Rays Eyeing Short-Term Rotation Help

The Rays opened the offseason with the fairly surprising decision to decline their option on closer Pete Fairbanks, but they’re still intent on adding to the roster. Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic report that Tampa Bay is hoping to add a starter who can eat innings to their rotation — ideally on a short-term deal.

It’s not a riveting target for Rays fans to sink their teeth into, but it’s a sensible enough pursuit. The Rays have a solid rotation on paper, with Shane McClanahan expected to return from a two-year injury absence to join Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot and Shane Baz on the staff. Candidates for the fifth spot currently include Ian Seymour, Joe Rock, Joe Boyle and prospect Yoniel Curet. There’s plenty of talent in that group. Both McClanahan and Rasmussen have pitched like top-of-the-rotation starters at their best.

That said, McClanahan will surely be on an innings limit. He missed all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and was targeting a summer return before a nerve issue in his left arm prompted a second surgery that ended his season. He pitched just 3 1/3 innings on his rehab assignment before being shut down by that injury, and those are the only innings he’s pitched since the end of the 2023 campaign.

Rasmussen just made his own return from a UCL procedure and tossed a career-high 150 innings in 2025. Baz, similarly, missed all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery and has slowly built his innings back up, topping out with a career-high 166 1/3 in 2025. Pepiot hasn’t had any major arm injuries recently, but this past season’s 167 2/3 frames was a career-high for the righty, who did spend ample time on the injured list earlier in his professional career.

It’d be a surprise to see the Rays make a significant expenditure, as they did three winters ago when signing Zach Eflin to a three-year, $40MM contract (which he was traded halfway through). But the market figures to include plenty of stable veteran arms who could sign for one year or possibly two at a modest annual value. Names like Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana, Chris Paddack, Patrick Corbin, Tyler Anderson and Miles Mikolas all made at least 24 starts and are likely in line for one-year commitments. The Rays could roll the dice on a younger upside play like Walker Buehler or Dustin May, as well, but both are coming off dismal seasons.

The Rays have new ownership, as longtime owner Stuart Sternberg sold to a group fronted by Jacksonville-based real estate developer Patrick Zalupski. It’s still not clear whether that change will bring about an uptick in payroll, though the Rays played their home games at a minor league park in 2025 and accordingly drew the second-fewest fans in the American League (trailing only the A’s, who also played their home games in a Triple-A park).

Tampa Bay’s payroll, perennially near the bottom of the league, is already on pace to be higher than it was in 2025. Per RosterResource, the Rays project for about $95.5MM in 2026 commitments, including arbitration-eligible players. That’s up from last year’s Opening Day mark of $78MM and close to 2024’s franchise-record $99MM Opening Day payroll. A handful of non-tenders could bring that number down, and it’s plausible that the Rays will shop second baseman Brandon Lowe, who’s owed $11.5MM next year. That’d certainly free them up to add some innings to the rotation.