Travis Bazzana Will Not Make Guardians’ Opening Day Roster
The Guardians are not planning to carry second base prospect Travis Bazzana on the Opening Day roster. According to Tim Stebbins of MLB.com, Bazzana has been informed he won’t make the team but will remain in big league camp for a few more days.
Bazzana, 23, seemingly came into camp with a legit chance to break camp. He is expected to be the club’s long-term answer at second base but the question is when that will start. The first overall pick of the 2024 draft, he split last year between Double-A and Triple-A, finishing his season with 26 games at the top minor league level. In his 120 Triple-A plate appearances, his 26.7% strikeout rate was a bit high but he ran a huge 24.2% walk rate in that small sample and hit four home runs. His .225/.420/.438 slash line led to a 138 wRC+.
Having already showed some success at Triple-A, there was an argument he was ready for the majors, especially considering that the Guards didn’t get much offense from their middle infield last year. On the other hand, his professional track record is still pretty limited. As mentioned, he was only drafted in 2024. He missed some time with injuries last year, appearing in 84 games in total. When combined with the 27 High-A games he played in his draft year, he has only 111 profesional games under his belt.
This month, Bazzana represented his native Australia in the World Baseball Classic, putting up a .188/.235/.375 line in four games. In Cactus League action, he has a .286/.333/.500 line in five games. It’s unknown if the Guards are putting any stock in those numbers or if they always had planned to send Bazzana back to the minors to start the year.
Once upon a time, it was basically guaranteed that a top prospect would be held down in the minors for the first few weeks of a season. By doing so, a club could prevent a player from earning a full year of service time in that season and therefore gain an extra year of club control over the player, a practice commonly referred to as service time manipulation.
The current collective bargaining agreement introduced some new measures, known as the Prospect Promotion Incentive, which have made it far more common for top prospects to break camp. Under these measures, a top prospect can earn his club an extra draft pick if he is promoted early in the season and then goes on to meet certain awards criteria. Also, a prospect can be awarded a full year of service time retroactively even if promoted later, if they are able to finish in the top two in Rookie of the Year voting.
Bazzana is a consensus top prospect, so the Guards could have given him the second base job out of camp and hoped for him to earn them a draft pick. It doesn’t appear they will go that route. Instead, they will send him to the minors, at least to start the season.
Last year, Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio got the majority of the middle infield playing time in Cleveland. Both players were subpar at the plate. They actually had matching wRC+ numbers of 77 on the year, indicating they were each 23% below league average. Arias got strong reviews for his glovework at short, while Rocchio’s defensive metrics were more mixed.
It’s possible that those two are again the primary middle infielders to open the 2026 season, with utility players like Daniel Schneemann and Ángel Martínez also in the mix. Juan Brito is also on the 40-man roster and could push for some playing time, though he hasn’t yet made his major league debut. He still has an option and was limited by injuries to just 31 minor league games last year. The Guards could send him back to Triple-A for more reps but he has over 170 games played at that level overall.
Circling back to Bazzana, even if he doesn’t break camp, his PPI eligibility is still theoretically possible. The Guards have a 186-day season this year and a player needs 172 days in the majors to earn a full year of service time. They could promote him in the first two weeks of the season and keep PPI on the table. Perhaps there’s a scenario where he’s crushing the minors or someone else gets hurt and Bazzana is promoted early enough.
If nothing like that comes to pass, then it will be interesting to monitor exactly when he gets called up, as they will then have motivation to keep him down longer. In 2024, the Pirates held Paul Skenes down until the second week of May but he pitched so well that he earned a full year of service regardless. In 2025, Bubba Chandler was pitching well in the minors but the Bucs held him down until late August, seemingly hoping to avoid a repeat of the Skenes situation.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
White Sox Place Alexander Alberto On Waivers
The White Sox have placed Rule 5 pick Alexander Alberto on waivers, reports James Fegan of Sox Machine. Another club could claim the right-hander but would be subject to the standard Rule 5 restrictions, meaning Alberto would not be eligible to be optioned to the minors. If he clears waivers, he will have to be offered back to the Rays.
This effectively means that Alberto isn’t breaking camp with the Sox. Chicago made two Rule 5 picks in December, taking right-hander Jedixson Paez from the Red Sox and Alberto from the Rays. Alberto has tossed 6 2/3 innings over seven spring appearances, having allowed ten runs, eight of them earned. He struck out seven batters but allowed 12 hits, issued four walks and threw one wild pitch.
Under the regulations of the Rule 5, the selecting team must pay $100K to the club they take the player from. The player cannot be optioned to the minors and must therefore stay on the active roster or injured list. If he survives a full season with his new club, including at least 90 days on the active roster, then his rights fully transfer over to the drafting club.
With Alberto’s rough spring showing, it seems the Sox aren’t going to break camp with him. It was always a long shot pick, as Alberto’s career topped out at High-A last year. To skip over Double-A and Triple-A and stick in the big leagues, even with a rebuilding club, would be a tall order.
It’s possible some other club takes a chance on the stuff. Last year, Alberto tossed 48 2/3 innings on the farm, allowing 2.59 earned runs per nine. His 10% walk rate was a bit high but he struck out 30.6% of batters faced and induced grounders on 54.4% of balls in play. His cut fastball sits in the upper 90s while his upper 80s slider is considered a strong pairing. If no other club grabs him via waivers, he must be offered back to the Rays for $50K, half of the initial selection fee. The Rays would not need to carry Alberto on their 40-man roster.
Photo courtesy of Arianna Grainey, Imagn Images
Diamondbacks Sign Luis Urías To Minor League Deal
The Diamondbacks have signed infielder Luis Urías to a minor league deal, according to the Reno Aces, the club’s Triple-A affiliate. It’s unclear if the Wasserman client will report to major league or minor league camp.
Urías, 29 in June, was once a solid regular for the Brewers. He hit 39 home runs over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, producing a combined .244/.340/.426 line and 111 wRC+. He bounced around the dirt, making at least 49 starts at each of shortstop, second base and third base. FanGraphs credited him with 4.7 wins above replacement in that span.
Unfortunately, his production tailed off in 2023 and he’s been more of a role player in recent years. He has 616 plate appearances since the start of 2023 with a .213/.319/.337 line and 88 wRC+. He signed with the A’s last year and hit .230/.315/.338 for an 84 wRC+ in 96 games before being released in August. He spent the final few weeks of 2025 back with the Brewers on a minor league deal.
Arizona has Geraldo Perdomo at short, Ketel Marte at second and Nolan Arenado at third. They have Tim Tawa and Jose Fernandez also on the roster as potential bench infielders, though Fernandez has options and hasn’t yet played at the Triple-A level, so he’ll almost certainly start the season in the minors. Tawa has 74 big league games under his belt and could be on the major league bench but he also has options and could be sent to the farm.
The Snakes have Ildemaro Vargas and Jacob Amaya around as infielders with some major league experience who are signed to minor league deals. Urías will jump into that group and provide the Diamondbacks with some more non-roster veteran depth on the dirt.
Submit Your Questions For This Week’s Episode Of The MLBTR Podcast
On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we regularly answer questions from our readers and listeners. With the next episode set for Wednesday, we’re looking for MLBTR’s audience to submit their questions and we’ll pick a few to answer.
The World Baseball Classic is winding down and Opening Day is now just over a week away. Do you have a question about a camp battle? The upcoming season? Next winter’s potential labor showdown? If you have a question on those topics or anything else baseball-related, we’d love to hear from you! You can email your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.
Also, if you want to hear your voice on the podcast, send us your question in audio form and we might play it. iPhone users can find instructions on how to do so here.
In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
José Leclerc Targeting July Return
Free agent right-hander José Leclerc threw a bullpen today and is targeting a July return, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The righty underwent shoulder surgery last summer. It was known that the procedure would end his 2025 campaign but his expected timeline for 2026 wasn’t clear until now.
Leclerc, 32, has always had a big strikeout stuff but also a lack of control. From 2018 to 2024, he gave the Rangers 299 2/3 innings, allowing 3.24 earned runs per nine. His 11.8% walk rate was a few ticks worse than average but his 31.8% strikeout rate was quite strong.
He had occasionally served as the club’s closer and earned 41 saves over multiple seasons, but had mostly been a setup guy, having earned 58 holds. For most of that time, he offered a six-pitch mix including a mid-90s four-seamer and sinker, a high-80s cutter and changeup, as well as low-80s slider and high-70s curveball.
The Athletics signed him to a one-year, $10MM deal going into 2025 but that didn’t pan out for the club. He made ten appearances before landing on the injured list in April with a lat strain. He eventually underwent surgery in July. As mentioned, he wasn’t expected back in 2025 but it wasn’t clear if he would be recovered in time for Opening Day 2026.
Now it seems he will be a midseason wild card for 2026. With a potential return in July, he could be back just in time to join a pennant race. Almost all contending clubs are looking for extra arms ahead of the trade deadline, which will be on August 3rd this year. Leclerc would only cost money, as opposed to prospects, which could appeal to some clubs if they have payroll space and prefer not to dip into their farm system. A club could theoretically sign Leclerc at any time but they may prefer to wait to make sure he avoids any setbacks between now and July.
Photo courtesy of Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images
Padres Notes: Sale, Rotation, Infield
The Padres are for sale and they seem to be making progress on that front. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the field of potential buyers has been narrowed from five to four and that the process could be complete by April. Both Acee and Jeff Passan of ESPN report that the sale price is expected to exceed $3 billion.
The Seidler family announced in November that they would be pursuing a sale of the franchise. At that time, it appeared some squabbling within the family could hamper those efforts but reporting in February indicated that some of the legal bumps had been smoothed out and that five prospective buyers had submitted bids. It appears that one of the groups has been removed from the bidding, though Acee doesn’t specify who’s out and who’s still in.
If the price does indeed go beyond $3 billion, that would easily set a new benchmark. The highest sale price for an MLB franchise to date is the $2.4 billion Steve Cohen plonked down to purchase the Mets in 2020.
Turning to the roster, it seems increasingly likely that Joe Musgrove will start the season on the injured list. The righty is looking to get back on the mound after Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2025 season. It was reported three days ago that Musgrove was being brought along slowly in camp. Acee reported yesterday that Musgrove still hasn’t thrown again in the past few days. He pitched three innings in an exhibition game on March 4th but didn’t recover as hoped and has only thrown one bullpen session since then.
The Padres say they are being cautious, with manager Craig Stammen referring to it as a “holding pattern” and a “pause” for Musgrove as they make sure he’s ready to proceed to the next step. “Waiting to kind of get over that hump, feel a little bit better before we start doing anything out on the field,” Stammen said. “But still in a good spot, still something we knew was going to happen, had to prepare for. We’ve got his best interest in mind.”
Even if there’s nothing serious going on, Opening Day is two weeks away, so each day with no progress increases the chances of an IL stint. The Padres are set to open the season with Michael King, Nick Pivetta and Randy Vásquez in three rotation spots. Acee pegs Germán Márquez and Walker Buehler as the favorites for the final two spots, assuming Musgrove hits the IL. Márquez is already on the 40-man roster but Buehler doesn’t yet have a spot. He can opt out of his deal at the end of camp if he doesn’t have one.
Whatever the Friars do for Opening Day will be temporary. Musgrove will be back in the mix at some point. Matt Waldron is behind schedule due to hemorrhoid surgery but is ramping up now. He is expected to start the season on the IL but shouldn’t miss too much time. He is out of options so the Friars would have to find a spot for him on the active roster or bump him off the 40-man. Griffin Canning will also be looking to rejoin the rotation at some point, likely a few weeks later than Musgrove and Waldron.
On the infield, Sung Mun Song is trying to work through a nagging right oblique issue. He may open the season on the injured list, which could have opened a bench spot for someone like Will Wagner. Unfortunately, Acee relays that Wagner is dealing with an oblique strain of his own and has not done any baseball activity since the start of March. He will almost certainly join Song on the IL to start the year. That could increase the chances of someone like Ty France or Mason McCoy getting an Opening Day spot.
Like Buehler, France can opt out of his deal at the end of camp if he’s not added to the 40-man. The Friars opened a spot this week by outrighting Daison Acosta but would need one more if they select both Buehler and France. That won’t be hard. Yu Darvish and Bryan Hoeing are both expected to miss the 2026 season due to surgeries and neither has been moved to the 60-day IL yet.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
Rays Acquire Matthew Hoskins As PTBNL In Kameron Misner Trade
The Rays announced that they have acquired right-hander Matthew Hoskins from the Royals as the player to be named later in the Kameron Misner trade. Tampa flipped Misner to Kansas City for cash or a PTBNL in November. Hoskins wasn’t on the Royals’ 40-man roster, so no corresponding move is required.
Hoskins, 22, was just selected in the 12th round of the 2025 draft. The Royals didn’t have him pitch in affiliated ball after signing him, so he still hasn’t made his professional debut. He had spent the previous three years pitching for the University of Georgia. He gave the Bulldogs 50 2/3 innings with a 6.22 earned run average. His 27.6% strikeout rate was strong but he walked 40 of the 243 batters he faced, a 16.5% clip. He also hit 16 batters and threw six wild pitches.
Baseball America ranked Hoskins the #496 player available in the draft. Given his college numbers, they unsurprisingly noted that he will require some polish and is likely to be a reliever in the long term. But they highlighted that his fastball sits in the upper 90s and can touch triple digits. His slider is his best secondary pitch and he also throws a changeup. The Rays are seemingly betting on the raw stuff and will take on Hoskins as a long-term project.
Photo courtesy of Rich Storry, Imagn Images
Offseason In Review: Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays are always trying to walk a fine line between prioritizing the present and the future. Currently, they have even more future uncertainty than usual, but that didn’t stop them from constantly tinkering with the roster. They made over a dozen trades, including three separate three-team deals, while also working the waiver wire and signing a few free agents.
Major League Signings
- LHP Steven Matz: Two years, $15MM
- RHP Nick Martinez: One year, $13MM (includes $4MM buyout on $20MM mutual option for 2027)
- OF Cedric Mullins: One year, $7MM (includes $500K buyout on $10MM mutual option for 2027)
- OF Jake Fraley: One year, $3MM
2026 spending: $30.5MM
Total spending: $38MM
Trades and Claims
- Acquired OF Ryan Vilade from Reds for cash considerations
- Traded RHP Joey Gerber to Mets for cash considerations
- Traded RHP Cole Wilcox to Mariners for cash considerations
- Claimed OF Jake Fraley from Braves (later non-tendered and re-signed)
- Traded OF Kameron Misner to Royals for cash considerations
- Acquired RHP Luis Guerrero from Red Sox for IF Tristan Gray
- Acquired RHP Jacob Kisting from Twins for RHP Eric Orze
- Acquired RHP Steven Wilson and RHP Yoendrys Gómez from White Sox for OF Everson Pereira and IF Tanner Murray
- Acquired RHP Tommy McCollum from Phillies for RHP Yoniel Curet
- Traded OF Tristan Peters to White Sox for cash considerations
- Claimed RHP Osvaldo Bido from Braves (later lost to Marlins via waivers)
- Acquired OF Slater de Brun, C Caden Bodine, RHP Michael Forret, OF Austin Overn and competitive balance round A draft pick from Orioles for RHP Shane Baz
- Acquired OF Jacob Melton and RHP Anderson Brito from Astros in three-team trade sending 2B Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum and LHP Mason Montgomery to Pirates
- Acquired OF Justyn-Henry Malloy from Tigers for cash considerations
- Claimed IF Tsung-Che Cheng from Pirates (later lost to Mets via waivers)
- Acquired LHP Ken Waldichuk and IF Brett Wisely from Braves for cash considerations or a PTBNL (Waldichuk later lost to Nationals via waivers; Wisely traded back to Braves for cash)
- Acquired IF/OF Gavin Lux from Reds and RHP Chris Clark from Angels in three-team trade sending OF Josh Lowe to Angels
- Acquired IF Ben Williamson from Mariners in three-team trade sending OF Colton Ledbetter and competitive balance round B pick to Cardinals
- Acquired OF Víctor Mesa Jr. from Marlins for IF Angel Brachi
Option Decisions
- Team exercised $11.5MM option on 2B Brandon Lowe (later traded to Pirates)
- Team declined $11MM option on RHP Pete Fairbanks, opting for $1MM buyout
- Team exercised $2.45MM option on IF Taylor Walls (deal includes 2027 club option)
Notable Minor League Signings
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Adrian Houser, Joey Gerber, Cole Wilcox, Garrett Acton (waivers), Caleb Boushley, Alex Faedo (still unsigned), Stuart Fairchild, Kameron Misner, Nate Lavender, Bob Seymour (released to sign in NPB), Tristan Gray, Forrest Whitley (released to sign in NPB), Eric Orze, Everson Pereira, Christopher Morel (non-tendered), Alexander Alberto (Rule 5 draft), Yoniel Curet, Tristan Peters, Shane Baz, Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum, Mason Montgomery, Josh Lowe
The Rays generally run one of the lowest payrolls in the league. Despite that, they have found a decent amount of success over the years thanks to a strong player development system and an unsentimental approach to player retention. They usually strike a balance between fielding a strong big league team in the present while also keeping the future pipeline flowing.
It feels like the current moment in time is a bit more future-focused than usual. The Rays made the playoffs in five straight seasons from 2019 to 2023, but they dipped below .500 in the past two. At the 2025 trade deadline, they acted primarily as sellers. They picked up Adrian Houser and Griffin Jax but sent out Taj Bradley, Danny Jansen, Zack Littell and others.
Beyond the roster situation, there are plenty of other important factors at play. Due to hurricane damage, the team couldn’t play at Tropicana Field in 2025. They had to relocate to Steinbrenner Field, normally the home of the Tampa Tarpons, the Single-A affiliate of the Yankees. It’s also the spring training home for the Yankees, so it’s a decent facility, but it’s not huge. With the smaller capacity and the costs of moving for the year, the club’s finances were presumably not great last year.
The damage to The Trop also had domino effects. It scuttled a deal for a new stadium and ultimately contributed to the ouster of owner Stuart Sternberg. Late in 2025, Sternberg reached a deal to sell to a group led by real estate developer Patrick Zalupski. That deal didn’t become official until the end of the season.
The Rays appear to be on track to return to The Trop for the start of the 2026 campaign, but the plans beyond that are less certain. Their lease at that venue only runs through 2028. Zalupski and his group have plans to build a new stadium, as part of a mixed-use development, by the start of the 2029 season. However, it’s unclear if they can pull it off. They are hoping to get government funding to cover half the costs and it doesn’t appear they have strong support for that arrangement. Whispers of a potential move to Orlando can be heard from the corners, or sometimes the city is plainly evoked from a dais.
There’s also the Wander Franco situation lingering in the background. He is technically still owed millions through 2032 but hasn’t been paid in a while. Due to the sexual abuse allegations against him, Franco has been on the restricted list since 2024. It’s unlikely the Rays will have to pay him again, but the legal process is still playing out, so his contract is technically still on the books.
On top of all that, there’s the broadcast revenue situation. Like many clubs, the Rays have been hit hard by cord cutting. As of a few years ago, they were getting about $56MM annually from their regional sports network deal with Diamond Sports Group. That company, now known as Main Street Sports, appears to be circling the drain. The Rays were one of nine clubs to walk away from the company in January, and they’ll now be one of the teams letting MLB handle the broadcast side of things. That arrangement can help the club reach more fans via blackout-free local streaming but it leads to a worse revenue situation. Travis Sawchik of MLB.com says teams in this position only bring in about 50% of the previous RSN set-up.
Put it all together and it seems like the Rays aren’t as focused on near-term contention, but they never fully rebuild. Their 2025-26 offseason would somewhat resemble their 2025 trade deadline, as they leaned a bit more to the sell side but still looked to backfill what they sent out.
First up was the Pete Fairbanks decision. He had been a big part of the roster for many years but was in line for a big raise. He previously signed an extension with the Rays, a deal that paid him $3.67MM annually from 2023 to 2025. There was a $7MM club option for 2026, but Fairbanks through a series of escalators based on innings pitched and games finished, he pushed the option value up to $11MM — effectively triple what he was making before.
Despite the big jump, that still would have been a fair price for Fairbanks, but it seems the Rays didn’t want to pay it. They shopped around and seemed to get a bit of interest but not enough for them to pull the trigger on a deal. They bit the bullet and paid his $1MM buyout, sending him to free agency. He eventually secured a $13MM deal from the Marlins, so there was perhaps a bit of surplus value in his option, but not enough for any club to offer the Rays an enticing trade return in the first couple days of the offseason.
In the month of December, the buy/sell hybrid was on full display. Early in the month, they agreed to free agent deals with outfielder Cedric Mullins and left-hander Steven Matz. Shortly thereafter, they pulled off two big trades on the same day. On December 19th, they sent Shane Baz to the Orioles for four prospects and a draft pick. They also sent Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery to the Pirates in a three-team trade, getting prospects Jacob Melton and Anderson Brito from the Astros in return.
The two trades were clearly made with an eye on the future. Baz is 26 years old, turning 27 this year, and still has three years of club control remaining. He could have been a key cog in the rotation for the next few years. Perhaps the Rays felt the package was too good to pass up. Three of the four prospects they received were generally considered to be in Baltimore’s top 10-15 prospects before the deal, and the Rays got a draft pick as well.
It’s also possible they felt like selling high on Baz, in a sense. His 4.87 earned run average in 2025 was well below average, but it was easily his healthiest season. He was once one of the top pitching prospects in the sport but hasn’t been able to stay on the field due to injuries (including UCL surgery). Baz doubled his previous career highs in terms of both starts made and innings pitched. The Rays could hold him, hope for continued health and big gains in results — or cash him in now, when he was still something of an upside play. They cashed him in.
The Lowe trade was a classic and expected Rays move. Over the years, they have traded many core players just before they hit free agency. Since Lowe is slated for free agency after 2026, it wasn’t a shock to see him sent out the door.
Mangum and Montgomery were more controllable but perhaps not deemed core pieces. Mangum is a talented speed-and-defense outfielder with questionable offense. The Rays already have a few of those and seemingly felt Mangum was expendable. Montgomery is a reliever with exceptional stuff but significant control problems. Maybe he’ll click in Pittsburgh, but the Rays generally don’t have trouble finding good relievers. Parting with this group also netted Melton, who’s currently a top-100 prospect and could fill a long-term role in the outfield. He’s already made a brief (and rocky) MLB debut but hit .286/.389/.556 in Triple-A last season.
The Mullins signing effectively replaced some of the outfield depth lost by trading Mangum. The Rays had also flipped Kameron Misner, Everson Pereira and Tristan Peters in smaller deals earlier in the winter. Mullins is coming off a bit of a down year but was still a useful player, and his deal isn’t huge, as it essentially pays him like a second-year arbitration player.
Matz hasn’t been a full-time starter in a while but is coming off a good year of mostly relief work, as he posted a 3.05 ERA between the Cardinals and Red Sox. The Rays are going to try to stretch him back out, replacing some of the innings lost by trading Bradley and Baz, as well as Adrian Houser becoming a free agent.
The three-team Lowe trade left a hole at second base but the Rays addressed that in January… with another three-team Lowe trade. They sent Josh Lowe to the Angels in a swap that netted them Gavin Lux from the Reds. Lux was in a super utility role in 2025, playing the outfield more than the infield, but the Rays plan to plant him at the keystone. They believe the consistency will help him focus on getting the most out of his bat.
Josh Lowe seemed to have a breakout in 2023 but declined in the two seasons since, so the Rays are moving on as part of a larger outfield shake-up. Jake Fraley seems to have one spot. The Rays claimed him, non-tendered him and re-signed him in quick succession early in the offseason. Mullins will have a spot next to him. Chandler Simpson could have another. They also picked up Melton and could find space for him as the season rolls along. Smaller deals also netted Justyn-Henry Malloy, Ryan Vilade and Víctor Mesa Jr..
In February, the opportunity for yet another three-team trade came along. The Rays obviously cannot help themselves in this arena. Jon Becker of FanGraphs was among those to point out that the Rays have been involved in five of the past six three-team trades in MLB, the exception being the Tommy Edman/Erick Fedde/Miguel Vargas trade from 2024 involving the Dodgers, Cardinals and White Sox.
In Tampa’s third and final three-team trade of the winter, they were a minor player. The headliner was Brendan Donovan, who went from the Cardinals to the Mariners. The prospect talent went to St. Louis. But the Rays snuck in there to get infielder Ben Williamson from the Mariners while sending prospect Colton Ledbetter and a competitive balance round B draft pick (#72 overall) to the Cards.
Williamson hasn’t hit much but has received good grades for his third base defense. The Rays have Junior Caminero at the hot corner but his bat is better than his glove. Williamson could serve as a defensive replacement for him occasionally, and he has minor league experience at second and shortstop. He’ll give the Rays a right-handed bat who can provide some extra cover at those spots as well.
It’s a bit surprising that the Rays gave up a prospect and a pick to get a guy who seems like a utility player, but there’s also a logic to it. Ledbetter is a nice prospect but seems to be decent at most things without a standout tool. He may end up being a bench/depth piece somewhat similar to Williamson, as an outfielder, but not for a few years.
As for the pick, the Rays have shown a willingness to flip those for big leaguers, even if they’re not stars. They traded a pick last year for Bryan Baker, a good reliever but not an elite closer. “We’re drafting players, and the goal is to turn them into big leaguers,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said to Adam Berry of MLB.com at the time of the Baker trade. “And this draft pick turned into a big leaguer very quickly.”
The Orioles used that pick they received for Baker to draft Slater de Brun … whom the Rays then acquired in the Baz deal. Tampa Bay also received a higher pick (#33 overall) in that trade, then flipped a competitive balance round B pick to the Cards in the Williamson/Donovan trade. In a sense, it’s emblematic of their overall approach. Buy here, sell there.
They capped off their winter with another free agent signing, getting Nick Martinez on a one-year deal worth $13MM. Martinez has been baseball’s preeminent swingman in recent years. Over the past four years, he has made 61 starts and 131 relief appearances, posting a 3.67 ERA in that time. He has been better as a reliever but serviceable as a starter. The Rays will begin the season using him in the rotation.
At the end of all the wheeling and dealing, the Rays go into 2026 with a rotation of unknowns. They subtracted Bradley and Baz in the past year but added Matz and Martinez. Ryan Pepiot is probably the guy with the least risk. Shane McClanahan has ace-caliber stuff and should be back after missing the past two seasons due to injury. Drew Rasmussen was healthy in 2025 but has a lengthy injury history. Martinez and Matz should have spots but could get pushed to the bullpen if other guys step up. Yoendrys Gómez, Ian Seymour, Joe Boyle, and Jesse Scholtens are all on the 40-man roster. Brody Hopkins is one of the club’s top prospects and he could push for a debut in 2026.
On the position player side of things, the Rays sent out a number of outfielders but also brought in a bunch. At second base, they subtracted Lowe and replaced him with Lux. In the process of all their moves, they added a lot of talent to the system, though whether they made the 2026 team better is debatable. Both the Projected Standings at FanGraphs and the PECOTA Standings at Baseball Prospectus project the Rays to finish last in a strong American League East.
Ultimately, it feels like a transition period for the franchise. The roster wasn’t bad but also wasn’t good enough in the past two years. They have a new owner and an uncertain future in terms of their stadium. The Franco deal may or may not come off the books at some point. Their broadcast revenue is up in the air. It’s a lot of uncertainty, but the front office seemed to operate in classic Rays fashion this offseason.
How would you grade the Rays' offseason?
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
Bryan Hoeing To Undergo Flexor Surgery
March 12: Hoeing will undergo flexor tendon surgery and miss the entire 2026 season, Acee reports. He’ll be paid around the MLB minimum and land on the 60-day injured list once the team needs a 40-man roster spot. Hoeing will qualify for arbitration next winter but could be a non-tender candidate.
March 9: Padres right-hander Bryan Hoeing may undergo some kind of elbow surgery. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the righty is rehabbing while he makes a decision about whether or not to go under the knife. Manager Craig Stammen tells Acee that the club expects the decision “relatively quickly.”
Just over a week ago, Hoeing was shut down due to some discomfort in his throwing elbow. Pitching coach Ruben Niebla seemed optimistic that it wouldn’t be a serious issue but perhaps new information has changed things.
Acee doesn’t specify exactly what kind of procedure is possible for Hoeing but most elbow surgeries require significant absences. On the extreme end, Tommy John surgery involves a recovery period of more than a year. Even something less serious like a procedure to remove bone spurs requires several months of recovery. Carlos Rodón underwent surgery for bone spurs in October and is targeting a return in April, a span of about six months.
There’s never a good time for a pitcher to have elbow surgery but right now would be particularly unfortunate for Hoeing. He seemed to have a breakout in 2024, posting a 2.18 earned run average in 53 2/3 innings, but he wasn’t able to build on that in 2025. A right shoulder strain put him on the shelf to start the year. He was activated off the IL in June but was mostly kept on optional assignment and struggled to get in a groove, posting a 4.70 ERA in Triple-A. He would be looking to bounce back in 2026 but surgery could get in the way of that.
Even if he can avoid surgery, Hoeing seems a lock to start the season on the IL. Even with him on the shelf, the bullpen competition looks tight. Acee writes that Kyle Hart is making a strong push for a spot. He has thrown 8 2/3 scoreless innings in spring training action thus far with seven strikeouts, allowing three hits and three walks while hitting one batter. He worked as a swingman last year but struggled, posting a 5.86 ERA in 43 innings.
Left-hander Yuki Matsui is a potential wild card, as he has been battling an adductor strain. Acee says Matsui has resumed defensive drills and throwing from a mound but is still questionable for Opening Day.
On paper, the Padres project to have eight bullpen spots taken by Mason Miller, Adrián Morejón, Jeremiah Estrada, David Morgan, Wandy Peralta, Bradgley Rodríguez, Ron Marinaccio and Matsui. Of those eight guys, Morejón, Peralta, Matsui and Marinaccio can’t be optioned. Of the four who can, Miller surely won’t be. Estrada and Morgan aren’t likely to be sent down either, given their strong results. Rodríguez is more plausible, since he has just seven big league appearances under his belt. Jason Adam is questionable for Opening Day. If he’s healthy, he would likely bump Rodríguez to the minors.
That would make it hard to squeeze in Hart, who does still have an option, unless Matsui starts the season on the IL. Things could also get tightened further when Matt Waldron returns. He is going to start the season on the IL but isn’t expected to miss too much time. He is out of options and would need to squeeze someone out or be squeezed himself, unless further injuries pop up.
Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images
Jay Groome, Nate Webb Sign With American Association’s Kansas City Monarchs
Left-hander Jay Groome and right-hander Nate Webb have signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the independent American Association. The league itself announced the Groome transaction this week while the Monarchs announced the Webb deal.
Groome, 27, was once a prospect of some note. The Red Sox drafted him 12th overall in 2016 and he initially posted good numbers in the lower levels of the minors. Baseball America ranked him the #43 prospect in the league going into 2017.
His stock dipped from there. He posted a 5.69 earned run average on the farm in 2017 then missed all of 2018 and most of 2019 due to Tommy John surgery. The minor leagues were canceled by COVID-19 in 2020. Despite having a rough time in those years, the Sox still gave him a 40-man spot in November of 2020 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Groome then had a 4.81 ERA in 2021. He was a bit better in 2022, a season that saw him get flipped from the Red Sox to the Padres in the Eric Hosmer deal. Between the two clubs, he posted a 3.44 ERA in the minors that year.
But there were more speed bumps to come. He struggled badly in 2023, with an 8.55 ERA in Triple-A that year. In the summer of 2024, he was one of four players who received a one-year suspension for betting on major league games while playing in the minor leagues. When his suspension was up in June of 2025, the Padres non-tendered him. Groome is obviously not as enticing as he was a decade ago but he’s only 27, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he can pitch his way back into affiliated ball.
Like Groome, Webb has spent time on a 40-man roster but hasn’t appeared in a big league game. Now 28, he was a 34th round pick of the Royals in 2016. In 2021, he struck out 37.7% of the batters he faced in the minors. Even though he hadn’t yet cracked Double-A, the Royals didn’t want to lose him. They added him to their 40-man roster in November of 2021 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.
Unfortunately, he battled some injuries in 2022 and posted an awful 9.99 ERA on the farm that year. The Royals non-tendered him after just one year on the 40-man. He signed a minor league deal with the Pirates but Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2023 season.
He signed a two-year deal with the Orioles for 2024 and 2025 but left Achilles tendon surgery prevented him from pitching in the first year. He was back on the mound in 2025 but his 17.1% walk rate was almost as high as his 17.6% strikeout rate as he posted a 4.70 ERA on the year. Like Groome, he is still a few years shy of his 30th birthday, so a strong showing in indy ball could lead to a return to the affiliated ranks.
Photo courtesy of Gaby Velasquez, Imagn Images