Record: 48-33 (93.8% playoff odds, per FanGraphs<\/a>)<\/p>\n Buy Mode<\/p>\n Potential needs: High-leverage relief, outfield, second base, back-end starter, catcher<\/p>\n The Rays have an atypical number of weaknesses for a team sitting atop the league standings. The lineup has been carried by three excellent hitters in\u00a0Junior Caminero<\/a>,\u00a0Yandy D\u00edaz<\/a> and\u00a0Jonathan Aranda<\/a>. The back half of the lineup has not been nearly as productive despite their general ability to put balls in play.<\/p>\n Bullpen<\/p>\n That leaves some obvious areas for upgrade in the lineup, but the pitching staff is probably the bigger concern. Tampa Bay has leaned heavily on a bullpen that has felt the absence of high-leverage arms\u00a0Manuel Rodr\u00edguez<\/a> and\u00a0Edwin Uceta<\/a>. Both righties have been out all season \u2014 Rodr\u00edguez recovering from last summer\u2019s elbow surgery, Uceta due to a couple shoulder injuries. They might be back later in the season but seem unlikely to be ready before the August 3 trade deadline.<\/p>\n The Rays have gotten excellent work from closer Bryan Baker<\/a>. Grounder specialist\u00a0Kevin Kelly<\/a> has pitched his way into leverage spots with a career year.\u00a0Garrett Cleavinger<\/a> is one of the more talented left-handed relievers in the sport, but he\u2019s walking more batters and getting far less swing and miss than he did a year ago. Cam Booser<\/a> has pitched well in a tiny sample as their second lefty after a dominant couple months in Triple-A. How confident are the Rays that this is a new level for a 34-year-old whom they added on a minor league deal?<\/p>\n There are the makings of a very good bullpen in here already \u2014 if Cleavinger gets on track, Booser keeps pitching well, and Uceta\/Rodr\u00edguez come back at their usual levels. That\u2019s a lot of hypotheticals. They\u2019re currently carrying each of Craig Kimbrel<\/a>,\u00a0Cole Sulser<\/a> and\u00a0Casey Legumina<\/a> in the middle innings. Tampa relievers are 22nd in ERA and have allowed the second-highest home run rate.<\/p>\n After consecutive fourth place finishes in the AL East, the Rays are back to their old ways. They\u2019ve exceeded outside expectations and not only find themselves atop the division, they\u2019re approaching July with the best record in the American League.<\/p>\n The Rays are coming off a sweep of the Diamondbacks and have the sport\u2019s longest active winning streak at five games. That paired with the Yankees getting swept over four games in Boston over the weekend has pushed Tampa Bay back atop the division by a game and a half. It\u2019d take a massive collapse for them not to make the playoffs, but there\u2019s a significant advantage to winning the division. The AL East champion will almost certainly have one of the two best records in the league and get the accompanying first-round bye.<\/p>\n Tampa Bay rarely operates within a strict buyer\/seller framework. Similarly to the Brewers and Guardians, they\u2019re in a constant state of roster churn to avoid an extended rebuild despite their payroll limitations. They traded away Brandon Lowe<\/a>, arguably the best offensive second baseman in the game, just a few months ago. The long-term payroll outlook is clean and they again have one of the league\u2019s deepest farm systems. That should position them to add MLB talent and try to take advantage of what\u2019s shaping up to be a weak playoff field in the American League.<\/p>\n Record: 48-33 (93.8% playoff odds, per FanGraphs<\/a>)<\/p>\n Buy Mode<\/p>\n Potential needs: High-leverage relief, outfield, second base, back-end starter, catcher<\/p>\n The Rays have an atypical number of weaknesses for a team sitting atop the league standings. The lineup has been carried by three excellent hitters in\u00a0Junior Caminero<\/a>,\u00a0Yandy D\u00edaz<\/a> and\u00a0Jonathan Aranda<\/a>. The back half of the lineup has not been nearly as productive despite their general ability to put balls in play.<\/p>\n Bullpen<\/p>\n That leaves some obvious areas for upgrade in the lineup, but the pitching staff is probably the bigger concern. Tampa Bay has leaned heavily on a bullpen that has felt the absence of high-leverage arms\u00a0Manuel Rodr\u00edguez<\/a> and\u00a0Edwin Uceta<\/a>. Both righties have been out all season \u2014 Rodr\u00edguez recovering from last summer\u2019s elbow surgery, Uceta due to a couple shoulder injuries. They might be back later in the season but seem unlikely to be ready before the August 3 trade deadline.<\/p>\n The Rays have gotten excellent work from closer Bryan Baker<\/a>. Grounder specialist\u00a0Kevin Kelly<\/a> has pitched his way into leverage spots with a career year.\u00a0Garrett Cleavinger<\/a> is one of the more talented left-handed relievers in the sport, but he\u2019s walking more batters and getting far less swing and miss than he did a year ago. Cam Booser<\/a> has pitched well in a tiny sample as their second lefty after a dominant couple months in Triple-A. How confident are the Rays that this is a new level for a 34-year-old whom they added on a minor league deal?<\/p>\n There are the makings of a very good bullpen in here already \u2014 if Cleavinger gets on track, Booser keeps pitching well, and Uceta\/Rodr\u00edguez come back at their usual levels. That\u2019s a lot of hypotheticals. They\u2019re currently carrying each of Craig Kimbrel<\/a>,\u00a0Cole Sulser<\/a> and\u00a0Casey Legumina<\/a> in the middle innings. Tampa relievers are 22nd in ERA and have allowed the second-highest home run rate.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Tampa Bay should be in the mix for a leverage arm who can bridge the gap to Baker in the ninth. It\u2019d be a little surprising if they took on a heftier salary for\u00a0Jeff Hoffman<\/a>, Luke Weaver<\/a>\u00a0or Antonio Senzatela<\/a>. Players like\u00a0Anthony Bender<\/a>,\u00a0JoJo Romero<\/a>,\u00a0Huascar Brazob\u00e1n<\/a>,\u00a0John Schreiber<\/a> or\u00a0Caleb Kilian<\/a> could be targets. The Rays and Orioles lined up on the Baker trade last summer; could they do the same with 32-year-old\u00a0Yennier Cano<\/a>, who is under arbitration control for the next two and a half seasons?<\/p>\n Rotation Depth<\/p>\n Adding a depth starter would also help out the relief corps. They\u2019ve already built\u00a0Griffin Jax<\/a> and\u00a0Ian Seymour<\/a> up as starters after losing Ryan Pepiot<\/a> for the season. A starting five of Drew\u00a0Rasmussen<\/a>,\u00a0Nick Martinez<\/a>,\u00a0Shane McClanahan<\/a>, Jax and Seymour isn\u2019t bad. There\u2019s not much behind them with\u00a0Steven Matz<\/a> struggling and top prospect\u00a0Brody Hopkins<\/a> unable to throw strikes in Triple-A.<\/p>\n McClanahan and Martinez have struggled of late. Neither is in jeopardy of losing their rotation spot, yet the former will have workload questions after missing the last two seasons due to elbow injuries. Adding an extra starter feels necessary.<\/p>\n The Rays probably will kick the tires on\u00a0Tarik Skubal<\/a>,\u00a0Casey Mize<\/a> and\u00a0Freddy Peralta<\/a>. It\u2019d be a surprise if they came away with Skubal, but they reportedly made a huge offer (Caminero and Carson Williams<\/a>)\u00a0for Shohei Ohtani<\/a> in 2023. The Rays at least lurk on the periphery for star talent. It\u2019s doubtful they\u2019d surrender top prospect Theo Gillen<\/a> for a couple months of Skubal, but they have the farm depth to put together a compelling package.<\/p>\n Other starters who could move include\u00a0Trevor Rogers<\/a>,\u00a0Dustin May<\/a>,\u00a0Kris Bubic<\/a>,\u00a0Kevin Gausman<\/a> and Foster Griffin<\/a>. Old friend\u00a0Jeffrey Springs<\/a> has struggled with Sacramento\u2019s Sutter Health Park but has been a viable back-end starter on the road.<\/p>\n Lineup<\/p>\n There are lots of areas the Rays could upgrade on the position player side. They\u2019re set at the corner infield and designated hitter. Everything else is a potential target. They\u2019re in the bottom third of MLB in offensive production out of both middle infield spots, catcher, and two outfield positions (left and center).<\/p>\n Second base is probably the biggest concern. Tampa Bay acquired\u00a0Gavin Lux<\/a> to play there and has gotten nothing from him so far because of ankle and shoulder injuries. Lux began a rehab assignment today and could be back around the All-Star Break. Even if that\u2019s the case, he has been a low-end regular in his career. A\u00a0Richie Palacios<\/a>\/Ben Williamson<\/a> platoon hasn\u2019t gotten the job done.<\/p>\n The Rays are probably the cleanest fit for\u00a0Luis Arraez<\/a>, whom the Giants have helped play Gold Glove caliber defense. There aren\u2019t too many other obvious trade candidates at the position.\u00a0Isiah Kiner-Falefa<\/a> or\u00a0Willi Castro<\/a> are veteran utility types who\u2019d be upgrades over what the Rays have gotten so far.\u00a0Michael Massey<\/a> has been on a nice run for the Royals over the past few weeks and could be available for a couple mid-level prospects.<\/p>\n Tampa Bay should be involved on\u00a0CJ Abrams<\/a> if the Nationals make him available. He\u2019d go against their organizational emphasis on defense but would be a significant upgrade in the upper half of the lineup. He could either slot in at shortstop or move to second base if the Rays want to keep\u00a0Taylor Walls<\/a> at shortstop. Washington is within a couple games of a Wild Card spot but remains highly unlikely to make the playoffs this year. Their biggest question is whether to trade Abrams, who is down to two and a half seasons of arbitration control.<\/p>\n The Rays love Walls\u2019 glove and have been willing to live with some ugly offensive results over the years. His bat has picked up a little bit over the past couple months. Walls obviously wouldn\u2019t stand in the way if an impact shortstop (e.g.\u00a0Zach Neto<\/a>,\u00a0Jeremy Pe\u00f1a<\/a>) surprisingly came available. On paper, it looks like a thin trade market at that position. The Cubs\u2019\u00a0Matt Shaw<\/a> could be available and would upgrade either middle infield spot, but Chicago would probably only dangle him for starting pitching that the Rays don\u2019t have in abundance.<\/p>\n There might be a few more possibilities in the outfield. They\u2019re currently running with a group of Cedric Mullins<\/a>,\u00a0Victor Mesa Jr.<\/a>,\u00a0Chandler Simpson<\/a>,\u00a0Ryan Vilade<\/a> and\u00a0Jonny DeLuca<\/a>. The righty-hitting Vilade has done well in a tiny sample, but no one else is hitting.<\/p>\n Simpson is one of the sport\u2019s best runners and an elite defender in left, but he has a punchless .269\/.306\/.319 line. Mullins has picked things up after a dreadful April. Jacob Melton<\/a>, the centerpiece of their return in the Lowe\/Mason Montgomery<\/a> trade, just returned from an injured list stint in Triple-A. He could make his team debut in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n There are things to like about the entire group, but they\u2019re simply not getting enough overall offense from their outfielders. Only the Marlins have a worse slash line than the .243\/.298\/.364 mark that Rays\u2019 outfielders have mustered in more than 1000 plate appearances. They\u2019re a top 10 group defensively, and the Rays won\u2019t want to fully sacrifice that identity, but this is an area where they can add a bat.<\/p>\n Taylor Ward<\/a>, Jake McCarthy<\/a>,\u00a0Trevor Larnach<\/a>,\u00a0Lars Nootbaar<\/a> or JJ Bleday<\/a> are potential targets. The Rays have been much better against right-handed pitching than lefties, but they probably don\u2019t need another short side platoon type like\u00a0Lane Thomas<\/a> or\u00a0Rob Refsnyder<\/a>. Vilade and DeLuca can fill that role. They need a true everyday player somewhere while playing matchups with the two other positions.<\/p>\n Tampa Bay also seems to be perpetually in the catching market. They\u2019ve never invested a ton at the position but should poke around for upgrades on the\u00a0Nick Fortes<\/a> \u2013\u00a0Hunter Feduccia<\/a> pairing. Neither brings a whole lot to the table offensively, while Fortes has unexpectedly poor receiving grades this season. They both have an option remaining and profile better as #2 catchers. This probably isn\u2019t top priority, but the Rays would make sense for Ryan Jeffers<\/a> or\u00a0Hunter Goodman<\/a> if they hit the market.<\/p>\n Potential Trade Chips<\/p>\n While the Rays are flexible enough to consider everything, it\u2019d be a real surprise if they traded any of their veteran starters. Drew Rasmussen has already escalated the value of next year\u2019s club option to $10.25MM and would push that to $20MM if he stays healthy all season. He\u2019s pitching well enough that an offseason trade would make sense given the Rays\u2019 payroll limitations, but a midseason deal would be a very tough sell when the AL field is this wide open. Trading Nick Martinez wouldn\u2019t be as big a hit to the roster but seems unlikely to return enough to be worthwhile.<\/p>\n There aren\u2019t many other obvious trade candidates off the big league roster. Teams could call on Cleavinger, who\u2019s making $2.4MM and under arbitration control for another season. If the Rays are especially confident in Booser, maybe there\u2019s a swap involving Cleavinger for an outfielder. They should mostly be focused on dealing from the farm system, though.<\/p>\n Aside from Gillen, everyone in the system should be on the table in certain circumstances. They have a couple of high-end catching prospects in\u00a0Caden Bodine<\/a> and\u00a0Nathan Flewelling<\/a>, though their organizational drought at the position might lead them to hold both players. Brody Hopkins still has huge stuff but has no semblance of command, while 23-year-old shortstop Carson Williams continues to struggle with strikeouts in Triple-A. Neither player has the same trade value they would have had a year ago, but the Rays could dangle either if they\u2019re worried about them falling further and completely tanking their respective stocks.<\/p>\n Payroll Outlook<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/landing-logo.png\"){kind=logo}
\n Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription<\/p>\n
\n Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
\n Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
\n Remove ads and support our writers.
\n Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker
<\/p>\n