion. X-rays came back negative, but his status for the final stretch remains uncertain. For a team focused on youth development, even a minor injury to a future star causes concern.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-tampa-bay-officially-eliminated-from-playoffs-with-loss-to-red-sox">The Rays have already been eliminated from playoff contention</a>, breaking their five-year postseason streak. But Fairbanks, who has posted 27 saves in 60 appearances, has remained one of Tampa Bay’s most consistent pieces.</p><p>The moment didn’t impact the standings, but it added another layer to the AL East rivalry between the Rays and Orioles—one that’s bound to carry tension into next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rays closer Pete Fairbanks explains wild act caught on camera vs. Orioles

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-next-step-sale-mlb-owners-vote');   ga('set', 'title', 'The next step for Rays sale after MLB owners’ vote');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Tampa-Bay-Rays-players-celebrate.jpg"><figcaption>© Dave Nelson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>The next step for Rays sale after MLB owners’ vote</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-23T06:30:14-07:00">September 23rd, 6:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-23T06:30:35-07:00">September 23rd, 6:30am</time><address><a>Benjamin Adducchio</a>Benjamin Adducchio is a journalist and writer with more than a decade of experience in covering sports news. Ben is a passionate sports fan who loves college football, basketball, and the New York Yankees.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-tampa-bay-sale-set-1-7-billion-finalized-in-september">Tampa Bay Rays have received a lot of attention off the field</a> this season. Tampa Bay is in the process of changing owners. The closing of the sale appears to be near, as Major League Baseball owners have <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46349044/mlb-owners-ok-sale-rays-group-headed-patrick-zalupski" rel="noopener">voted to approve the transaction</a>. The team could officially be in new hands in just the next seven days.</p><p>“The Rays said on Sept. 17 they expected the sale to close within two weeks,” the Associated Press reported.</p><p>Tampa Bay is being sold to a group of owners headed by real estate developer Patrick Zalupski. While rumors floated that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-rumors-will-team-leave-tampa-bay">Rays could be leaving the Tampa area</a>, baseball insider Ken Rosenthal believes MLB wants to keep the team there. Orlando was named as a potential new location for the Rays in recent months.</p><p>It’s been a difficult year for the franchise. Not only is Tampa getting sold, but the team has also been forced to play all season in a minor league ballpark. That is because Tropicana Field sustained damage in recent months due to a hurricane.</p><p>“Playing at a 10,046-capacity ballpark, Tampa Bay had 61 sellouts and drew 786,750, down from 1,337,739 in 2024, when they were 28th among the 30 teams and ahead of only Miami and Oakland,” the Associated Press reported.</p><p>Stu Sternberg has owned the team for the last 20 years. Sternberg ran into headwinds with the city of Tampa Bay, over building a new stadium for the team. The two sides couldn’t reach a deal.</p><p>The Rays are 76-80 on the season.</p><h2><b>Rays hope to close out the season on a high note</b></h2><p>Tampa Bay was in the mix for a good portion this season, for a playoff berth. That is quite admirable, considering all the off the field obstacles that have stood in the way of this club.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-tampa-bay-officially-eliminated-from-playoffs-with-loss-to-red-sox">Rays have struggled though in recent weeks</a>, falling below .500. Toronto, Boston and New York have pushed past them in the American League East division standings. The club has lost six of their last 10 contests.</p><p>Tampa Bay starts a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night. After that series, the club closes out the campaign with three games against the Blue Jays.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The next step for Rays sale after MLB owners’ vote

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-tampa-bay-officially-eliminated-from-playoffs-with-loss-to-red-sox');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rays officially eliminated from playoffs with loss to Red Sox');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Rays-pitcher-Garrett-Cleavinger-60-reacts.jpg"><figcaption>© Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rays officially eliminated from playoffs with loss to Red Sox</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-19T21:17:14-07:00">September 19th, 9:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-19T21:17:14-07:00">September 19th, 9:17pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-tampa-bays-playoff-hopes-dealt-difficult-blow-shortstop-season-ending-injury">Tampa Bay Rays will have to wait a year</a> for another chance to make the postseason. On Friday night, the Rays were <a href="https://x.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1969229391860228584" rel="noopener">officially eliminated</a> from playoff contention, as pointed out by Talkin’ Baseball on X, following their 11-7 loss to the Boston Red Sox.</p><p>This defeat pushed their record on the year to 75-79, and with the current third place team in the AL Wild Card standings, the Houston Astros, having already won 84 games, it became mathematically impossible for the Rays to sneak into the postseason.</p><p>On Friday, the Rays kept it close against the Red Sox for most of the night. Tampa Bay was even leading 3-2 until the sixth inning. But then the seventh and eighth innings came along and proved to be a major disaster for the Rays, with their defense faltering and opening up the floodgates for the Red Sox, who scored nine runs in the seventh and eighth to put the game to bed.</p><p>It all began when Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger allowed a two-run home run to Red Sox star Jarren Duran to give Boston a 4-3 lead in the seventh. Everything then went off the rails in the eighth, with Tampa Bay committing two errors and Boston not letting up, scoring seven to end the Rays’ playoff hopes in such a demoralizing fashion.</p><p>After a strong start to the new decade, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-fatal-flaw-that-will-doom-2025-postseason-hopes">past two seasons for the Rays</a> have been very difficult, as they have been unable to keep up with the giants of the powerhouse AL East division.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/1-disappointing-player-rays-must-trade-in-offseason">Rays have always been punching above their weight</a> class in terms of player payroll, but they are yet to strike gold again with the kind of cost-controlled, versatile star players who have proven to be the backbone of contending iterations of the team in years past.</p><h2>Rays look forward to 2026 with hope</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Tampa-Bay-Rays-outfielder-Chandler-Simpson.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While missing out on the playoffs is not going to put a smile on the Rays’ faces, they can at least take comfort in the fact that they’ve remained semi-competitive in 2025 and need only a few additional pieces as well as some slightly better luck to threaten for a playoff spot yet again come 2026.</p><p>The Rays also have a burgeoning young core led by Junior Caminero, with Carson Williams and Chandler Simpson also expected to do bigger and better things as they mature in the big leagues. They also boast some pitching depth, although they will need that one star pitcher to front the rotation moving forward.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rays officially eliminated from playoffs with loss to Red Sox

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-tampa-bay-rookie-joins-franchise-royalty-40th-stolen-base');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rays rookie joins franchise royalty with 40th stolen base');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Tampa-Bay-Rays-outfielder-Chandler-Simpson.jpg"><figcaption>Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rays rookie joins franchise royalty with 40th stolen base</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T12:19:48-07:00">September 11th, 12:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T12:19:48-07:00">September 11th, 12:19pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Tampa Bay Rays have had a season full of ups and downs. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-tampa-bays-playoff-hopes-dealt-difficult-blow-shortstop-season-ending-injury">Rays manager Kevin Cash watched as another key contributor, shortstop Taylor Walls, suffer a season-ending injury</a>. With the playoffs out of reach, Tampa Bay faces some big decisions this winter. However, the team’s future is bright with players like Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero leading the way.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-junior-caminero-hits-career-milestone-huge-game-mariners">Caminero’s power has had him in the spotlight</a> all season. The rookie third baseman represented the Rays in the All-Star Game and nearly won the Home Run Derby this summer. However, he is not the only first-year player having a huge season. Simpson has emerged as an elite base-runner, as well as an above average defender in center field in his first year in the big leagues.</p><p>While Simpson’s well-rounded play has him positioned to be a key piece of Cash’s lineup moving forward, his ability to swipe bases steals the cake. The shortstop stole his 40th base of the season against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, hitting a major milestone as a runner. According to Tampa Bay Times reporter Marc Tompkin, he is in <a href="https://x.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/1966205356113326554" rel="noopener">elite company in franchise history</a>.</p><p>“Chandler Simpson just swiped 2B, making him 5th player in Rays history to have 40 steals in a season,” Tompkin said. “Joins Carl Crawford (7 times), BJ Upton (3), Mallex Smith (1), Jose Caballero (1). Is also 21st AL rookie to get 40, last done by A’s Esteury Ruiz in 2023.”</p><p>Simpson’s talent on the base paths brings a new perspective to the Rays’ attack. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-rumors-wander-franco-forfeit-154-million-mlb-career-likely-done">Cash may never get Wander Franco back in Tampa Bay again</a>, leaving him looking for another young star. Luckily for him, Simpson and Caminero have shown that they can help lead the team into a new era. For now, the Rays celebrate Simpson’s accomplishment as the season comes to an end.</p><p>If things work out, Simpson and Caminero could help Tampa Bay return to contention way ahead of schedule.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rays rookie joins franchise royalty with 40th stolen base

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/1-disappointing-player-rays-must-trade-in-offseason');   ga('set', 'title', '1 disappointing player Rays must trade in offseason');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1-disappointing-player-Rays-must-trade-in-offseason.jpg"></figure><h1>1 disappointing player Rays must trade in offseason</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-10T22:31:54-07:00">September 10th, 10:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-10T22:31:54-07:00">September 10th, 10:31pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The past two years have not gone according to plan for the Tampa Bay Rays. To start the 2020s, it looked as though they were primed to emerge as a powerhouse in the AL East yet again despite their shoestring budget. However, their<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-rumors-wander-franco-forfeit-154-million-mlb-career-likely-done"> franchise cornerstone ended up being guilty of sexual abuse</a> of a minor, and that derailed so much of the Rays’ hope for the future.</p><p>With that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-tampa-bays-playoff-hopes-dealt-difficult-blow-shortstop-season-ending-injury">unfortunate turn of events for the Rays</a>, they are now poised to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season, as they have found it difficult to keep in step with the other powerhouses in their division. It hasn’t helped at all that some of their recent acquisitions haven’t worked according to plan, and their prospects haven’t developed at the pace that’s needed to keep up with the arms race in the AL.</p><p>The Rays will surely be hard at work when it comes to wheeling and dealing this offseason; they will want to tinker and upgrade however they can so they can return to form the way they were from 2019 to 2023 when they almost won the World Series.</p><p>While some of the Rays’ most disappointing players in 2025 could be major bounce-back candidates next year, there is someone that they should not hesitate to trade away. And here is that player.</p><h2><b>Christopher Morel’s Rays days must be numbered</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Rays-OF-Christopher-Morel.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Rays have always operated on a tight budget, so they want to find advantages that few other teams could. Through the years, their MO has been to find players who can play across the diamond, play solid to incredible defense, and get on base at a reasonable clip. They are also looking at sabermetrics to find hidden gems; this was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-yandy-diaz-career-night-dooms-mariners">how they found Yandy Diaz</a>, who has done nothing but produce since the Rays acquired him in 2018.</p><p>In Diaz, they saw an undervalued hitter who had incredible on-base skills, and the Rays developmental team helped him unlock his full potential. He has a career .815 OPS with the Rays, and for him to be a relatively unheralded acquisition back then speaks volumes to the front office’s ability to identify undervalued talents.</p><p>But it seems as though the Rays have strayed from their typical roster-building ways when<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/3-rays-trade-block-2025-deadline"> they acquired Christopher Morel from the Chicago Cubs</a> in a trade for infielder Isaac Paredes. Paredes was doing well for the Rays; in fact, before he was traded by Tampa Bay in July 2024, he was boasting a slash line of .245/.357/.435 — with his on-base skills making him a gem that not too many people knew about.</p><p>So for the Rays to trade an All-Star player for Morel, who, at 26 years of age, showed a ton of potential for the Cubs, speaks volumes to how much they believe in his underlying metrics. And perhaps there is indeed strong reason to believe in Morel’s potential.</p><p>Baseball Savant shows that Morel rates <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/christopher-morel-666624?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb" rel="noopener">quite well</a> in average exit velocity (91.4 miles per hour), barrel percentage (18.3 percent), hard-hit percentage (48.7), and bat speed (76.0). That shows that when Morel makes contact, he hits the ball hard. But Morel doesn’t make contact often, and he usually hits balls at suboptimal launch angles. His chase rate of 31.7 percent is far from the worst, but he whiffs and strikes out far too often, with his whiff rate being at 39.3 percent and his strikeout rate at 36.1 percent.</p><p>But Morel is not making up for his huge strikeout numbers with above-average on-base skills. In modern baseball, outs are weighted the same, so teams don’t mind that much if one strikes out often or if most of his outs come on fly or ground balls. What’s important is that they get on base and generate run value. Morel is not doing much of that; <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/christopher-morel/21897/stats?position=DH/OF" rel="noopener">his walk rate</a> is at a career-worst 7.4 percent, and his wRC+ stands at 92 — which is a major improvement over his first half-season with the Rays, but is still below league-average.</p><p>Perhaps more time is what Morel needs to get it together. But he’s done nothing but struggle with the Rays. The first two seasons of his career showed that he can back up his impressive underlying metrics with good production, but the past two seasons have been dismal for the 26-year-old. A change of scenery may be what’s required to get the best out of him.</p><p>Considering how much the Rays gave up to bring Morel in via trade, it will sting to sell low on him. But that would simply mean that they will fall prey to the sunk cost fallacy. Perhaps they could sucker in another team that believes they can get the best out of Morel and find value for him in the trade market that way.</p><h2><b>Assessing the rest of the Rays roster</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Rays-Brandon-Lowe-smashes-an-extra-base-hit.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Josh Lowe is someone the Rays might consider trading this offseason; his underlying metrics have gone down this season, and he’s one year closer to exhausting all years of team control. It might be best for Tampa Bay to get value for him while they could. But Lowe can play all three outfield positions, and the Rays do love themselves positional flexibility, so Lowe might yet have a long leash from the organization.</p><p>Other potential trade candidates for the Rays aren’t struggling this year, but Tampa Bay may end up shopping them anyway to get value for them before they hit free agency. One of those players <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-all-star-brandon-lowe-return-injury-orioles">is Brandon Lowe</a>; Lowe has one year left on his deal, as he’s set to enter free agency following the 2026 season.</p><p>He’s been solid in 2025 yet again, having tallied 28 home runs and 74 runs batted in on an OPS of .805, but Tampa Bay has shown in the past that they’re more than willing to cycle through their big-leaguers if it means that they get extra years of team control in the process.</p><p>Closer <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-pete-fairbanks-nl">Pete Fairbanks is in a similar situation</a>; the Rays could shop him before he enters the final year of his deal in 2026. But there shouldn’t be any shortage of suitors for him anyway considering how in demand bullpen arms are come July. However, if the Rays want to insure themselves in the event that Fairbanks struggles in 2026, then they could trade him away this offseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

1 disappointing player Rays must trade in offseason

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-rumors-will-team-leave-tampa-bay');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rays rumors: Will team leave Tampa Bay?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Rays-Nick-Fortes.jpg"><figcaption>© Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rays rumors: Will team leave Tampa Bay?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-09T11:28:03-07:00">September 9th, 11:28am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-09T11:28:34-07:00">September 9th, 11:28am</time><address><a>Benjamin Adducchio</a>Benjamin Adducchio is a journalist and writer with more than a decade of experience in covering sports news. Ben is a passionate sports fan who loves college football, basketball, and the New York Yankees.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-tampa-bays-tropicana-field-gets-pivotal-update">Tampa Bay Rays are one of two Major League Baseball teams</a> playing this season at a minor league park. Tampa Bay has had a rocky relationship with the city in recent months, as the club looks for a permanent home in the area. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal says even though there are discussions about leaving the city, he doesn’t think<a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1965471082812768489" rel="noopener"> that will ultimately happen</a>.</p><p>“It seems to me that MLB does not want to lose the Tampa Bay market,” Rosenthal said, per Foul Territory.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Could the Rays head north to Orlando under new ownership?</p><p>"It seems to me that MLB does not want to lose the Tampa Bay market," says <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ken_Rosenthal</a>, who doesn't see it as a realistic possibility. <a href="https://t.co/Zy5SSCgNjO">pic.twitter.com/Zy5SSCgNjO</a></p><p>— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1965469067856454016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Orlando, Florida is one of the cities that has reportedly expressed interest in obtaining the Rays.</p><p>“I just don’t see that being a realistic thing,” Rosenthal added.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-tampa-bay-sale-set-1-7-billion-finalized-in-september">Rays are getting sold to a new group of owners</a>. Stu Sternberg agreed to sell the team in July, for $1.7 billion. The sale came months after Sternberg said <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/45741438/report-stu-sternberg-sell-tampa-bay-rays-17-billion" rel="noopener">he couldn’t agree to a deal</a> with the Tampa area to build a new ball park.</p><p>“After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment,” Sternberg said in a statement in March, per ESPN. “A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision.”</p><p>The Rays previously played at Tropicana Field. That stadium was damaged in 2024 by Hurricane Milton.</p><h2><b>Rays are closing out a disappointing season</b></h2><p>Tampa Bay is fourth this season in the American League East Division. Heading into Tuesday, the Rays have a 71-72 record.</p><p>It has been a difficult campaign to say the least. Not only are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-fatal-flaw-that-will-doom-2025-postseason-hopes">the Rays struggling to finish above .500</a>, but the team is also playing at George M. Steinbrenner Field. That’s a minor league park that only sits a little more than 10,000 people.</p><p>Tampa Bay has done the best they could despite having to move to a new home. This season, the club has been in the hunt in the Wild Card standings for a postseason berth. Things have cooled though in recent weeks. Rays players <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/rays-drop-series-to-guardians-as-wild-card-race-intensifies" rel="noopener">are refusing to quit</a>, despite the disappointing record.</p><p>“We just have to come play hard and take everybody’s head off,” third baseman Junior Caminero said recently through an interpreter, per MLB.com.</p><p>Tampa Bay plays the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rays rumors: Will team leave Tampa Bay?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-jose-ramirez-passes-jim-thome-history');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians’ Jose Ramirez passes Jim Thome in franchise history');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Jose-Ramirez-with-Cleveland-Guardians.jpg"><figcaption>Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Guardians’ Jose Ramirez passes Jim Thome in franchise history</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-07T15:34:00-07:00">September 7th, 3:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-07T15:34:00-07:00">September 7th, 3:34pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Guardians</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cleveland Guardians came out victorious on Sunday with a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, and the game turned into <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/guardians-news-jose-ramirez-mlb-era-history-incredible-2025-season">another milestone moment for Jose Ramirez</a>.</p><p>In the sixth inning, Ramirez ripped a game-tying RBI triple down the line, a hit that not only shifted the momentum but also pushed his career total to 938 RBIs. That number moved him past Hall of Famer Jim Thome for <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/jose-ramirez-has-second-most-rbis-in-cleveland-history" rel="noopener">sole possession of second place</a> on Cleveland’s all-time list, according to Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. He now trails only Earl Averill, who holds the club record with 1,084 RBIs since the statistic became official in 1920.</p><p>Ramirez’s triple came off Tampa Bay reliever Garrett Cleavinger, who entered with a 20-inning scoreless streak, the longest active in the majors at the time. The hit scored by Angel Martinez broke Cleavinger’s streak, the first run he had allowed since July 5. After Ramirez was thrown out at the plate on a squeeze attempt, Gabriel Arias produced the eventual game-winning RBI single against Kevin Kelly, scoring David Fry.</p><p>The milestone ended a productive series for the 32-year-old third baseman. Across the four games in Tampa, Ramirez hit .438 (7-for-16) with a 1.346 OPS, collecting a home run, a triple, two doubles, four RBIs, and a stolen base. He extended his streak of consecutive games with an extra-base hit to four, the 24th such stretch of his career.</p><p>On Saturday, Ramirez also stole his 280th career base, breaking a tie with Omar Vizquel for second on Cleveland’s all-time list, behind only Kenny Lofton’s 452. Among primary third basemen in the Live Ball Era, only Chone Figgins (341) has more steals.</p><p>Guardians manager Stephen Vogt praised Ramirez’s consistency, while teammates acknowledged his daily impact. Ramirez himself noted that his approach on the bases was influenced by Jose Reyes, the longtime Mets shortstop who finished his career with 517 steals.</p><p>Rookie left-hander Parker Messick added to the weekend’s storyline with a strong homecoming start. Pitching just 30 miles from his hometown of Plant City, Fla., Messick worked six innings, allowing one run on eight hits with four strikeouts and no walks. He improved to 2-0 in just his fourth career outing, backed by a vocal crowd of roughly 250 friends and family.</p><p>Cleveland’s bullpen, a decisive factor in the series win, threw 11 1/3 scoreless innings across the four games. On Sunday, Matt Festa, Hunter Gaddis, and Cade Smith combined for three shutout frames, with Smith striking out the side in the ninth for his 11th save.</p><p>The Guardians won three of four against Tampa Bay, improving to 72-70 on the season. The victory moved them ahead of the Rays (71-72) in the standings and also kept them 2 1/2 games behind Seattle (75-68) <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cleveland-guardians/why-guardians-will-clinch-al-wild-card-spot">for the American League’s third Wild Card spot</a>. They return home to open a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians’ Jose Ramirez passes Jim Thome in franchise history

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-tampa-bays-playoff-hopes-dealt-difficult-blow-shortstop-season-ending-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rays’ playoff hopes dealt difficult blow as shortstop will miss rest of 2025');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Taylor-Walls-of-the-Tampa-Bay-Rays.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rays’ playoff hopes dealt difficult blow as shortstop will miss rest of 2025</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T17:12:33-07:00">September 4th, 5:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T17:12:33-07:00">September 4th, 5:12pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-fatal-flaw-that-will-doom-2025-postseason-hopes">Tampa Bay Rays are attempting to extend</a> their six-game win streak as they take on the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday evening. It’s been an impressive stretch for this club as they continue fighting for a potential spot in the postseason. However, their playoff hopes took a hit after the team announced its star shortstop suffered a season-ending injury.</p><p>Reports indicate that Taylor Walls, who is 29 years old, is going to miss the <a href="https://x.com/Ry_Bass/status/1963724407962239403" rel="noopener">remainder of the season</a> after undergoing a sports hernia surgical procedure, according to Ryan Bass of Fan Duel and News Station. Carson Williams and Tristan Gray are expected to play shortstop for the remainder of the season.</p><p>“Rays SS Taylor Walls will miss the rest of the season after a sports hernia surgical procedure, Kevin Cash announced.”</p><p>Walls was experiencing a career-best at the plate. He’s more prominent as a defender, but the Rays were likely pleasantly surprised with his production on offense this season. He officially ends the 2025 campaign with a .220 batting average and .280 OBP while totaling 62 hits, four home runs, and 38 RBIs through 282 at-bats.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-junior-caminero-hits-career-milestone-huge-game-mariners">The Rays enter Thursday’s</a> contest 10.5 games behind the first-placed Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. Tampa Bay is a bit of a long shot as it is. The club is still in the mix, and if they somehow manage to reach the playoffs, the team would likely be a wild-card team. Especially considering the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are well ahead in the standings, despite also being wild-card teams.</p><p>With just over 20 games remaining in the season, the clock is ticking for the Rays. However, if the club can continue playing at a high level, even with Taylor Walls out for the season, then Tampa Bay could still be a playoff team. Look for manager Kevin Cash to potentially make changes to the lineup with Walls out.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rays’ playoff hopes dealt difficult blow as shortstop will miss rest of 2025

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-fatal-flaw-that-will-doom-2025-postseason-hopes');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rays’ fatal flaw that will doom 2025 postseason hopes');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Rays-fatal-flaw-that-will-doom-2025-postseason-hopes.jpg"></figure><h1>Rays’ fatal flaw that will doom 2025 postseason hopes</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T16:51:01-07:00">September 4th, 4:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T16:51:01-07:00">September 4th, 4:51pm</time><address><a>Garrett Kerman</a>Garrett Kerman also goes by the name of The Fight Analyst. He covers all combat sports, from MMA, to boxing, to even bare-knuckle. He is also very well-versed in all American sports when it comes to news and betting analysis. Whether you want betting advice or some breaking news, Garrett is your guy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Tampa Bay Rays entered the 2025 season with cautious optimism, but as September arrives, their postseason dreams are hanging by the thinnest of threads. At 70-69 and sitting 2.5 games behind the final American League Wild Card spot, the Rays face a harsh reality: their fatal flaw has emerged as an inability to deliver consistent clutch hitting when it matters most, creating offensive droughts that no amount of pitching excellence can overcome.</p><p>Despite brief stretches of offensive brilliance, including a remarkable 22-8 run from late May through June, the Rays have been plagued by the same demons that have haunted them all season – an offense that disappears precisely when games are on the line. The numbers tell a sobering story of a team that ranks 23rd in MLB with a .719 OPS and has managed just 157 home runs through 139 games, production that simply won’t cut it in today’s offensive environment.</p><h2>The Clutch Hitting Crisis</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Junior-Caminero.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Rays’ most damning weakness lies in their inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities with runners in scoring position. During their recent struggles, they’ve been a dismal 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position in critical games, and this pattern has persisted throughout the campaign. Their .253 team batting average might appear respectable on paper, but it masks a deeper issue: the timing of their offensive production.</p><p>The team’s early-season woes were particularly telling, as they scored one run or fewer a whopping 13 times during their 21-26 start – worst in the majors. While they temporarily corrected course with an explosive offensive stretch, recent road struggles have exposed this fatal flaw once again. The Rays have lost six straight on the road and 12 of 15 games away from George M. Steinbrenner Field since late June, highlighting their inability to manufacture runs in hostile environments.</p><p>What makes this flaw so devastating is its unpredictability. The Rays have shown they can score runs in bunches – they’ve scored seven runs or more 13 times since their late-May turnaround – but these explosive outbursts are followed by extended cold spells that kill momentum. This feast-or-famine approach creates unsustainable pressure on their pitching staff and leaves little margin for error in tight games.</p><p>The departure of key offensive contributors through trades has only exacerbated this problem. Players who provided clutch hits during their successful stretch have been dealt away, leaving gaps that younger, less experienced hitters must fill. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-junior-caminero-hits-career-milestone-huge-game-mariners">While Junior Caminero leads the team</a> with 40 home runs and 100 RBIs, and Jonathan Aranda has emerged as a surprising bright spot with a .316 average and .872 OPS, the supporting cast lacks the consistency needed for sustained success.</p><h2>Bullpen Struggles Compound the Problem</h2><p>The Rays’ offensive inconsistency becomes even more problematic when combined with their bullpen struggles. Recent performances have been alarming, with relievers posting an 8.07 ERA over a 10-game stretch in July, including multiple blown saves and late-inning collapses. When a team already struggles to score runs consistently, giving away leads through poor relief pitching creates an impossible mathematical equation for success.</p><p>The loss of reliable relievers to injury, including Manuel Rodríguez, who required season-ending elbow surgery, and Bryan Baker, who was dealing with a strained calf, has left the bullpen depth chart in shambles. While closer Pete Fairbanks has managed 24 saves, the lack of reliable setup options means even modest leads become precarious.</p><h2>The September Reality Check</h2><p>As the regular season enters its final month, the Rays’ position in the standings reflects their fatal flaw. Despite having a positive run differential of +61, they sit below .500 because they can’t convert scoring opportunities into wins consistently. Their 39-45 record in games decided by more than three runs indicates they either blow teams out or get blown out, with little success in the close games that define championship teams.</p><p>The recent six-game winning streak might provide false hope, but it’s built on the same foundation that has crumbled repeatedly this season. Unless the Rays can solve their clutch hitting woes immediately, they’ll watch the playoffs from home once again.</p><p>Championship teams find ways to score runs in any situation, against any pitcher, in any ballpark. The Rays have proven they cannot do this consistently enough to warrant serious postseason consideration. Their offensive production remains too dependent on ideal circumstances and favorable matchups, creating a ceiling that falls well short of championship aspirations.</p><p>While their pitching staff has moments of brilliance, including a respectable 3.89 team ERA, even the best pitching cannot overcome an offense that goes missing for weeks at a time. The fatal combination of inconsistent clutch hitting, unreliable bullpen performance, and poor road production creates a perfect storm that will ultimately doom their postseason hopes.</p><p>The Rays’ window for 2025 is rapidly closing, and their fatal flaw – the inability to deliver consistent offensive production when games are on the line – will prevent them from reaching their potential once again. Until they address this fundamental weakness, they remain destined for disappointment, regardless of individual brilliance or temporary hot streaks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rays’ fatal flaw that will doom 2025 postseason hopes

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-yandy-diaz-career-night-dooms-mariners');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rays star Yandy Diaz’s memorable career night dooms Mariners');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Tampa-Bay-Rays-first-base-Yandy-Diaz-is-congratulated.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rays star Yandy Diaz’s memorable career night dooms Mariners</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-03T21:24:14-07:00">September 3rd, 9:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-03T21:24:14-07:00">September 3rd, 9:24pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-junior-caminero-hits-career-milestone-huge-game-mariners">Tampa Bay Rays were unstoppable</a> Wednesday night, thanks to Yandy Diaz, who recorded <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mariners-rays-score-6c774b7831ce32844ce0c8b8df273adf" rel="noopener">a career-high 5-for-5</a> with a double and four singles, leading the team to a 9-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners and completing a three-game sweep at George M. Steinbrenner Field. It was the Rays’ first five-hit game since Tommy Pham in 2020 and was also the 11th such game in franchise history.</p><p>Tampa Bay (70-69) matched a season high with its sixth consecutive win, scoring a season-high 19 hits. Six players recorded multi-hit games, including Chandler Simpson and Jake Mangum with three hits apiece. Junior Caminero contributed two RBIs on a 2-for-4 night, raising his RBI total to 102. Hunter Feduccia drove in three runs with two singles, while Brandon Lowe added two sacrifice flies.</p><p>The Rays’ early offensive explosion doomed Mariners starter George Kirby (8-7), who lasted only two innings, the shortest start of his career. Kirby allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits, walked none, struck out one, and hit a batter. Five of the first six Rays batters reached in the first inning, producing four runs. In the second, Tampa Bay sent nine batters to the plate and scored another four runs on five hits and a passed ball, forcing Kirby from the game after just 33 pitches.</p><p>Seattle (73-67) managed to push back in the sixth inning, scoring four runs. Cal Raleigh drove in his 109th RBI with a single, and Julio Rodríguez hit his 28th home run, a three-run shot, but it was too little, too late. The Mariners have now lost five of six games and 14 of their last 20, slipping in the American League wild-card race.</p><p>On the pitching side, Rays starter Adrian Houser (8-4) allowed four runs in seven innings while striking out eight, walking one, and hitting one batter. Houser efficiently retired the first three Mariners hitters of the game before Tampa Bay’s offense erupted. Eduard Bazardo and Emerson Hancock followed in relief, though the Rays added an insurance run in the fifth on Brandon Lowe’s sacrifice fly. Tayler Saucedo finished the Mariners’ relief work with three scoreless innings, allowing three hits, no walks, and striking out four.</p><p>The win brings Tampa Bay within 2½ games of Seattle <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/why-rays-will-clinch-al-wild-card-spot">for the final American League wild-card spot</a>. After struggling just a week ago at 64-69 and 7½ games behind the Mariners, the Rays are back above .500 for the first time since July 29, and positioned to challenge the Texas Rangers (72-69) and the Kansas City Royals (70-69) as well.</p><p>With their postseason hopes renewed, the Rays will open a four-game series against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rays star Yandy Diaz’s memorable career night dooms Mariners

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-junior-caminero-hits-career-milestone-huge-game-mariners');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rays’ Junior Caminero hits career milestone in huge game vs. Mariners');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Rays-third-baseman-Junior-Caminero-13-reacts-after-hitting-a-double.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rays’ Junior Caminero hits career milestone in huge game vs. Mariners</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-02T20:40:41-07:00">September 2nd, 8:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-02T20:40:41-07:00">September 2nd, 8:40pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Wild Card race in the American League continues to heat up, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/why-rays-will-clinch-al-wild-card-spot">with the Tampa Bay Rays among those vying for a ticket</a> to the upcoming 2025 MLB playoffs. Tampa Bay bolstered its chances to sneak into the postseason when it escaped with a 6-5 victory on Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.</p><p>The Rays have star third baseman Junior Caminero to thank as well for their huge win over Seattle, as the slugger went off at the plate. Caminero concluded the contest 3-for-4, including a home run, with four RBIs. He put Tampa Bay on the board first with an RBI single in the opening inning.</p><p>In the sixth frame, the 22-year-old infielder hit a 390-foot solo shot to tie the score at 3-3. He came through again for the Rays in the seventh inning, recording a two-run double to break a 4-4 tie and put Tampa Bay in front for good.</p><p>With his impressive night at the plate, Caminero reached the 100-RBI plateau for the first time in his three seasons in the big leagues.</p><p>So far in 2025 season, Caminero is hitting .262 /304/.539.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Junior Caminero drives in two for the lead and reaches the 100-RBI mark! <a href="https://t.co/b7sEwJTi1b">pic.twitter.com/b7sEwJTi1b</a></p><p>— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) <a href="https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1963057948378173744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>There was never much doubt about Caminero’s chances to rake in 100 RBIs before the end of the 2025 season, as he already had 94 runs driven in heading into the second game of the Seattle series. But it was noteworthy nonetheless, especially when considering that he also hit <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/tampa-bay-rays/rays-news-junior-caminero-40th-home-run-tampa-bay">another milestone</a> on his road to his 100th RBI of the year.</p><p>His home run against the Mariners was his <a href="https://x.com/MLB/status/1963047137261887654" rel="noopener">40th of the season</a>.</p><p>“Junior Caminero turned 22 less than two months ago.”He just became the 2nd player in @RaysBaseball history to hit 40 HR in a season,” MLB’s official X (formerly Twitter) account shared.</p><p>Carlos Pena still holds the Rays’ record for <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/tampa-bay-rays-single-season-home-run-leaders" rel="noopener">most home runs in a season</a>, as he had 46 dingers back in 2007. That means Caminero has 24 games to rack up six more home runs to tie Pena’s record and at least seven more to break it. Brandon Lowe came close in 2021, when he produced 39 home runs.</p><p>The Rays are unlikely to win the American League East title, as they are currently 10.5 games out of first place in the division, but they are only 3.5 games behind the final Wild Card spot in the AL.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bob
Seymour

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• Rays star Yandy Diaz’s memorable career night dooms Mariners

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Bob Seymour

Latest Related Team News

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• Guardians’ Jose Ramirez passes Jim Thome in franchise history

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• Rays’ fatal flaw that will doom 2025 postseason hopes

• Rays star Yandy Diaz’s memorable career night dooms Mariners

• Rays’ Junior Caminero hits career milestone in huge game vs. Mariners

Bob
Seymour