TAMPA — The New York Yankees are on their way to Tampa after making quick work of the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, and their next hurdle is fittingly the team that edged them for the division title just like last year. The Tampa Bay Rays own the Junior Circuit's top regular-season record and likely represent New York's most significant obstacle to returning to the World Series.
New York fed off terrific starting pitching to sweep Boston. Cam Schlittler continued his superlative season and his ownership of the arch rival in Game 1, then Max Fried followed with an understated yet stellar six innings of his own. In both games the Yankee offense exploded in the latter half to make the late innings comfortable, leaving Aaron Boone's club looking like a well-oiled machine entering a matchup with a pesky, modular and cerebral Tampa Bay team that thrives on the margins.
This year's Rays offense is not unlike the Toronto Blue Jays team that ended the Yankees' season in 2025, a departure from more power-focused, high-whiff lineups of past iterations. Tampa Bay was extremely difficult to strike out with both its K rate and whiff rate lowest in the league. Yandy Díaz led the AL with 180 hits, Chandler Simpson hit over .300 with 46 steals and zero homers, and Jonathan Aranda blends contact skills with pull power to right field. At the heart of the order is All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero, whose 42 homers match the total Ben Rice put up this year. Tampa Bay's 104 team wRC+ was tied for fifth in MLB with the ALDS-bound Chicago White Sox.
As ever, the Rays' pitching staff is loaded and one of the few that can compete with New York. They offer tons of different looks, from the relentless top-down attack of ace Drew Rasmussen — already listed as the Game 1 starter — to the bouncy, crafty stylings of veteran Nick Martinez and trade-deadline addition Freddy Peralta, who is pitching like himself again. Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour provide additional options, with Seymour projected as the designated long man out of the bullpen. Jax, who converted to starter this year after a fruitful stint in Minnesota's bullpen, took a comebacker off his back in the penultimate game of the season but indications are he will be good to go as a leverage or late-inning option. Manager Kevin Cash demurred when asked for more details. The bullpen could add Jax or Seymour to a talented crew led by closer Bryan Baker, once an inconsistent middle-inning arm for Baltimore who has blossomed with triple-digit heat and a nasty changeup, and setup man Kevin Kelly with a 2.44 ERA in 73.2 innings. Reports indicate Tampa Bay could also welcome back Tyler Wells and Garrett Cleavinger from injury, with lefty Cam Booser in the mix.
The fruits of dispatching Boston early are clear in how New York can set up its staff. Gerrit Cole was the presumptive Game 3 starter against Boston and will likely start Game 1 of the ALDS, with a day between Game 1 and Game 2 giving additional rest for Schlittler and Fried afterward. With a full four days between Game 1 and a hypothetical Game 4, the Yankees could start Cole again and reserve Carlos Rodón for a piggyback role if a starter cannot go deep. The staggered scheduling — the first three games across five days — should keep both bullpens from being run ragged and put the focus on the lineups to snatch the initiative. That includes the Aaron Judge question. Judge was vocal about his desire to play in the Wild Card Series but was left off the roster with a quad strain, with Giancarlo Stanton given a spot though he went unused. The expectation is Judge will not be on the ALDS roster, or will see limited playing time if he is, as Boone can afford to wait for a fully healthy version who can play the outfield. For the best-of-three against Boston, New York carried a super-bench and only ten pitchers; for the best-of-five, the Yankees will probably add another arm or two but are expected to continue to weaponize their depth with varied lineups.