There have already been some major changes for the Tampa Bay Rays this offseason, and free agency hasn’t even heated up yet.
Promotions were announced for multiple people within the organization who were deserving. Their coaching and development staff featured some major changes, with Blake Butera being hired as the manager of the Washington Nationals and taking first base coach Michael Johns with him.
The biggest news was the sale of the team becoming official. Under new ownership, optimism and hope are on the rise because it means that more money could finally be used on the Major League roster.
Will it take time for the payroll to increase? Or will that start as soon as this winter? It is the biggest question facing the franchise this offseason, in the opinion of Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report.
Rays are major wild cards in MLB offseason
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“Until we have a better idea how things are going to run under Patrick Zalupski’s group, the Rays have to be regarded as one of the biggest wild cards this winter,” he wrote.
Early indications are that nothing will be changing. Closer Pete Fairbanks had an $11 million team option that Tampa Bay opted to decline, instead paying a buyout priced at $1 million.
There was just no way the Rays were going to pay Fairbanks that amount of money. Evidently, they weren’t alone in that line of thinking.
A big reason they weren’t able to trade him previously was not finding the kind of value they thought he was worth. It played a role in Tampa Bay declining the option. When canvassing the league, other teams didn’t show a willingness to pay $11 million, and based on early contract projections, they were right.
However, they did exercise the $11.5 million option they had on second baseman Brandon Lowe. That shows they are willing to pay a little bit of money to retain talent when they feel the value is appropriate.
Rays have positions of need worth spending money on
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What makes the Rays such wild cards is that no one knows how they are going to operate now that there is more money to spend. There were whispers of them being in on Kyle Tucker, but cold water has been thrown on that.
Outfield remains a need; will they go shopping in a lower tier and come away with someone such as Trent Grisham? Or could they make a trade and add salary in that way?
Catcher is another position the team will be looking to make some changes in. A versatile infielder has been mentioned as a potential free agency target, and starting pitching depth could be added, too.
How much money is spent on upgrades outside of the organization will be worth keeping an eye on in the coming weeks. If they open up the checkbook a little bit, they can be right back in the mix for a playoff spot in the American League.
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