The Tampa Bay Rays have been the best team in the American League throughout the regular season. After playing a season where they were evicted from their home in the 2025 season because of weather damage to Tropicana Field, the Rays returned to their beleaguered dome in top form this season.
They moved into first place in the American League East early in the year and they have remained in that secure position throughout. They have a 91-59 record and have a 4.0-game lead over the New York Yankees and a 9.5-game lead over the Boston Red Sox. Those two teams have the second- and third-best records in the American League.
The Rays have a core of top players in Yandy Diaz (173 hits), Junior Caminero (41 home runs) and Jonathan Aranda (89 runs batted in) who have been carrying the lineup for the bulk of the season. They have a pair of excellent starting pitchers in Nick Martinez and Drew Rasmussen who have given Rays manager Kevin Cash dependability in their rotation and gotten key outs all season.
As the season has moved along, the Rays made a key move in picking up hard-hitting catcher Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins to support the Rays' Big Three. They have also gotten a huge lift from speedy outfielder Chandler Simpson. His ability to slap the ball to the opposite field and steal bases have kept opponents off balance.
AL East rivals could cause problems in the postseason
The problem for the Rays is that the postseason is not the regular season. They will face the winner of the Wild Card series between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will present a major challenge. Both of these teams would represent a significant challenge to the Rays, and the winner of that series will come into the divisional round of the playoffs with significant momentum.
The Red Sox proved to be a threat to the Rays earlier in the season when they swept a four-game series at Fenway Park. That series came when the Red Sox were in the midst of a 32-5 hot streak. The Red Sox also swept series against first-place teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox during that run, and it indicated that the team had enough confidence to compete against the best teams in baseball.
They have sluggers like Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu who can drive the ball out of the park and can find success against the Tampa Bay pitching staff.
Yankees represent the biggest threat
The Yankees are the bigger threat at this point and they have been playing excellent baseball in the last month of the season. Aaron Judge recently returned to the lineup and if he can avoid any other injuries â he had to leave Wednesday's game against the Twins with right leg tightness â he can clearly break open any game with his power.
Article Continues BelowThe Yankees have gotten excellent production from Ben Rice while Judge was out with a rib stress fracture. He has hammered 38 home runs and driven in 92 runs. Cody Bellinger has also been productive 16 home runs and 71 RBI while slashing .276/.351/.444 and playing Gold Glove caliber left field. They have also gotten additional production from Paul Goldschmidt, Spencer Jones and Jazz Chisholm Jr.
The Yankees also have gotten outstanding pitching from Cam Schlittler, who appears to be the likely Cy Young Award winner in the American League. He has the ability to shut down any lineup when he is on his game, and that includes the Rays.
The Yankees also have Gerrit Cole, who is normally one of the top pitchers in the American League, but there has been something of a downturn recently. If he can turn it around in the playoffs and the Yankees also get a good effort from Carlos Rodon, they could present a formidable starting rotation.
Rays may struggle if Martinez or Rasmussen get beaten
The Rays have full confidence when Martinez or Rasmussen take the mound. Martinez is the staff ace and he has a 15-4 record along with a 2.94 earned run average while pitching 171.1 innings this season. However, Martinez is not a fireballer as he has struck out 101 hitters.
Rasmussen also has a brilliant record heading into the final stretch of the season. He is 14-5 with a 2.81 ERA and he has struck out 160 batters in 160.1 innings.
Neither Martinez nor Rasmussen are going to blow most lineups away, and if either one gets beaten in one of the first two games in the series, the Rays could be vulnerable in a short series.
The Rays have been the best team in the American League during the regular season, but it may be very difficult to sustain that success in the postseason against the Red Sox or Yankees.