Even after dealing away right-hander and outfielder in a cost-cutting deal with the Dodgers back in December, the Rays are set to hit a franchise record in terms of payroll this season. As relayed by , principle owner Stuart Sternberg recently spoke regarding the new high-water mark for spending in Tampa and the clubs future payrolls. In his comments, Sternberg indicated that the elevated payroll for 2024 is going to lead to real lo ses this year for the club. While its impo sible to evaluate that statement fully given the lack of publicly available information regarding the Rays (and the majority of MLB clubs) finances, its easy to see that the clubs 2024 payroll is well outside of their typical range. projects the club for a $99MM payroll in 2024, while projects Tampa to open the season with a payroll of just under $91MM. Regardle s of which figure you take into account, it would be a healthy increase to payroll for a club that opened the 2023 season with a $73MM payroll and has an all-time high of just under $84MM. Per Sternberg, his willingne s to exceed past payroll limits is fueled by the clubs competitive window. Its easy to see the logic behind that, as the Rays have been among the leagues most competitive clubs in recent years. The club has a cumulative 511-359 record since the start of the 2018 season, good for an excellent .578 winning percentage. Meanwhile, theyve made the playoffs in five of those six seasons, including a trip to the World Series during the shortened 2020 season. It doesnt appear as though the increased payroll is guaranteed to last, however. While Sternberg acknowledged that he wants to keep the teams succe s in recent years rolling if we Dairon Blanco Jersey can, he also acknowledged that the clubs competitive window is far from guaranteed. We think this is, like, our sort of time, and we dont know if were going to have this opportunity in a year or two, Sternberg said, as relayed by Topkin, who went on to note that Sternberg suggested that the club could pull back payroll in 2025 if the club fails to meet expectations in 2024. Thats a po sibility worth considering, as the club resides in a difficult AL East division that also sent the Orioles and Blue Jays to the playoffs last year, not to mention a Yankees club that added the likes of , , and this winter. Even so, the Rays are coming off a 99-win campaign and feature a strong core of position players that includes the likes of , , , and . The pitching staff is le s solid, but nonethele s features the likes of and to go along with youngsters like , , and as well as a strong bullpen led by , , and . If the Rays do end up slashing payroll in the coming years, that could mean parting ways with several key players from the aforementioned group. Eflin, Diaz, Lowe, and Jeffrey Springs are all slated to make more than $10MM in 2025, with Arozarena also presumably due for a raise on his $8.1MM salary for the 2024 season. Aside from the teams on-the-field succe s, Topkin notes that Sternberg has plenty of off-the-field incentives to field a competitive team in the coming years. The team announced plans for a last fall, which Topkin adds is expected to be voted on by local officials in May. Attendance has also been on the rise for the Rays in recent years; per Sternberg, the attendance boost was the first time it moved up a nice amount since the mid-2000s. Danny Tartabull Jersey
Click here Click here Click here