No more than a week ago the Tampa Bay Rays traded their starting shortstop Willy Adames to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Rays also traded away Blake Snell in the offseason in an effort to save a little bit of a payroll. Despite all that, the Rays have now rattled off their 11th straight win by topping the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Tampa Bay Rays are about to win their 11th straight game. The same week they traded their starting shortstop.
They'll have the best record in the American League. With a payroll that's about one-third of the Yankees' and Red Sox's.
They're quite good at what they do.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 24, 2021
As Jeff Passan reported, the Rays are doing all this with a minuscule payroll. After all, the Rays are just months removed from a World Series trip that ended in a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, so it shouldn't be all that surprising.
Nonetheless, the Rays have made do with what they have. The Rays haven't lost a game since May 12 against the New York Yankees, and even that was a 1-0 loss due to a monster outing from Gerrit Cole.
Tampa put up 14 runs against Toronto on Monday, although it took them extra innings to get it done. It's quite remarkable that they continue to shed salary and find a way to remain competitive. They have the most wins in the American League and, barring a San Diego Padres victory, will have the most victories in the entirety of the major leagues.
The Rays might have been overlooked at the beginning of the season, and it's not totally unfair. The Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees were widely regarded as favorites for the American League and after the departure of Snell, not many saw the Rays coming out and performing as they have so far.
Albeit, the Rays are here now, and they continue to win in impressive fashion, including an extra-inning barrage against the Blue Jays to keep the streak alive.
Whatever they are doing is working, even if it is a bit of an unorthodox way.
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