World News – US – How the Tampa Bay Rays built a pennant on a budget

The Tampa Bay Rays have turned winning on a budget into an art form, with perhaps their finest effort coming this season

The Rays had the third lowest payroll in Day 1 of Major League Baseball this season at just over $ 28.2 million, according to Spotrac Only the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles had a lower total

Still, the Rays finished the regular season with a 40-20 record – the best in the American League – and they validated it with wins over the Toronto Blue Jays ($ 54m), New York ($ 109 4M) and Houston Astros ($ 82 5M) on their way to second place in Franchise History World Series

So let’s see how the Rays put together their pennant winning team without breaking the bank

First of all, this year’s payroll figures are a bit different from other seasons as players have been prorated over 60 games, instead of the usual 162

This means that starting pitcher Charlie Morton – the Rays’ highest paid player with a salary of $ 15 million – is paid around $ 5.56 million this season

The Rays must feel like they got an exceptional return on their investment after signing Morton to a two-year, $ 30 million contract ahead of the 2019 season He posted a record 18-8 and 333 ERA in two seasons, but was incredible in the playoffs

Morton went 5-0 in five playoff starts with the Rays, allowing just two earned runs in 25 innings (070 ERA) – including his 5⅔ shutout frames on Saturday night in ALCS Game 7 against Houston

Morton is one of two Rays players with an annual salary of $ 10 million or more this season The other is center fielder Kevin Kiermaier at $ 10 16 million

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The Rays also maintain considerable pay flexibility with only three players on contract beyond next season Kiermaier is signed until 2022 (with an option for 2023), southpaw Blake Snell is signed until 2023 and infielder / outfielder Brandon Lowe until 2024 (with two option years)

The Rays haven’t signed any major free agents of Morton’s caliber in the past season, but added a few key elements DH Yoshi Tsutsugo and relievers Aaron Loup and John Curtiss were under the radar signings that made part of their playoff training

The trades have also helped to strengthen this team Rays They have chosen the field players eligible for refereeing Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe under separate agreements with the San Diego Padres And perhaps most importantly, they acquired MVP ALCS Randy Arozarena from the St Louis Cardinals

Arozarena may have been the type of player the Rays have relied on to raise their level of play He is one of many young players on the list who do not have enough major league experience to qualify for refereeing. As a result, they all earn close to the major league minimum wage

It’s a testament to the creativity and flexibility of CEO Erik Neander and Rays front office staff that they were able to put together a winning list despite the constraints of the Rays small budget.

Their World Series opponent will get a substantial salary advantage when the Fall Classic begins Tuesday The Los Angeles Dodgers ($ 107 9 million) placed second behind the Yankees in terms of payroll this season, while the Atlanta Braves ($ 61 2 million) ranked 15th

Los Angeles Dodgers, World Series, Tampa Bay Rays, National League Championship Series