{"id":107875,"date":"2025-09-30T18:09:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T22:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=107875"},"modified":"2025-09-30T18:09:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T22:09:50","slug":"rays-could-convert-reliever-griffin-jax-into-starter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/09\/30\/rays-could-convert-reliever-griffin-jax-into-starter\/","title":{"rendered":"Rays Could Become the Latest To Convert a Reliever Into a Starter"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Tampa Bay Rays have a bevy of roster questions to address. The pitching staff needs clearer answers at the back end of the starting rotation<\/a> after a season in which most of the group successfully avoided the injury bug. The Rays are usually the ones leading the charge when it comes to analytics and the modern game. Now, the Rays, coming off two straight years of missing the postseason, may steal a page from other clubs when it comes to constructing their pitching staff next season.<\/p>\n

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Sep 18, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Griffin Jax (22) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Are the Rays Becoming a Bunch of Copycats?<\/h2>\n

Whether it’s the opener or the defensive shifts, the Tampa Bay Rays are always trying to push the limits of what works at the Major League Baseball level. When it comes to answering those questions on the pitching staff, they may have a perfect pitcher to attempt the reliever-turned-starter experiment.<\/p>\n

Griffin Jax<\/a> finished strong after a rocky beginning when he arrived via trade with the Minnesota Twins. When it comes to building a pitching staff, teams are increasingly searching for guys who can pitch in different roles. Think Seth Lugo<\/a>, Reynaldo Lopez<\/a>, Clay Holmes<\/a>, etc. If the gambit works, it can save a team from spending loads of money in free agency on one of the most fickle creatures in baseball: starting pitchers.<\/p>\n

Griffin Jax as a Starter<\/h3>\n

Jax, 30, was acquired<\/a> by the Rays at the trade deadline from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for starting pitcher Taj Bradley<\/a>. It was a straight swap of two players who each hold a boatload of promise. It also represented a gamble that the Rays could turn around his performance. Jax posted a 3.60 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 20 innings for the Rays. The Arizona native has five pitches, although he utilizes his 97 mph fastball along with a filthy sweeper and changeup. His 37.3% whiff rate is in the 98th percentile, and his 35% strikeout rate is firmly in the 98th percentile. Those solid numbers represent a big turnaround from his underwhelming early season in the Twin Cities. Jax won\u2019t become arbitration-eligible until 2026 or a free agent until his age-32 season.<\/p>\n

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Griffin Jax, Wicked Sweepers…and Sword. \u2694\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/sgt0K0YpbR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 16, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n