2/28/13: Tampa finished last year at 90-72. 90 wins is usually good enough to make the playoffs, but not in the ultra-competitive AL East. The Rays finished thirds behind the Yankees and Orioles. This year's version of the club has a little more firepower. The Rays added super prospect Wil Meyer in the hopes that he has a Mike Trout-like rookie campaign. In return, the Rays traded away fan favorite and star pitcher James Shields to the Kansas City Royals. The Rays needed more offense. No one doubts that they can locate top notch pitching, but their offense has been average at best for the past few years.

2/21/13: Rays ace David Price will be a free agent after this season. The team and pitcher avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one year, $10 million package. However, the reality will set in soon. Tampa probably cannot afford to keep Price long term. Some are speculating that he will be the first pitcher to sign a $200 million contract. Tampa is not known for shelling out big money, and simply does not have the fan base to support that type of deal. But the Rays are exceptional at identifying and developing talent on a budget. So if Price goesafter the season, or gets traded, then Tampa will likely have someone to fill his spot pretty quickly.

12/13/12: The Tampa Bay Rays and Kansas City Royals completed the biggest trade of the off season this week. The Rays sent established pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis for some of the top prospects in the American League. The big prize is Wil Myers who was named the Minor League Player of the Year in 2012. Myers was expected to be a major part of the Royals offense next season, and has been compared to Bryce Harper and Mike Trout. The loss of Shields will be tough fot Tampa, but the franchise has a lot of arms but not a lot of bats.

12/6/12: The Rays made another move to bolster their infield for 2013. A week after signing franchise thirdbaseman Evan Longoria to a $100 million, six year extension (that will likely keep Longoria in a Rays uniform throughout his career), the Rays traded for short stop Yunel Escobar with the Miami Marlins, for pitching prospect Derek Dietrich. Escobar never played for the Marlins, and was only acquired last month in a mega-deal between Miami and Toronto. The Rays also signed firstbaseman James Loney to a one year deal on Monday, which pretty much solidifies all of their infield shopping for now.

11/29/12: Franchise thirdbaseman Evan Longoria signed a long-term extension with the Rays for six years and $100 million. The deal may keep Longoria wearing a Rays uniform for the duration of his career, or at least the next 10 years. Longoria is a rarity in Rays line up - that is, he can actually hit. The franchise is well regarded for identifying and developing pitching - in fact they have a surplus that may result in a trade for a bat. But bringing in offense has always been a struggle, and one they will need to overcome to compete in the AL East.

Matt Moore continued his strong season on Tuesday night, but despite the strong outing, the Tampa Bay Rays found themselves on the wrong end of a winning equation as they lost 3-2 to the Seattle Mariners. Moore pitched seven strong innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits and a walk. He also added nine strikeouts over his 95 pitches and lowered his earned run average to 3.60 on the season. Offensively, BJ Upton and Evan Longoria drove in the lone runs for the Rays. Overall, the team managed just nine hits on the day and could not get them when they counted - they were 0-9 with runners in scoring position.

Alex Cobb was phenomenal and helped propel his Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. Cobb pitched seven strong innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits and zero walks. He also added seven strikeouts en route to his sixth victory of the season thus far. Fernando Rodney came in for the ninth, and despite giving up a run, needed only nine pitches to pick up his 34th save of the year. Offensively, BJ Upton and Jeff Keppinger each had runs batted in and helped contribute to the team's health 3-9 with runners in scoring position throughout the game. Upton also added his 21st stolen base in the second inning off Toronto starter Carlo Villanueva.

Alex Cobb pitched excellent and helped lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night at O.co Coliseum. Cobb pitched seven strong innings, allowing one earned runs over four hits and a walk. He also added six strikeouts over the course of 95 pitches to earn his fifth win of the year so far. Offensively, Carlos Pena hit his 15th home run of the season, a two run shot in the eighth inning. Matt Joyce and Ryan Roberts each also drove in runs in the victory as well. Overall, the Rays were 3-12 with runners in scoring position on the game.

Jeremy Hellickson pitched great in Baltimore and on the way helped propel his team to a 3-1 victory over the Orioles on Tuesday night. Hellickson lasted 6.1 innings, allowing only one run on three hits and zero walks. He also picked up four strikeouts en route to his fifth victory of the year thus far. Offensively, Brooks Conrad blasted his second home run of the season in the fifth off Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen, while Jeff Keppinger also drove in a run. Overall, however, the Rays offense managed just six hits on the day and were only 1-4 with runners in scoring position.

Interleague play has not been particularly kind to the Tampa Bay Rays this season, as they have suffered series losses to the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and most recently, the Washington Nationals. With an 8-10 record in games against the NL East this season, the Rays have fallen to third place in their own division, 3.5 games behind the first-place New York Yankees and 1 game behind the Baltimore Orioles in second. Thankfully, only one interleague series remains for the Rays, which will take place this weekend against the struggling Philadelphia Phillies, in a rematch of the 2008 World Series matchup.

The Tampa Bay Rays are coming off of a brutal three-game sweep at home to the New York Mets in which they were outscored 29-9. The Rays were let down by their usually stellar starting pitching, as both David Price and Jeremy Hellickson were tagged in back-to-back games by the Mets' lineup. In addition to dropping three in a row, the Rays fell out of first place in the AL East thanks to the Yankees sweeping the Braves, and now they are 2.5 games out of the division lead and in third place behind the Baltimore Orioles. At 35-28, the Rays will look to right the ship this weekend against the reeling Miami Marlins.

The Tampa Bay Rays avoided being swept by the Yankees on Thursday night with a 7-3 win over their division rivals at Yankee Stadium. David Price earned the win for Tampa Bay and the victory kept the Rays at the top of the AL East, at least for the time being. At 32-25, the Rays are tied with the Baltimore Orioles for first and both teams hold a precarious half-game lead over the New York Yankees. The Rays will open a three-game series with the Miami Marlins a few hundred miles south at Marlins Park on Friday night and will send Jeremy Hellickson (4-2) to the mound for the series opener.

The Tampa Bay Rays are looking ahead to a showdown between themselves and the team that they currently share first place in the AL East with, the Baltimore Orioles. On Friday night, the Rays will begin a three-game series with the Orioles that will leave one team in sole possession of first place in the division once it's over on Sunday night. Tied for first at 29-22, the Rays and Orioles are both 1.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees, which is fitting because following their series with the Orioles, the Rays will begin a three- game set with the Yankees.

The Tampa Bay Rays received some devastating news earlier in the week when they learned that star third basemen Evan Longoria will miss at least 4-8 weeks with a partially torn hamstring. The team recently signed veteran outfielder/designated hitter Hideki Matsui to a minor league deal, and while Matsui will not be plugged in at third base, he will likely be called up to fill a much needed hole in the Tampa Bay lineup. Longoria was hitting .329 on the season so far, including four home runs and 19 runs batted in. Matsui hit .251 with 12 home runs and 72 RBI's last season with the Oakland Athletics.

As many expected coming into the season, the Tampa Bay Rays have played strong baseball in the month of April, and with an 11-7 record find themselves tied with the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the American League East. B.J. Upton returned to the lineup this week after beginning the season on the disabled list and did not waste any time making an impact - through 14 at- bats, Upton has already hit a home run and driven in six runs. Evan Longoria continues to lead the offense with a .328 batting average, while Carlos Pena's four home runs has him tied for the team lead with Luke Scott and Desmond Jennings.

After some late season heroics landed them the final wild card spot in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays got off to another strong start by sweeping the New York Yankees in the first series of the season. Returning to the Rays after spending a season with the Chicago Cubs, Carlos Pena began his season by sending a C.C. Sabathia slider into the stands for a grand slam in his first at bat. He added another later in the series and has two home runs and seven RBI's already on the short season. Evan Longoria has also got off to a torrid start, posting a .538 batting average through his first four games.

Tampa Bay Rays Tickets - Team History

11/22/12: Tampa needs offense. No one doubts that this organization can find and develop players - particularly pitchers. And they do so on a shoestring budget, yet still remain competitive in the AL East. But make no mistake, the Rays need to find some offense. One rumor is trading Jeff Niemann to the Angles for Kendrys Morales. It makes sense on paper - the Rays have pitching and need a bat. LA has bats and needs pitching. The big question is Morales' health. If he can return to 2009/2010 form, then this is a no brainer. If not, keep looking, Tampa Bay, keep looking.

Tampa Bay Rays tickets allow fans to see one of baseball's youngest franchises play their way into the history books. The Tampa Bay Rays have enjoyed a great deal of success since a change in ownership in 2005, and look to add another pennant to their trophy case after making it to the World Series in 2008. Watch as the Tampa Bay Rays try to get back to the World Series in 2011!

Tampa Bay Rays Tickets - Season Info

The Tampa Bay Rays won the AL East in 2010, but are now forced to bear the loss of some great talent and will lean heavily on 3X All-Star Evan Longoria. After having a career season in 2010, Longoria won a Fielding Bible Award for his outstanding defensive play and the American League Gold Glove award for third base. Count on another solid season from this top performer.

Tampa Bay Rays Tickets - Ticket Information

Tampa Bay Rays tickets ensure that fans see the Rays playing top contenders throughout the entire MLB season. The Rays have their work cut out for them in a tough American League East. With matchups with great teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox and non-divisional meetings with the St. Louis Cardinals throughout the season, the Rays are sure to be tested in 2011. Don't miss a second of the action!

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