The Rays won 96 games to return to the postseason in style, defeating the A’s in the wild card game and then taking the Astros to five games in the ALDS. Tampa Bay will now look to put the final touches on a roster that can get the franchise back into the World Series.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Blake Snell, SP: $46MM through 2023
- Kevin Kiermaier, CF: $36MM through 2022 (includes $2.5MM buyout of $13MM club option for 2023)
- Brandon Lowe, 2B: $23MM through 2024 (includes $1MM buyout of $10.5MM club option for 2025)
- Charlie Morton, SP: $15MM through 2020 (plus vesting option for 2021)
Arbitration-Eligible Players (projections via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
- Mike Zunino – $4.9MM
- Matt Duffy – $2.9MM
- Tommy Pham – $8.6MM
- Chaz Roe – $2.2MM
- Jesus Aguilar – $2.5MM
- Guillermo Heredia – $1.1MM
- Oliver Drake – $1.1MM
- Tyler Glasnow – $1.9MM
- Daniel Robertson – $1.1MM
- Non-tender candidates: Zunino, Aguilar, Duffy, Heredia
Free Agents
The Rays suffered one major departure before the offseason even began, as senior VP of baseball operations Chaim Bloom left the organization to become the new Red Sox chief baseball officer. Losing a longtime member of the front office is a blow, and losing Bloom to a deep-pocketed division rival is an even tougher pill to swallow, though the Rays will look to fill the void with internal promotions.
In a way, it’s not unlike how the Rays have historically dealt with losing a big name on the field — simply rely on the organizational depth and try to keep moving forward. We saw that philosophy in action in 2019, as the Rays tied for the second-winningest season in franchise history even while missing key players like Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, Joey Wendle, and Matt Duffy to the injured list for extended periods of time.
With so much talent already in place and (in theory) better health, it’s possible this winter might not feature quite as much roster churn as past Tampa Bay offseasons. That said, GM Erik Neander and his staff are forever mindful of maximizing their talent core and managing the payroll at the same time. As per Roster Resource, the Rays currently have just under $73.8MM committed for 2020 salaries, something of a high figure by Tampa’s standards — the Rays’ Opening Day payroll has exceeded the $70MM mark only five times in club history.
That projected payroll will be lowered due to at least a couple of non-tenders, with Zunino and Duffy standing out as the most obvious candidates. The former lost his starting catching job to Travis d’Arnaud and the latter struggled through yet another injury-plagued year.
A case could also be made that Guillermo Heredia or Jesus Aguilar could be non-tendered or perhaps traded prior to the arbitration deadline. The Rays could feel they can do better than Heredia in the backup outfield role, and Aguilar could be expendable with both Ji-Man Choi, Nate Lowe and perhaps another acquisition (more on that shortly) in the first base/DH mix. Since the Rays are also facing a 40-man roster crunch in advance of the Rule 5 Draft, they could be aggressive in their non-tender decisions as a way of both creating roster space and saving a few dollars at the same time. The Rays could also explore bringing back any non-tendered players on lower salaries later in the offseason.
Looking around the everyday lineup, the trio of Tommy Pham, Kevin Kiermaier, and Austin Meadows will return in the outfield. Pham and Meadows were big pluses for the Rays last year, though Kiermaier struggled through his second consecutive subpar year at the plate. Given that Kiermaier is Tampa’s highest-paid position player but has constantly been plagued with injuries and an inconsistent bat, it wouldn’t be outlandish to imagine that the Rays would explore trade possibilities, if any reasonable offers could be found. However, the likelier scenario is that Kiermaier returns, as the Rays don’t have any other real center field candidates in the offing.
Around the infield, Willy Adames is locked in at shortstop, though super-prospect Wander Franco could potentially start to make his presence felt by late 2020. Diaz and Brandon Lowe are respectively penciled in for the bulk of third base and second base duties, with Joey Wendle bouncing between the two positions and Lowe also capable of seeing some time at first base or in the corner outfield. If Duffy returns, he’d be deployed at third base, opening Diaz up to spend some time as a right-handed counterpoint to Choi and Nate Lowe at first base and DH. Daniel Robertson and Mike Brosseau would also be hand for bench roles.
It isn’t a bad unit, though in the wake of 2019’s injuries, the Rays might prefer the stability of adding a big bat who can play every day. The first base/DH spot is the most logical space for such a player, particularly a right-handed bat. A player with multi-positional versatility would fit the Rays’ model, and Florida native and World Series hero Howie Kendrick is an interesting option on the free agent market.
If the Rays were content with a strict first baseman/DH, however, and were open to spending a bit more as they chase a potential championship, a free agent like Jose Abreu or Edwin Encarnacion could potentially be in play. It wouldn’t even be out of the question to see either Abreu or Encarnacion get only one-year offers given how the market has treated veteran first basemen in recent years, making such players more enticing to the Rays as a one-year splurge.
To address depth needs, the Rays haven’t ruled out reunions with free agents Avisail Garcia or Eric Sogard, depending on how the market shakes out for either player. Re-signing Sogard to the infield mix could push Diaz into the role as the right-handed complement to Choi and Lowe. Instead, Garcia could see some time at DH or in right field, allowing for Meadows or other players to cycle through the DH slot on partial rest days.
Travis d’Arnaud is another player the Rays would like to have back, though he might have priced himself out of Tampa’s range after a career-reviving 92-game stint with the team. d’Arnaud was both productive and healthy in 2019, and now looks to be the second-best option on the free agent catcher market after Yasmani Grandal.
Catcher has been enough of a problem area for the Rays over the years that they might be willing to engage in a minor bidding war if they like what they’ve seen in d’Arnaud, as otherwise, the club will again be looking for answers behind the plate. d’Arnaud signing elsewhere would make it perhaps almost a necessity that Zunino be retained, as otherwise, Michael Perez would be Tampa’s top in-house choice as the starting catcher, leaving the Rays sifting through the second- or third-tier options on the free agent or trade markets.
Tampa Bay’s bullpen pitched very well last season, and the team will bring just about its entire crop of arms back for another year of constant restocking and reshuffling between the majors and Triple-A Durham. Emilio Pagan had a big year and is again slated to receive the bulk of closing duties, though the Rays are flexible enough with their bullpen usage that Diego Castillo, Colin Poche, or perhaps a variety of other pitchers could receive save chances depending on the situation. The Rays are likely to add at least one veteran arm to their mix, though perhaps even just on a minor league contract.
One area that isn’t likely to receive much attention is starting pitching, as the Rays are tentatively hoping that a healthy rotation of Charlie Morton, Snell, Glasnow, Yonny Chirinos, and Ryan Yarbrough can be one of baseball’s best. It’s worth noting that even with all the injuries, the Rays already had one of the sport’s top rotations in 2019, as the Rays continued to achieve great results with their use of the opener for (as it turned out) multiple turns in the starting five. Chirinos and Yarbrough were both “promoted” to regular starter roles after being primarily used as bulk pitchers behind an opener, so the Rays could continue using them as normal starters, or perhaps again turn to an opener given how successful the strategy has been.
Top prospect and two-way player Brendan McKay made his MLB debut in 2019 and is an intriguing wild card for both the rotation or even the DH mix. Midseason pickup Trevor Richards, Austin Pruitt, or former top prospects Anthony Banda and Jose De Leon could also factor in as further depth options, or bulk pitchers.
The Rays’ playoff success isn’t likely to lead to any uncharacteristic spending, as the club’s last big splurge in the 2013-14 offseason (when Andrew Friedman still ran the baseball operations department) backfired, and indirectly contributed to four straight losing seasons from 2014-17. That said, after signing Morton to a $30MM deal last winter, one can’t deny the possibility that Neander could have another bold move or two in store in order to put the Rays over the top in the AL East.
A bunch of starting pitching on the market but,
I wonder which one they’ll try to target.
Wade Miley or Rick Porcello. Whoever is cheaper and is amped to let it fly for five innings to get over inflated stats like Snell and Morton.
SP?? Rays??
Those guys if they can be had cheap that is possible (but later in the offseason) but I prefer…..
Trying to resign Travis & then just monitor the market for Garcia while engaging other teams with trades to fill out your OF depth.
Resigning Sogard to a 1 year Vet minimum deal, kicking the tires on Edwin or Jose in free agency & also non tendering Zunino.
Why in the world would they target staring pitching
No idea, that’s the one thing they don’t need
Since when do the Rays do things that make conventional sense? That’s why I bet the go even deeper on pitching and smash other teams ability to prepare. Maybe announce the starter at game time all season long.
Ummm – None. Did you even read the article?
2019 -Rays sign Homer Bailey to a two year 8.5 Mil contract,
2021- Homer Bailey is a revamped pitcher and ends the season with 18 wins
2022- Dodgers throw a bunch of money at Bailey after still choking in the postseason
I wouldn’t be so sure they are keeping Pham at 8.6. They non tendered Cory Dickerson & Cron for much less. To predict what the Rays will do is challenging.
They’re not keeping Pham, tho I doubt they’ll have to just non-tender him….RH power is always needed, and Free Agent Ozuna isn’t lighting up any dashboards….
They have enough pitching (and more coming, tho it’s in the low minors) to clean out the arbitration deadwood and get a replacement bat for Pham.
Please do NOT listen to Bob. He’s got the worst takes, there is 0 chance the Rays trade Pham when they are trying to contend, Cron and Dickerson also didn’t produce like Pham does and he is a team leader for this team. 0 chance he’s traded
Pham is quite a bit different than Cron and Dickerson. Pham has speed and power, can get on base and can cover all 3 outfield positions. Dickerson and Cron were one position players and not very good at that one position.
Agreed KC. No chance Pham isn’t a Ray in 2020.
Agree, Pham is a slient strong leader. Rays will not trade him.
and they stick out waaaay more than Pham, which is something the Rays were trying to get away from at the time
struck
Why aren’t they keeping Pham, arguably the best position player on the team? They can afford a mid-$8 million 1 year deal, so don’t say cost.
I’d be very surprised if Pham isn’t back. He’s a 3:5-4 WAR player on what is essentially a 1/$8:5 with a 1/$10-12 million team option contract. They can’t replace that in the open market.
You’re also comparing the wrong players. Dickerson was replaced by Cron who was replaced by Garcia who will be replaced by ? this season.
Dickerson the LF was replaced by Cron the first baseman who was replaced by Garcia the RF/CF? Not following…
Dickerson was the primary DH who was replaced by Cron as the primary DH who was then replaced by Garcia who had the 2nd most games at DH.
Possible Neander could make a few trades to make the OF the same & cheaper but Pham played very well in the 2nd half for the Rays even while playing thru a hand injury.
Pham is a completely different player than Dickerson and Cron. I don’t see a comparison. What the Rays are likely to do this offseason is fairly straightforward. One, they’ll consolidate some Rule 5 prospects into younger prospects with more control or a player at a position of need. They’ll likely add a catcher, a 4th outfielder, a few relievers on minor league deals and possible a right handed bat for 1B/DH. But Pham is absolutely going to be part of the Rays 2020 team.
Pham was a 20/20 player and sported a .369 OBP this year–no way the Rays are wincing at his potential salary for 2020 one bit.
Oh come on Mark! What was this big splurge in the 2013-2014
offseason!!??
James Loney?
At the time was the biggest FA contract given by the Rays
the big splurge was keeping David Price on the roster at 14 million that year.
Look for a new location that will actually show up to games.
The Rays prove that the major sports leagues can’t expand indefinitely. There isn’t a better city for hosting baseball that doesn’t already have a team.
Vegas, Nashville, and Indianapolis.
Portland, Montreal… take your pick. Any of those cities could do better than Tampa.
Montreal had a team, lost it and now everyone thinks that’s the solution again lol.
Anyone mentioning Montreal as a better baseball city than ________ knows nothing.
Exactly. Tampa and St Pete are nuts for baseball in general but more people go to Ferg’s across the street for a Rays game than to the Trop.
Nashville, Vegas, Portland, Indianapolis, Montreal? Can those those tax bases stomach a billion dollar stadium? Nope. And that is the basic issue here, the stadium.
To make matters worse, the Rays’ ownership would sell the team as soon as a tax funded stadium project brought the value of the team up. And the ownership’s creative approach to building a team is the only thing that makes the Rays exciting outside of south Florida.
My vote is to shut down the Marlins. Move the Rays to Miami. And consolidate Florida baseball fans into a juggernaut.
Rays missed out on Nelson Cruz and Paul goldsmitd last off season and ended up with Avi Garcia, who played well, but wasn’t a huge threat at the plate. I really hope they can lock down either encarnacion or abreu on a 2 or 3 year deal for 1B/DH duties. This team is really missing a big power bat presence and either of those two would help tremendously.
Abreu is not going anywhere now Edwin on the other hand
Great point.
People think Abreu back to the sox is a given,
but the Rays still have a chance if it’s a 2 – 3 year offer.
Edwin probably won’t command more than a 2 year offer,
so he could probably be an option as well.
Lastly Smoak might be a cheap bounce back candidate
that they can try out as well.
Cruz yes they missed on but even he went through his injuries this year and that’s a lotttt of money for the Rays to be paying someone on the IL. Goldy was a good miss, no reason to dump prospects into someone for a year when you have no chance to re sign him
As much as I wanted the Rays to sign Cruz last year, I would not want them to sign an old power hitter to stupid money. Not with a very tight payroll and a number of young prospects deserving of long term contracts. Would EE sign for $8-12 million?
If Rays are looking for a fairly inexpensive right-handed 1B/DH power bat they should trade with Orioles for Nunez or Mancini.
The Rays should try to get Mancini, However the Os will probably not deal within their division or ask for much more than any other team in return.
My favorite organization in so many ways. Outspent by the YankSox at least 3 to 1 every year yet compete head to head and hold their own.
Yeah so imagine what they could do if they actually spent some of the money they pocket every year
Imagine how fair it would be to the all small market teams if there was a cap.
Luxury Tax?
The sport needs a minimum and maximum cap on what teams have to spend.
As a Rays fan and a homosexual I’m excited that the Rays will break the glass ceiling and Have the majors first gay manager next year!
What???
Just because Kevin Cash is Terry Francona’s date for the Winter Meetings Ball this year.
The Rays have always been at the forefront when it comes to accepting gays. They gave Wade Boggs a safe environment to finally come out of the closet. Then there was David Price and even when that turned into a bit of a fiasco with all of the confetti and rainbow towel snaps, the Rays stayed true to their policies encouraging open expression of sexual preference.
I’d forgotten how awful the comments at MLB Trade Rumors can be.
Not following. Are you predicting Kevin Cash gets replaced next year?
Nimmo & Dom Smith to Rays for Pham & Yarborough
Who says no & why ?????
Pham would be the Mets CF they desperately need & Yarbrough would be in the mix for a back end rotation spot
Smith could come in and be a cheap cost control option at 1B/DH who seemed to be coming into his own a bit last year. Was a former top prospect and is now blocked by Alonso.
Nimmo is a cost controlled young 4th OF type that gets on base but may be a platoon guy
Probably the Rays IMO. A starting outfielder and a pitcher that can be a piece of your rotation for a 4th outfielder and a potential 1st baseman.
I know the Mets players make less and have more control but the rays guys combined for 5.2 war this season compared with a combined 1.6 war for the Mets guys. I know Nimmo was injured a good amount of the season andI know war is not everything but the rays guys were productive this season. Just my opinion.
Ray’s would prefer right handed hitters. They are deep in left handed hitting.
Add another player from the Mets and it can get done.
Interesting trade proposition.
But the Mets are pretty much capped on their payroll, and you’re asking to take on more. Plus Dom Smith is a big part of that team, and is young enough that the Mets need to see if they can make an OF out of him. Additionally Smith hits LH, and the Rays already have Ji-Man Choi at 1B and Austin Meadows in the corner OF…..you want to add Nimmo to that.
It appears the Mets top priority at this point is to go after Yasmani Grandal as Wilson Ramos is not a good handler of pitchers or calling/running a game (he profiles best as a part-time C that does some DH’ing and 1B – perfect for the Red Sox, but they too have payroll problems). Grandal will cost more then Ramos, so the Mets top priority is figuring how to move Ramos and his salary as well as cut payroll elsewhere.
Smith is cheap, and he’s working out this off-season to learn to play CF. Not sure if he has the speed. But he’s dedicated – the Mets asked him to lose weight last off-season and he did that. High quality person. Best friends with Alanzo. High Baseball IQ. Mets will hold onto him. At the least a great depth piece.
there’s nothing interesting about it – NO WAY the Rays would take that deal….cmon, dude.
The Rays hang up and laugh for 30 minutes. Nimmo isn’t anything special and Smith hasn’t proven much himself.
Phillieballers:You really aren’t qualified to blog on a Rays website. Offering trades like that make people block your phone calls.
Every Rays fan says no.
Has there ever been a trade proposal that ends with “who says no” that everyone doesn’t think is ridiculous?
The Rays were the 5th best team in all baseball and you suggest they trade or DFA almost all their reasonably paid and successful players? Rediculous! The Rays will pay Travis d’arnaurd and Tommy Pham no doubt!. Avi Garcia will be offered a contract within reason as well since he offers more to the Rays than just hitting. Catcher-OF team issues complete. No needs in pitching. I agree there is lots of savings and room in the 40 man roster releasing Mike Zunino, Chaz Roe, daniel Robertson, Herredia,Jesus Aguilar and possibly Duffy as savings of 13 million. I’m sure Eric (The muse) Neander will do some of these things along with his trade wizardry and with the 2nd best minor leagues to work with!
Sorry Matt, but the Rays don’t pay for past production and they don’t exceed their internal budget. That means Little d is at risk of walking because of his age (he’ll be 31 next year), injury history and the fact that he might net a long term deal of over $7.5 AAV on the open market. It’s possible he returns, but I’m not hopeful. Avi played last year at $3.5 million. If he’ll accept that again, then no problem, but I suspect his price has gone up too. He probably is gone. Pham will definitely be back though.
We paid 14 mill for 2 years of Wilson Ramos and he was older that D’arnaurd and not as important to the team. We will pay and keep him within reason.
We paid 14 mill for 2 years of Wilson Ramos and he was older that D’arnaurd and not as important to the team. We will pay and keep him within reason.
Perhaps. I do believe the Rays will try to keep Little d, I just don’t know if the amount they are willing to pay is market. Being able to pay market and being willing to pay market are not the same thing. We will see.
I really hope the Rays can keep TD and Pham. I also would like them to keep Aguilar. He hit decent for them and I am not sure they can get a better RH power bat for that price.
Trade Snell to the Phillies for all of their blocked OF prospects.
Gonna take more than a few unproven OF prospects to get a legit ace.
LOL.
I think the Rays are smart enough to let somebody else overpay Travis d’arnaurd. This guy has one good half season in his career and some foolish GM will let him cash in on it.
I think the Rays either go to Austim Romine or Yan Gomes (after he is non-tendered).
If Tampa really wants to go for it during their current 3-4 year window, what not sign JD Martinez? He’ll cost 3 years/ $70M+, but he would more than solidify the Tampa lineup and bring a great mentor into the clubhouse for all of the young hitters that Tampa has. Red Sox teammates cannot say enough about how much JD helped them all with their swings and approaches at the plate. So he’d be a Top 2-3 DH and an extra hitting coach for Tampa. If they had JD last year, they beat Houston…no doubt about it!
Don’t see that happening. First, I doubt JD opts out and, second, the Rays have a bunch of young guys deserving of extensions who won’t get extensions if they sign Martinez.
I liked him on the Dodgers. I’m really hoping/curious to see a positive season from Jose De Leon