The Rays announced the signing of outfielder Jake Fraley to a one-year deal. It’s reportedly a $3MM guarantee for the CAA client, who can earn an additional $400K in bonuses — $100K apiece for 85, 115, 145 and 175 days on the active roster. The Rays non-tendered him last week but were reported to be interested in bringing Fraley back at a lesser rate than his projected arbitration price tag (which MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz pegged at $3.6MM).
Fraley, 30, was originally drafted by the Rays with the No. 77 overall pick back in 2016. He wound up in Seattle, where he’d go on to make his MLB debut, after being included in the trade that brought catcher Mike Zunino to Tampa Bay. Fraley played parts of three seasons with the M’s before again being traded, this time to Cincinnati as part of the return for Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker.
In parts of four seasons with the Reds, Fraley hit .260/.336/.421 with 38 homers, 54 doubles and a pair of triples in 1202 plate appearances. Calf, shoulder and oblique injuries combined to limit him to just 76 games and 217 plate appearances this season, during which he batted .241/.332/.382. The Reds placed Fraley on waivers in August, at which point he was claimed by the Braves. Atlanta waived Fraley after the season, and the Rays claimed him — only to non-tender him last week. He’s now back on what are surely more favorable terms for the team.
Fraley doesn’t hit lefties whatsoever (.175/.271/.237 in 240 career plate appearances), but he’s a .261/.344/.432 hitter in more than 1300 attempts versus right-handed pitching. He runs well — this season’s average sprint speed of 28.4 ft/sec sat was a career-high and sat in the 77th percentile of big leaguers — and is a capable defender in either outfield corner. His arm strength checked into the 86th percentile of big league outfielders in 2025, per Statcast.
The addition of Fraley gives the Rays an even more crowded outfield mix. He’s a third pure lefty swinger joining Chandler Simpson and Josh Lowe, as well as the right-handed-hitting Jonny DeLuca and switch-hitting Jake Mangum in the mix for playing time. Lefties Tristan Peters and Richie Palacios are also on the 40-man roster. The exact manner in which playing time shakes out will hinge on subsequent moves and spring performance, but Fraley should see time in both corners and at designated hitter against right-handed pitching. He’s a good enough fielder and runner to profile as a late-game substitute, whether that’s as a defensive replacement, a pinch-runner or a pinch-hitter against a tough righty.
Tampa Bay currently projects for a $94MM payroll, per RosterResource. Fraley will obviously push that number north a bit. That’s already higher than the payroll in 2025, a season spent in a minor league park wherein the Rays ranked second-to-last in the majors in attendance. The Rays already made the somewhat surprising option to decline their $11MM club option on closer Pete Fairbanks, and it stands to reason that further veteran pieces could be moved. Brandon Lowe and his $11.5MM salary are available on the trade market, and speculatively speaking, Josh Lowe (projected $2.9MM salary) could be easier to part with now that Fraley is on board.
Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times first reported the agreement and the $3MM salary with $400K in bonuses. The Associated Press reported the bonus specifics.
Good for Jake. Hope he stays healthy for them.
Mariners fan favorite
Good luck Rake Fraley!
The letters “r”, “a” and “y” are all in Fraley, and I expect Jake to thrive with Rays.
Just like he did the first time. Oh wait.
God you sound miserable
Back in the Tampa Bay Groove!
Ace Fraley? Too bad he’s not a pitcher.
He’s going to need face paint then!
RIP Ace Frehley.
Or a member of KISS
The Norse god of walks
I’m so wet
Good luck to him
This is what is wrong with the economics of baseball…the disparity in what teams spend in players salaries…
Nice signing. Hope it works out for them.
Why would the rays claim this guy only to nontender him?
To let him know they like him, but they don’t “like him” like him.
They just can’t get over each other.
They meant to swipe right, met him for a cup of coffee, didn’t absolutely love the first date, negotiated for cheaper second one.
Great platoon option/fourth OF. Lots to like in his profile.
Holy Jeebus!! That’s an outfield full of misfit toys and various flotsam and jetsam!! I see a mix of platoon guys, Quad-A guys; role players and injury risks but nobody who pencils out as an every day player above replacement level. As it stands now, does Tampa Bay have the worst outfield in baseball??
See Kansas City or Pittsburgh.
I’ll personally guarantee that TB gets more value out of these “misfits” than at least 7-8 clubs.
Right those two teams need upgrades too. And the offseason has just started, so very much likely this will not be the final mix of outfielders heading to camp.
Yeah. And actually Pitt has Bryan Reynolds which is probably enough to push them ahead of TB.
I think TB is going to be adding a right hander to their outfield mix soon. We’ll see but I expect Simpson/Mangum/Fraley to get a good bit of work. I think Lowe is gone.
Watch the Rays win the AL east mixing and matching these misfits together into a solid 9 WAR combined.
That would probably piss me off.
I thought ignorance was bliss.
I don’t understand this signing at all. I see Fraley as the 5th best lefty outfielder, coming in after C.Simpson, J.Mangum, J.Lowe and R.Palacios. Palacios can play 2B reasonably well, and is probably the early favorite to play 2B if B.Lowe is moved, but that still means Fraley is the #4 lefty outfielder (ie: he shouldn’t make the active roster). This being the Rays, his $3MM salary also makes him the highest paid outfielder, so he’s gonna play. I guess this signing all but ensures 2 lefties get traded this offseason (ie: B.Lowe and one of the lefty outfielders above him). So maybe the Rays are headed for a full rebuild of the position player side of the roster. They’ve traded everyone but Y.Diaz and B.Lowe, so there isn’t much left to do. If that’s not the plan, I really don’t understand this signing.
I think Josh Lowe is going to get moved. He has declined and is looking like he may not be able to out produce a guy like Fraley. I think moving on from him is the likely option.
He’d be an interesting flier for a team like Pittsburgh.
You could be right. Josh has the highest ceiling among every outfielder, but might also have the lowest floor. We will see…
I guess this means goodbye to all of the Lowes.
Great take on the signing. It pushes guys like Palacios even further down the roster. While I guess it gives more options and the cream will rise to the top, I feel like they could’ve just kept what they had and signed a catcher instead.
I can’t make sense of this signing unless the Rays are going to trade a number of guys on the 40 man. We will see… The Rays are not better off with this signing though.
In this scenario, Jonny DeLuca seems odd man out. Spent good portion of ’25 on IL🤔
But also has the highest ceiling in this group, so I guess we’ll see. Maybe they’ve had enough of Josh or Mangum.
Deluca is the only right handed bat among the outfielders. He isn’t going anywhere unless they sign 1 or more righties.
Building on earlier response, the new ownership needs to establish a relationship of trust and forward thinking with its fan base, and a veteran presence is necessary as the core of its roster can’t even rent a car on their own (<25), and Yandy and B-Lowe have consistently produced when on the field. SPLURGE!!! Take the franchise into reality— break that $100 million ceiling
I think the Rays should make moves in the opposite direction.
This team simply isn’t good enough as is. It’s an 80-ish win team but there’s no studs coming in to propel them up higher. You let Fairbanks go. You have Lowe and Diaz for one more year. The pitching took a step back. Pepiot and Baz specifically. The bullpen doesn’t look very good and the rest of the division is going to outspend and out-add.
I’d be tempted to dish some guys out and expand the window out further.
I agree with Baltimore’s conclusion but not the analysis. The Rays traded a ton of talent in the past year to improve the Pen. If the Pen isn’t a team strength, I will be very surprised. I also think the SP will be fine upon moving back to the Trop. Take Baz…, his home and away stats were ridiculous last year. If his home stats best his away stats in 2026 because of the move back to the pitcher friendly Trop, he will be viewed as a TOR pitcher next year. The bats though…. Next year could be rough offensively.
Hopefully they aren’t planning on sitting Simpson for this baggage
Agreed. If the choice is AAA or a trade, they need to trade Simpson.
Jake is a good fourth outfielder and seems to be a good clubhouse guy. What’s really held back his career is the inability to stay healthy. He had a couple of good years in Cincy before injuries happened. A good manager picking his spots Jake can be a valuable asset. Best of luck to him.
Typical Rays move; he’ll get 350 abs hit .245 & fill in for a Lowe when injuries strike. Good for the team and nada for roto…
Trade idea:
Royals receive Brandon Lowe and Josh Lowe.
Rays receive Jonathan India and Kris Bubic.
No thanks to India.. Below average bat and negative fWAR last year. Plus, he’s going to make nearly what B.Lowe makes next year. I would trade Josh and Brandon straight up for Bubic though (and I’d love love love to get one of KC’s catchers).