Offseason Outlook: Tampa Bay Rays

Regardless of vital accidents on the pitching entrance, the Rays spent a lot of the season’s first half in or on the periphery of the Wild Card chase. The entrance workplace took benefit of a vendor’s market on the deadline though the membership was hovering round .500, bolstering the farm, decreasing payroll and setting the stage for what may very well be a fast turnaround.

Assured Contracts

• Jeffrey Springs, LHP: $21.75MM by means of 2026 (contains $750K buyout of $15MM membership possibility for 2027)
• Yandy Diaz, 1B: $10MM by means of 2025 (contract incorporates $12MM membership possibility for 2026, with no buyout)
• Pete Fairbanks, RHP: $4.667MM by means of 2025 (contains $1MM buyout of $7MM membership possibility for 2026)
• Shane McClanahan, LHP: $3.6MM by means of 2026 (McClanahan is arb-eligible for 2 extra years thereafter)

2025 monetary dedication: $27.766MM
Whole long-term monetary commitments: $40MM

Different Monetary Obligations

• Wander Franco owed $172MM by means of 2032; Rays unlikely to pay the rest of contract as a result of abhorrent allegations in opposition to Franco and subsequent authorized proceedings in Dominican Republic
• $2MM to Twins for buyout of Manuel Margot‘s 2025 membership possibility

Possibility Selections

• Brandon Lowe, 2B/OF: $10.5MM membership possibility with $1MM buyout (contract additionally incorporates $11.5MM membership possibility for 2026 with $500K buyout)

Arbitration-Eligible Gamers (service time in parentheses; projected salaries through MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Free Brokers

As we started this yr’s Offseason Outlook collection, the highest focus for the Rays was understandably on the workforce’s roster and reshaping an offense that lacked stability, struggled in opposition to righties and was far too whiff-prone. Whereas the collection was being written, nevertheless, a far broader-reaching challenge arose. The terrible injury stemming from Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene has wrought incalculable, heartbreaking ranges of injury on the nation’s southeast area. The massive-picture focus, after all, is on serving to these impacted and rebuilding these ravaged communities. Within the grand scheme of issues, the logistical challenges a pure catastrophe of this magnitude presents to a baseball workforce are trivial, at finest.

Nonetheless, for the Rays themselves, Hurricane Milton created an sudden and simple problem the workforce must handle. The roof of Tropicana Area was shredded, exposing a stadium inside that doesn’t have a drainage system. It isn’t but clear when the ability may return to a serviceable state, however the Rays aren’t more likely to have their dwelling area accessible to them to start the 2025 season. They’re going to spend as a lot time and vitality this offseason figuring out the place they’re going to play their dwelling video games as they are going to augmenting their roster. We at MLBTR prolong our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to all affected by the tragedy within the southeast.

Turning to the baseball operations aspect of the offseason, the Rays have a transparent image of what went incorrect. Tampa Bay entered the 2024 marketing campaign with an injury-ravaged rotation. Starters Shane McClanahan (Tommy John surgical procedure), Drew Rasmussen (flexor tendon surgical procedure) and Jeffrey Springs (Tommy John surgical procedure) had been set to overlook some or all the 2024 season whereas recovering from surgical procedure. Former prime pitching prospect Shane Baz was ending off restoration from his personal Tommy John process, carried out late within the 2022 season.