Why defense is key for revamped Rays roster

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- All the changes the Rays have made to their roster make for some interesting debates.

Will they have a better lineup with Brandon Lowe, Josh Lowe and Jake Mangum giving way to Gavin Lux, Jake Fraley and Cedric Mullins, among others? Will their bullpen benefit from a leverage-by-committee approach after bidding farewell to closer Pete Fairbanks? Is their rotation stronger with Shane McClanahan back and veterans Steven Matz and Nick Martinez stepping in for Shane Baz?

They’re important questions. But maybe not as consequential as this one: Will the 2026 Rays be a better defensive team?

They think so.

“When you have youth and urgency and guys coming to the park looking to get better every day -- with talent -- I mean, you're going to have some good things happen,” third-base/infield coach Brady Williams said.

“Overall defense, excited to see what we can do.”

At their best, the Rays have always been built on a foundation of run prevention. That consists of two equal parts: pitching and defense. And the latter wasn’t great last season, as Tampa Bay ranked 28th in the Majors in Outs Above Average (minus-31) and 27th in Fielding Run Value (minus-41), according to Statcast.

The Rays allowed 683 runs last season, the same number as the Dodgers and in the same range as the Yankees (685) and Red Sox (676). Seems pretty good, right? But the Rays aren’t going to win as many slugfests as those teams, so premium pitching and defense is even more important.

There were some encouraging performances last year, despite the overall numbers. Taylor Walls was a Gold Glove Award finalist, and the Rays maintain their belief that he’s the best defensive shortstop in baseball. Jonathan Aranda had a solid season at first base. Junior Caminero worked hard and got significantly better at third base.

It’s easy to see the talent spread throughout the Rays’ pitching staff. The addition of Martinez gave their rotation a solid floor and created necessary depth, and the presence of Opening Day starter Drew Rasmussen and McClanahan gives the group considerable upside. The bullpen is deep and diverse, with a handful of arms who have late-inning experience.

But they can’t strike out everybody. They need the defense to be sharp behind them.

“Look, it's going to probably start with run prevention,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said last week. “Going back into Tropicana Field, I think our defense will be a little bit tighter with this group, as it is.”

Getting out of George M. Steinbrenner Field and returning to the Trop will certainly help, as the Rays’ home dome typically favors pitchers. But the roster provides perhaps just as much reason to believe they can be better in the field.

Behind the plate, Nick Fortes is a strong defender, and Hunter Feduccia gets solid marks for everything but his throwing. Aranda was an asset at first base. Lux has generally graded out around average at second base, where he can dedicate all his energy after bouncing around the diamond last year.

Walls is a plus, and Caminero showed he can be more than dependable at the hot corner. They’ll be backed up by Ben Williamson, an elite defensive third baseman with the Mariners who now must show he can handle shortstop and second.

“Watching early on here, the athleticism, the speed, the urgency and attention to detail has really stood out when the guys are taking ground balls,” manager Kevin Cash said.

In center field, Mullins has been a consistently reliable defender with the ability to make highlight-reel plays. Fraley grades out average or better in right, with plenty of arm strength to make tough throws. Chandler Simpson is still a work in progress in left, but nobody questions his range or desire to improve. Jonny DeLuca plays excellent defense at all three spots, although he’s had a hard time staying on the field.

“Chandler's working really hard to become the best version of himself. Cedric Mullins has been there, done that. Jake Fraley is a very good defender. We just got to keep him on the field,” Cash said. “Jonny DeLuca, Richie [Palacios], those guys, if they just get on the field and show health -- I think right there, we're going to be better.”