The Rays have unquestionably been the best team this year in MLB. The only club above .700, they boast the largest run differential in baseball and lead in a slew of other statistics, from home runs to stolen bases to OPS+. After starting the season 13–0, they’ve continued in about as similar a fashion as any team possibly could.
Yet there’s one clear weak spot here: their bullpen.
This obviously has not been weak enough to prove damning. (Just look at Tampa Bay’s record.) But it’s still notable. That’s partially because it’s curious in the context of the franchise: Past Rays teams have been successful in large part because of the bullpen, demonstrating an ability to make reclamation projects into great relievers, mixing and matching looks from inning to inning with considerable success. But this year? Not quite. As much as the Rays have won this season, they’ve done it largely without counting on their bullpen, which has been lackluster by both league and franchise standards.
