The Washington Nationals pay Blake Butera’s salary now, but his heart was with the Tampa Bay Rays during their ALCS triumph. As the Rays clinched their spot in the World Series, Butera watched quietly from his North Carolina home, his almost one-year-old daughter asleep nearby. The 33-year-old, who became the youngest MLB manager in over 50 years when hired by Washington last winter, sent congratulatory messages to former colleagues while wrestling with a mix of pride and envy.
Butera’s ties to Tampa Bay run deep. Drafted in the 35th round in 2015, he quickly transitioned from player to coach when it became clear he wouldn’t break into the majors. The Rays released him as a player and hired him as a coach on the same day in spring training 2017. He rose through the ranks, managing minor league teams in Fishkill, New York, and Charleston, South Carolina, before becoming a roving field coordinator. By the end of 2023, he was promoted to senior director of player development, influencing all levels of the organization.
“I want these guys to win it," Butera told Yahoo! Sports during a phone interview this week. “The relationships I have with the coaches, with the front office, with the players that are out there … But also, yeah, it kind of stinks. I’m happy for these guys, but like, I want to be there [with the Nats]. You know? That’s the competitive side of it.”
Butera isn’t the only former Rays employee observing the postseason from afar with mixed emotions. Tampa Bay’s success has often led to its staff being hired away by other teams. Over the past two decades, the Rays have been at the forefront of baseball innovation, embracing advanced analytics early under then-GM Andrew Friedman. The team popularized defensive shifts, which eventually prompted MLB to limit their use, and introduced the “opener” strategy, with a reliever starting the game before handing off to a traditional starter.
This approach has paid off. Since 2008, the Rays have won more games than any other team except the Dodgers and Yankees. Their success has made their coaches and executives attractive hires for other franchises.
Currently, five head baseball operations executives once worked for Tampa Bay: Los Angeles’ Andrew Friedman, St. Louis’ Chaim Bloom, Miami’s Peter Bendix, the recently appointed Oakland Athletics’ Taylor Smith, and Milwaukee’s Matt Arnold, who will face the Rays this week. Three general managers also have Rays ties: Washington’s Ani Kilambi, Los Angeles’ Brandon Gomes, and Miami’s Gabe Kapler. Five current managers, including Butera, Minnesota’s Derek Shelton, Baltimore’s Craig Albernaz, Cleveland’s Stephen Vogt, and Kansas City’s Matt Quatraro, all spent time coaching or playing within Tampa’s system.
The Nationals’ GM Ani Kilambi, who started as a Rays intern in 2015 while still a university student, expressed similar conflicting feelings. Now 32, Kilambi left Tampa after 2021, spent four seasons with Philadelphia, and accepted Washington’s GM job last winter.
“I have those close personal connections to the Rays people,” Kilambi said. “But with that being said, I’m rooting for the Nats, baby.”
Kilambi described the postseason as a test of loyalties. “Any time I’m watching the postseason, watching these games, I’m like, ‘god damn it, someone’s gonna win, and I’m not gonna be happy about it,’” she said. “If the Rays win, I’ll be happy for them on a personal level. [But] I would be really sad that I didn’t get to experience it with them. It’s very hard to disassociate the personal part with my own selfish motivations of just like, ‘Hey, I haven’t been at the top of the mountain.’”
Peter Bendix, Miami Marlins president of baseball operations and a Rays employee from 2009 to 2023, noted the emotional complexity of following Tampa Bay’s postseason run. “I know how important and how much time and effort they put into their culture. I'm proud to have had a very, very, very small part in helping to develop and maintain that culture,” he said. “And it’s rewarding to see when that sort of thing leads to positive results, even though I am no longer rooting for those positive results myself. I want the Marlins to win. I don't want the Rays to win or the Brewers to win. But I want good things for my friends. It's heartwarming and makes me happy to see that happen.”
Stephen Vogt, manager of the Cleveland Guardians whose team was eliminated by the Rays in the ALCS, started his big-league career in Tampa Bay in 2012. While his focus remained on winning the series, Vogt acknowledged the importance of his time with the Rays organization.
The Rays’ influence on MLB coaching and front office ranks is clear. Their approach to player development and game strategy has seeded success across the league. But for those like Butera, Kilambi, and Bendix, watching their former team push for a title stirs a mix of admiration and a reminder of what they left behind.
According to Yahoo Sports.
