Previewing the AL East: Tampa Bay Rays

Ready to feel old? Consider this: 2022 will mark the 25th season of the Tampa Bay Rays’ existence.

Long gone are the days when the then-Devil Rays were a hapless expansion team and the only thing that kept the woeful Orioles out of last place in the AL East. The Rays have been a consistently winning club since 2008, finishing over .500 in 10 of 14 seasons in that span while making seven postseason appearances and two trips to the World Series.

Last year was their best yet, reaching the 100-win mark for the first time in franchise history before an all-too-early exit against the Red Sox in the ALDS. Of those 100 wins, an eye-popping 18 of them came against the Orioles, one shy of sweeping the…