In the world of Major League Baseball, nobody “thrifts” like the Rays.
The Tampa Bay Rays have been above 25th in MLB payroll rankings just once since 2013 (2022, 24th). The teams they typically share the bottom of the rankings with include the Athletics, Pirates, and Marlins, not exactly the type of company you want to be around.
This low budget is where the minds of Erik Neander — and, to some extent, Kevin Cash — come into play.
Neander (Head of baseball operations since 2018) and Cash (Manager since 2015) have enjoyed plenty of success in their tenure together, with five consecutive winning records, four division titles, and an AL pennant victory in 2020.