The Tampa Bay Rays are a professional baseball team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) East division. The team's name is derived from the combination of the city of Tampa and the nearby body of water known as Tampa Bay. The team has been in existence since 1998, when they were known as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. They changed their name to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008.