When Kevin Cash was hired, he was the youngest manager in Major League Baseball. Since that day, in December, 2014, the other MLB franchises have gone through 116 managers, and Cash opens the 2026 season as the dean of Major League managers. Only three other managers were hired before 2020, meaning Cash has been on the job more than a half-decade longer than 26 of the 30 MLB managers.
The longtime backup catcher played a dozen years in the majors and minors, meaning his time in the Rays dugout will match his time as a player this season. That playing career included parts of the 2005 and 2006 seasons as a Durham Bull. Like so many Tampa players he manages, his path to the big leagues went through Durham.
There will be fewer home-grown players than usual this season, however. The Rays were surprisingly active over the offseason, trading away longtime team fixtures like former Bulls Brandon Lowe, Josh Lowe, Pete Fairbanks and Shane Baz.
“It was difficult,” said Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander. “We said goodbyes to players we cared about, who meant a lot to our franchise success.”
That means Cash has been busier than normal trying to build team chemistry during spring training.
“It’s a different group,” he said just prior to the start of camp. “Our team is different. There’s a lot of new faces. I’m excited to come in and start shaking hands and meeting people. It’s a little unique to have so many people that you’re not that familiar with. I’ve talked to them on phone throughout the offseason. To sit in the office with them or talk to them around the batting cage or around the bullpen mound is exciting.”
The new Rays include former Reds pitcher Nick Martinez, signed as a free agent. Tampa also acquired Gavin Lux from the Reds in a trade. Tampa also signed outfielder Jake Fraley and traded for former Orioles All-Star outfielder Cedric Mullens, a former standout for Louisburg College and Campbell University.
“Nick Martinez has a first-class personality,” said Cash. “He’s first class in the clubhouse, as a teammate. He’s unselfish in whatever role he plays.”
“Cedric, Jake, I’m excited about both guys,” Cash said of his new outfielders. “Cedric will play a lot of center field for us. Jake is going to be in very much against right-handed pitchers. We’ve got to keep him on the field. His track record when he’s on-field and healthy has proven to be a good player on both sides of the ball.”
The Rays pay as much attention to a player’s defense value as his skill at the plate, and the changes should improve Tampa’s defense.
“Mullens, Fraley and Lux have a track record of hitting and having success,” Cash said. “But I’d like to see us get back to what has made us successful, and that’s doing really well on the mound and having a defense behind our pitching to prevent runs.”
The Rays brought retired centerfielder Kevin Kiermeier, another former Durham Bull as well as a four-time Gold Glover, to tutor the outfielders on the finer points of defense.
Also improving the defense, as well as the team’s comfort level, will be a return to Tropicana Field. Tampa had to relocate last year due to hurricane damage to the dome that has been their home field for decades, playing the entire season at Steinbrenner Field, the Yankee’s outdoor minor league stadium in the Tampa area.
“We’re very excited to return to the Trop,” Cash said. “We’ve talked enough about the challenges with playing at Steinbrenner Field. It was unique for all of us. We can’t thank the Yankees enough. They could not have been more accommodating. But we’re genuinely, authentically excited to get back to the Trop. We’ve played well in the Trop, had a lot of success in the Trop. We hope to play a lot better there than we played last year. We’ve defined ourselves a lot of our successful years by defense and pitching. The Trop is a pitchers’ ballpark. Our job to build a defense behind our pitchers. I do like the offseason transition, from where our roster was last year to where it is now. There are some unknowns. But there are some unknowns to be really, really excited about.”
The Rays will be competing in the same division with the big-budget Yankees and Red Sox, as well as last year’s American League champion Toronto Blue Jays, and the Orioles, who boast a young, talented roster. But Cash is confident that the Rays, who seem to do it with analytics and magic every season, will compete again after a disappointing 77-win season in 2025.
“I do think guys are pushing each other a little bit more,” he said. “There’s a sense of urgency. Not many guys that were with our club last year are feeling great about how their seasons ended. There’s an eagerness to go out and perform.”
