Tampa Bay opened its doors to Major League Baseball in 1998 as the expansion Tampa Bay "Devil Rays," and the franchise had a retired number in place before ever playing a game. That's because Jackie Robinson's number had already been retired by every team in baseball. In recognition of his

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

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.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Game 7 in 2008 or Game 162 in 2011? You don’t need to read much more than those four-word descriptions before the memories start flooding back. The first was Game 7 of the 2008 American League Championship Series, the unforgettable moment the Rays reached the World Series

If it seems like the Rays are always wheeling and dealing, that's because they are. Such is life for Tampa Bay, where combating the realities of playing in baseball's smallest market remains a constant challenge. That often means finding creative ways to churn the roster, mine others across the Majors

ST. PETERSBURG -- Since the franchise’s “Rays” era began in 2008, Tampa Bay has been a consistently competitive club in the always-challenging American League East. The Rays have won American League titles and division titles, fought their way into October as a Wild Card team and endured only brief periods

ST. PETERSBURG -- Ask just about anyone involved with the Rays this season what made this particular team so special, and you’re bound to hear quickly about the bond they shared in the clubhouse. President of baseball operations Erik Neander mentioned it in the opening statement of his season-ending press

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays have been here before. Three years ago, they had an elite-level starter with a track record of dominance, when healthy, set to earn a franchise-record salary in the final year of a contract extension. President of baseball operations Erik Neander sat inside Tropicana Field for

ST. PETERSBURG -- A busy awards week hasn’t always followed the best seasons in Rays history. This year is going to be different. The Rays have three finalists for the major awards handed out by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, as it was revealed Monday night on MLB Network.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Shortstop Taylor Walls won a Gold Glove Award on Sunday night, an overdue honor and a strong reminder of his value to the Rays. The Rays rewarded Walls’ work and issued another reminder of how much they appreciate his defensive excellence by exercising his $3.1 million club

Pittsburgh’s PNC Park is a jewel on the north shore of the Allegheny River, widely regarded as one of the finest ballparks in America. You can appreciate the scenery, structure and attention to detail without anything taking place on the field -- just sit behind home plate and marvel at

PITTSBURGH -- For some players, names and numbers are interchangeable in conversation. You can’t see “21” in Pittsburgh’s black and gold without thinking of Roberto Clemente. No. 8? That’s Willie Stargell. Bill Mazeroski is No. 9, and there will never be another in Pittsburgh. But what about all the other

PITTSBURGH – Many of the best offensive performances in Pirates history belong to exactly the players you’d expect to dominate a game at the plate. Willie Stargell. Roberto Clemente. Ralph Kiner. Andrew McCutchen. Superstars are capable of greatness over an extended period of time, yes, and sometimes they just make

The Pirates have seen plenty of hype and excitement for players making their MLB debuts in recent years. From Paul Skenes taking the mound with sky-high expectations in 2024 and living up to them, to Konnor Griffin hammering an RBI double in his 2026 debut at PNC Park, Pittsburgh’s young

PITTSBURGH -- What would the Pirates’ dream lineup look like? You’re probably thinking about an infield of Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski, Honus Wagner and Pie Traynor playing in front of an outfield of Ralph Kiner, Max Carey and Roberto Clemente. If you’ve got room for a designated hitter, maybe you

ST. PETERSBURG -- It's no secret that many of the Rays’ best teams have been built on elite pitching. The organizational philosophy is to prioritize run prevention, and there’s a great emphasis on helping pitchers develop in the Minors and keep getting better in the big leagues. Because of that,

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays don’t always win on Opening Day. But when they do, they tend to put on a show. Four of their first 15 Opening Day victories were walk-off wins. One involved a local product hitting a go-ahead triple in the eighth inning of his first game