Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rays Rumors

Wander Franco Arrested In Dominican Republic Following Gun-Related Incident

By | at

November 12: Per Recio on X, The Attorney General’s Office of the Dominican Republic has provisionally accused Franco of “illegal use and possession of a firearm.”

November 11: Wander Franco has been arrested in the Dominican Republic, reports ESPN’s Juan Recio, who cites multiple police sources in writing that Franco’s arrest came after guns were drawn during an altercation in the parking lot of an apartment complex in San Juan de la Maguana. He and an unnamed woman are being held for questioning, per the report.

Franco, 23, is already facing trial in his native Dominican Republic after being formally charged with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor, as well as human trafficking. That set of charges stems from accusations that Franco was in a sexual relationship with a then-14-year-old girl in 2022, when Franco was 21 years old. If convicted, Franco faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

While Franco’s bail agreement prevents him from leaving the country, he’s still free to travel within the Dominican Republic. Recio reports that Franco would still be legally permitted to carry a firearm if he had the appropriate license and the weapon were registered. Law enforcement officials have not yet said whether Franco had the appropriate licensing and registration for the firearm.

It’s not yet clear whether this latest incident will result in any additional charges being brought forth against Franco, who is on indefinite administrative leave from Major League Baseball while the legal proceedings unfold. He’s been on the restricted list since July, where he does not collect his salary and does not count against Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster.

Trade Candidate: Brandon Lowe

By | at

When Brandon Lowe was healthy in 2020 and ’21, he was arguably the best second baseman in baseball. The Rays slugger led primary second basemen in home runs, RBI, OPS, wRC+, and FanGraphs WAR over those two seasons. Unfortunately, he has missed significant time with various injuries in each of the three years since. When he takes the field, however, Lowe is still a highly productive player. He launched 21 homers in 107 games this past season while producing a 123 wRC+ and 2.2 fWAR. His .350 xwOBA ranked in the 85th percentile of major league hitters.

Earlier this month, Tampa Bay picked up a $10.5MM team option for Lowe’s services in 2025, rather than paying him a $1MM buyout and sending him off to free agency. The Rays might be notoriously close-fisted, but still, there was little doubt they’d exercise the option. A net $9.5MM is a bargain for a player like Lowe, even if he sits out a third of the season with injuries once again. That being said, a $10.5MM salary puts Lowe in a tie with Jeffrey Springs for the highest paycheck on the club next year. To put it another way, it’s approximately 12% of the team’s estimated payroll for 2025 (per RosterResource). Thus, it’s more than fair to wonder if the Rays would rather spread that money across multiple roster spots rather than give it all to one injury-prone player. In other words, it’s fair to wonder if Lowe will be wearing a new uniform by Opening Day next March.

Tampa Bay has a long track of trading veteran players once their salaries start to increase, even when the team is still planning to contend. As the Rays enter the 2024-25 offseason coming off their worst finish since 2017, and coming off a season in which they sold big at the trade deadline, it seems even more believable that they would consider trading Lowe. Furthermore, the Rays have multiple internal options who could replace Lowe in the lineup (even if they can’t necessarily replace his production). One of Junior Caminero or José Caballero could potentially slide over to second base, while Christopher Morel could slot in for Caminero at third base or Taylor Walls could replace Caballero at shortstop. Former top prospect Curtis Mead is another infielder to keep in mind.

Then again, the fact that the Rays didn’t trade Lowe at last year’s deadline could be an indication that they’d like to hold onto him for 2025. After all, they might be cheap, but they also love a good value play. If the Rays shop Lowe around and come to the conclusion that he is severely undervalued around the league, they might prefer to hold onto him.

Back in August, Rays hitting coach Chad Mottola told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, “I don’t think the industry and even our own fans understand the impact [Lowe] makes in our lineup.” If president of baseball operations Erik Neander shares that opinion, he might be hesitant to part with his All-Star second baseman. Neander recently expressed confidence in Lowe’s bat and glove, telling Topkin, that Lowe is “most valuable” as a second baseman but that the team could continue to give him some time at first base and DH next season to have his powerful bat in the lineup as often as possible.

It’s also worth mentioning that Lowe has another team option for 2026 (valued at $11.5MM with a $500K buyout), which means Tampa Bay could keep him around for the start of next season and still have the flexibility to trade him at a later date. What’s more, the Rays have numerous other trade candidates on the roster. Lowe isn’t the only player they can flip if they’re facing pressure to cut payroll in light of the damage to Tropicana Field or the team’s current lack of a broadcast deal.

First baseman Yandy Díaz and closer Pete Fairbanks are two of the top 10 players on MLBTR’s list of the top 35 trade candidates of the offseason. Díaz (no. 5) will be making $10MM next year, and he has a $12MM team option for the following season. His contract also includes a $1MM trade assignment bonus. Fairbanks (no. 7) is set to collect $3.67MM in 2025, and he has a $7MM club option with a $1MM buyout for 2026. One more name to keep in mind is Zack Littell. He doesn’t have the same star power as Díaz or even Fairbanks, but he has proven himself to be a capable mid-rotation starter over the last year and a half. He made just $1.85MM this past season, but he is projected to earn close to a $3MM raise in his final year of arbitration eligibility.

Another factor to consider is the market for second baseman this offseason, both in terms of free agents and trade candidates. Only two of MLBTR’s top 50 free agents are primary second basemen: Gleyber Torres (no. 20) and Hyeseong Kim (no. 26). One could easily imagine why teams would prefer Lowe over either of them, especially on such a team-friendly contract. However, things could get more complicated if any teams are seriously pursuing Alex Bregman (no. 3), Willy Adames (no. 5), or Ha-Seong Kim (no. 43) to play second base. Ha-Seong Kim was a primary second baseman as recently as 2023, while both Adames and Bregman have expressed a willingness to switch positions.

As for the trade market, second basemen who could be on the move include Luis Arraez (no. 17 on MLBTR’s top trade candidates list), Brendan Donovan (no. 20), and Nolan Gorman (no. 21). However, none of those players seem particularly likely to be dealt, and they all fill different niches than Lowe. Funnily enough, all four bat left-handed, but Lowe is the only one who offers proven, middle-of-the-order power against both left- and right-handed pitching.

So, do you think the Rays will hold onto Lowe this winter? Or will they have a new second baseman on Opening Day 2025? Have your say in the poll below!

(poll link for app users)

 

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Rays Among Teams To Have Reached Out To Soto

By | at

The Rays are among the teams that have reached out to Juan Soto’s camp since the opening of free agency last week, writes Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman lists a much less surprising additional six teams that have shown interest: the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Giants, Blue Jays and Red Sox.

The mere mention of the Rays as a possible Soto suitor is going to be met with plenty of skepticism. It’d be a shock if they made a legitimate push for the market’s top free agent. The Rays have tried to land an elite free agent at least once before, as they reportedly made an offer in the $150MM range to Freddie Freeman before he signed with the Dodgers. That wasn’t too far off the price Freeman ultimately landed, but any offers to Soto would be in a different stratosphere. He should handily top $500MM and could secure a contract between $600MM and $700MM.

While it’s fair to assume the Rays themselves aren’t optimistic about their chances, this is illustrative that they have some money to at least dabble in the middle of free agency. The Rays opened this past season with a payroll around $98MM, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. They’ve got a little less than $40MM in guaranteed commitments for next year (assuming Wander Franco remains on the restricted list and is not paid). Their arbitration class is projected around $25MM, though they could knock that to the $15MM range with a few non-tenders. Trades of Brandon Lowe or Yandy Díaz would subtract another $10.5MM or $10MM, respectively.

None of that is to say they should be perceived as a realistic threat to the big-market teams on Soto. They’ll probably be more active in free agency than many fans might expect given their general spending habits, though. Another mid-tier strike akin to the $40MM Zach Eflin deal from two offseasons ago could be on the table. Any free agent pursuits are complicated by their uncertain stadium situation after Tropicana Field was severely damaged by Hurricane Milton.

The other teams known to have some interest in Soto are all expected. The Yankees and Mets are widely perceived as the favorites. The Dodgers are at least tied to virtually every free agent of note. The news that Mookie Betts is likely moving back to the middle infield is going to fuel speculation about L.A. making a run at Soto. Giants baseball operations president Buster Posey has spoken about wanting to land a star. The Blue Jays were in the running for Shohei Ohtani last winter. The Red Sox have indicated they could be more active in free agency than they’ve been over the past few winters, although a splash in the rotation market seems much likelier than them landing Soto.

The New York Post reported last week that 11 teams had been in contact with Soto’s reps at the Boras Corporation on the first day of the offseason. That leaves at least four unknown clubs, though Heyman casts some doubt on the Nationals and Cubs as possibilities. Heyman suggests that Washington is unlikely to spend at the level necessary to bring Soto back. He writes that Chicago’s offseason plans are more geared towards pitching at the moment.

Soto’s free agency should carry for multiple weeks. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote this afternoon that the four-time All-Star plans to have an in-person meeting with the ownership group of each team making a serious pursuit.

A’s Claim Anthony Maldonado, Justin Sterner

By | at

The A’s announced they’ve claimed righty relievers Anthony Maldonado from the Marlins and Justin Sterner from the Rays. Both players had quietly landed on waivers last week.

Maldonado and Sterner each made their debuts this past season. Maldonado, 27 in February, has slightly more experience. He pitched in 16 games for Miami and allowed 12 runs across 19 innings. He struck out 11 while issuing seven walks. Maldonado showed better strikeout stuff in the minors, fanning 26.1% of batters faced over 46 1/3 Triple-A frames. While that came with a slightly elevated 10.8% walk rate and a middling 4.66 ERA, the A’s are evidently intrigued by his arsenal. Maldonado leaned most heavily on his mid-80s slider.

Sterner, 28, has all of two games of MLB experience. The BYU product tossed four innings of two-run ball with four strikeouts. He had a strong year with the Rays’ top affiliate in Durham. Sterner turned in a 3.28 earned run average over 46 2/3 innings. He punched out more than 31% of batters faced against an 8.9% walk percentage. Sterner used a fastball-cutter combination during his limited MLB look. Both he and Maldonado sat in the 93-94 MPH range with their heaters.

This was the first option year for both pitchers. The A’s can keep them in Triple-A for the foreseeable future if they stick on the 40-man roster.

Rays, Jacob Waguespack Agree To Extension

By | at

The Rays announced that right-hander Jacob Waguespack has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and that the two sides have agreed to an extension, though no details of the new deal were provided. The club also noted that righty Joel Kuhnel cleared waivers and elected free agency.

Waguespack, who turns 31 tomorrow, has less than three years of service time and is therefore not close to the six years necessary to reach free agency. However, he did spent 2022 and 2023 pitching in Japan. Players coming back from overseas often have clauses in their contracts that allow them to become free agents regardless of service time considerations.

Waguespack signed a minor league deal with the Rays in January of 2024 and was selected to the roster early in March. Earlier today, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times noted on X that the Rays had a $1.3MM club option on Waguespack for 2025. Later, Topkin provided an update in a new tweet that Waguespack will indeed make $1.3MM next year with a $1.5MM club option for 2026.

It’s an interesting show of faith in Waguespack, as he didn’t pitch much this year. He tossed ten innings for the Rays over four appearances but the last of those was on April 12, with the righty being optioned to Triple-A after that. He was recalled in May to be placed on the 60-day injured list due to right rotator cuff inflammation. He was sent on a rehab assignment in June but made just one appearance at that time, starting another rehab assignment in September that lasted six outings.

After such an injury-marred season, there’s not much for the Rays to go on. He posted a 5.01 earned run average in his 23 1/3 minor league innings and a 5.40 ERA in his major league work. Presumably, they still like what they saw of Waguespack’s results in Japan. Over his two years in Nippon Professional Baseball, Waguespack had a 4.02 ERA in 116 1/3 innings. He struck out 29% of batters faced with a 10.8% walk rate. They’ll keep Waguespack around at a modest price point with the club option giving them some future upside if the bet pays off.

Kuhnel, 30 in February, was just claimed off waivers by the Rays in July. He has been bouncing around the league in recent years, having gone from the Reds to the Astros, Blue Jays, Brewers and then Rays via waiver claims, small trades or minor league deals since June of 2023. As a player who has been outrighted in the past, he had the right to elect free agency this time and has exercised that right.

He will now look for his next club, which will most likely come on a minor league deal. He has strong velocity but has turned that into more ground balls than strikeouts thus far. In 93 2/3 big league innings, he has a 5.86 ERA, 18.7% strikeout rate, 5.9% walk rate and 52% ground ball rate. He’s now out of options, which will limit his roster flexibility going forward.

Orioles Claim Rene Pinto, Thaddeus Ward

By | at

The Orioles have made a few tweaks at the back of the roster to start the offseason. Baltimore announced a pair of waiver claims: catcher Rene Pinto from the division rival Rays and right-hander Thaddeus Ward from the Nationals. Baltimore also sent veteran reliever Matt Bowman through outright waivers; he elected free agency. Finally, the O’s selected the contract of lefty reliever Luis González. That series of moves leaves them with 37 players on the 40-man roster.

Pinto opened this past season as Tampa Bay’s starting catcher. It didn’t take long before he lost that job. He only made 19 appearances before being optioned to Triple-A Durham. Pinto spent the bulk of the year in the minors and slumped to a .191/.257/.373 line over 230 trips to the plate. His broader minor league track record is quite a bit better. The Venezuelan-born backstop is a .253/.303/.487 hitter in his Triple-A career. He owns a .231/.263/.404 slash in 237 plate appearances against big league pitching. He joins Blake Hunt on the 40-man roster as options to back up Adley Rutschman, though an external acquisition still seems likely.

Ward, 27, pitched in 26 games for the Nats last year. Washington took him out of the Boston system in the Rule 5 draft. Like many Rule 5 picks, he struggled in his debut campaign. The UCF product posted a 6.37 ERA with nearly as many walks as strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings. Washington kept him on optional assignment to Triple-A for the entire ’24 season. Ward started 28 games but allowed a 5.64 ERA over 119 2/3 frames. He walked an untenable 17% of batters faced.

Bowman bounced around the league via waivers before finishing the year in Baltimore. The sinkerballer posted a 4.40 earned run average through 30 2/3 innings between four teams. He had a strong year in Triple-A and should have no trouble landing another minor league deal this winter.

As for González, he earns a long-awaited selection to a 40-man roster. He turns 33 in January and has yet to pitch in the majors. The Dominican Republic native has pitched in Japan, Mexico and even Italy during his winding career arc. He worked his way to the Orioles on a minor league deal and tossed 60 innings of 4.50 ERA ball with Triple-A Norfolk this past season. González punched out nearly 29% of batters faced while walking fewer than 5% of opponents.

Those underlying numbers evidently impressed the Baltimore front office. Rather than allow González to hit minor league free agency, they’ll give him a spot on the 40-man for now. If he holds that all winter, there’s a good chance he’ll make his major league debut next year.

Rangers Promote Ross Fenstermaker To GM

By | at

Nov 4: The Rangers officially announced that Fenstermaker has been promoted to general manager, and that they’ve hired Figueroa as assistant GM. Additionally, the Rangers officially announced the hiring of Justin Viele as hitting coach, a move that was first reported last week.

Nov 2: Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young was recently promoted to that title after signing an extension with the club back in September. That position had been vacant since Young took over baseball operations midway through the 2022 season after the firing of then-president Jon Daniels. Now, it’s the GM role that stands vacant, and Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported this evening that the Rangers may be on the verge of a front office shakeup that could lead to that vacancy being filled.

According to Grant, the club is “zeroed in on” hiring Rays director of baseball operations Cole Figueroa for an assistant GM role. That deal is not yet completed, with Grant saying the hire remains dependent on typical background checks being completed, but if that deal comes together than Grant suggests that the addition could subsequently lead to the Rangers promoting internally to fill the vacant GM role.

Figueroa, 37, was an infielder who briefly played in the majors from 2014 to 2016, collecting 84 plate appearances with the Rays, Yankees, and Pirates during that time. Since his retirement following the 2016 season, Figueroa began working in the Rays organization in baseball operations. He was promoted to assistant director of hitting development in 2018 before taking on his current role with the Rays following the 2021 season. In some ways, Figueroa’s ascent up to front office work is similar to that of Young, who spent 13 years pitching in the majors before moving first to the commissioner’s office and then to the Rangers’ front office as GM.

With Figueroa likely coming on board as an assistant GM, that could make way for a current assistant GM to move up the ladder and become Young’s #2 in the front office. Specifically, Grant suggests that assistant GM and VP of player development and scouting Ross Fenstermaker could be the person tapped for the role. Fenstermaker joined the Rangers as a baseball operations intern in 2010 and made his way up the ladder through the scouting department, serving as a scout and crosschecker for nearly a decade before being promoted to director of pro scouting in 2018 and then promoted once again to senior director of pro and international scouting two years later.

Of course, whether that actually occurs or not remains to be seen, even if the Figueroa hire is completed. Grant notes that the Rangers have left the door open to finding a new GM to give Young a right-hand man but have never committed to doing so, even as front offices around baseball have increasingly began to utilize the GM role as a second-in-command behind the president of baseball operations. Texas isn’t the only club seemingly contemplating the addition of a GM to their front office this winter; the Red Sox could look to promote internally for the role as well, while the Giants recently did the same in hiring Zack Minasian to serve under new president of baseball operations Buster Posey.

Rays Notes: Tropicana Field, 40-Man Roster, Aranda, Morel

By | at

The Rays’ offseason has been dominated so far by uncertainty surrounding Tropicana Field in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. It’s not currently clear when the Rays will be able to return to play at the Trop, if ever. While the Rays try and sort out alternate plans for at least the beginning of the 2025 season, however, local officials have been working on assessing the damage to the stadium and determining whether or not its worth fixing.

The city of St. Petersburg took a step toward potentially fixing up the stadium recently, however, as John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times writes that the St. Pete city council agreed last week to spend up to $6MM in order to create a temporary drainage system and waterproof exposed areas of the stadium. Romano adds that this mitigation process figures to take up to eight weeks, though the process (and the related spending) could be halted if the stadium is declared impossible to salvage. The decision to spend comes as an attempt by the city to protect itself from an insurance dispute; Romano suggests that the city’s claim could be disputed if additional rain causes damage during the evaluation process.

Even as the decision to combat potential future damage to the Trop is seemingly being made for insurance reasons, Romano suggests that the move indicates some belief by local officials that the stadium can be salvaged. The Rays are already scheduled to depart the stadium for a new one that will be constructed in time for the 2028 season, a reality that has led to some questions over whether the Trop will be repaired at all or if the Rays will simply find a temporary home for the next three seasons. In any case, the Trop is not expected to be ready in time for Opening Day 2025 and so the Rays will have to find a new home for at least the early part of next season regardless of whether the stadium can be salvaged or not.

In other off-the-field news, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported some good news for the Rays today: embattled shortstop Wander Franco, who last played in August of 2023 due to ongoing legal proceedings regarding allegations against him of inappropriate relationships with minors, will not need to be reinstated from the restricted list this offseason. That means the club will not need to dedicate a 40-man roster spot to the 23-year-old this winter, a contrast from when he was on administrative leave. That should open up additional roster flexibility for the Rays throughout the offseason, although they’ll still need to make room on their 40-man roster for lefty Shane McClanahan, who has been on the 60-day injured list all season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

Turning to baseball, Topkin notes that one of the biggest questions facing the club this winter is how best to deploy midseason trade addition Christopher Morel in 2025. Morel, 25, endured the worst season of his young career in 2024 as he slashed just .196/.288/.346 (82 wRC+) in 611 trips to the plate split between the Cubs and Rays. His results after coming to Tampa as part of the return in the Isaac Paredes trade were particularly brutal, as he hit just .191/.258/.289 in his final 190 trips to the plate. Much of that lackluster production with the Rays was due to a power outage; Morel hit just three home runs in 49 games with the club as compared to 18 homers in 103 games with the Cubs earlier in the season.

Overall, Morel’s production was not that of a quality regular last season, particularly due to his lackluster defense. While Morel has the versatility to play anywhere on the field, with reps in the majors at all three outfield spots, second and third base, and even shortstop, he’s been below average with the glove at all of those positions. While he likely profiles best as a DH, Topkin suggests that the club hopes to expand Jonathan Aranda’s role next year after he slashed .234/.308/.430 in 44 games in the big leagues this season. Aranda also profiles best as a DH, and Topkin suggests that the club figures to juggle Aranda, first baseman Yandy Diaz, and second baseman Brandon Lowe between DH and the right side of the infield in 2025.

The Rays tried Morel primarily at second base when he played in a position in 2024, but if Lowe and Aranda figure to get the lion’s share of starts at the keystone and DH Topkin suggests they could give him a look in left field. If Morel is able to revert to the offensive form he showed with the Cubs earlier in his career, whatever defensive shortcomings the youngster would have in an outfield corner would be more than made up for by his bat. In 2023, Morel appeared in 107 games for the Cubs and slashed an excellent .247/.313/.508 (121 wRC+) as their primary DH.

The young slugger has 63 home runs in just 372 games as a big leaguer so far, and despite his lackluster results this year actually posted career-best strikeout (26%) and walk (10%) rates. The Rays would surely love to see Morel combine that improved discipline with the power he showed in previous years, but even reverting to the .229 ISO, 31.6% strikeout rate form he flashed in his first two years with Chicago would constitute a major step in the right direction.

Rays Exercise Club Option On Brandon Lowe

By | at

The Rays announced that they have exercised their club option on infielder Brandon Lowe. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relayed the news on X prior to the official announcement. The club could have given Lowe a $1MM buyout and sent him to free agency but have instead locked in his $10.5MM salary for the upcoming season.

There wasn’t much suspense with this decision. Lowe has hit .245/.330/.482 in his career for a 126 wRC+. That includes a .244/.311/.473 line in 2024 for a 123 wRC+.

He has mostly played second base in his career but has also spent some time at first base and in the outfield corners. He’s not considered especially strong at any of those spots but the versatility is still useful. He has missed plenty of time due to injuries in his career, only once getting into 110 games in a season, but his production has been strong whenever he’s been out there.

Back in March of 2019, when Lowe had just 43 MLB games on his ledger, he and the Rays agreed to a six-year, $24MM contract extension. The Rays are undoubtedly happy with their return on that investment, given Lowe’s performance.

They have triggered the club option to keep Lowe around for 2025 and his contract has another club option for 2026. He can be retained for that season at a rate of $11.5MM with a $500K buyout.

The question now is if the Rays will hold him or trade him. The franchise often trades players as they get more expensive and closer to free agency, which applies to Lowe.

According to RosterResource, the projected 2025 payroll is fairly similar to what they paid in 2024. A few non-tenders of their arbitration-eligible players could give them some breathing space but they are also facing the uncertainty of their stadium situation. With Tropicana Field badly damaged by Hurricane Milton, it’s possible that the club has to spend the upcoming season or seasons as nomads. That could have financial implications in terms of ticket sales, refunds, repairs and so on.

Even if that situation is largely resolved by insurance or other means, the Rays normally keep payroll down by trading players in this situation for younger, cheaper and more controllable alternatives. As such, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Lowe’s name pops up in trade rumors this winter.

Rob Manfred Discusses Rays’ Stadium Plans, Timeline

By | at

The Rays’ offseason has so far been dominated by the questions swirling around Tropicana Field after it was badly damaged by Hurricane Milton earlier this month. While the damage has not yet been fully assessed, it seems certain that the club won’t be able to start the season in their home ballpark in 2025 and there remains the possibility that local officials decide not to repair the field at all with a replacement for the Trop planned to be constructed in time for Opening Day 2028.

The unusual situation leaves plenty of questions about the Rays’ short- and mid-term future, even as the club knows its long-term home for 2028 and beyond remains in St. Pete. Potential temporary homes such as Durham, North Carolina and Montreal have already been shot down, and while MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has expressed a preference for the Rays to remain in their current market, local officials in St. Petersburg have cautioned that they’ll be “financially responsible” as they attempt to find an avenue to keep the Rays in the area for the 2025-28 seasons.

Manfred made additional comments about the Rays’ situation to The Athletic’s Evan Drellich recently that for the first time helped to crystalize a timeline for a plan to be put in place. While previous discussions of the club’s future have simply noted that it would likely take several weeks for damage to the Trop to even be fully assessed, Manfred told Drellich that a plan needs to be in place before the end of the year.

“I think by Christmas they gotta have a pretty good plan in place,” Manfred said, as relayed by Drellich. “and there’s a lot to that.”

While two months isn’t necessarily a long time for the club to map out a new plan for where it will play its games in 2025, even that relatively short time frame could have an impact on the Rays’ offseason as the club attempts to court prospective free agents who won’t even know where they’d be playing and living during the season if they were to sign with Tampa. Of course, the Rays have always been more prolific on the trade market than in free agency, and that once again figures to be the case this winter as they explore ways to upgrade their lineup and rumors percolate that they could deal from their rotation this winter. In the event that the lack of a clear home ballpark impacts the club’s recruitment in free agency, it’s possible they’ll need to focus even more on the trade market than usual this offseason.

Turning back to the stadium questions at hand, Manfred suggested the league would be able to “make it work” in a minor league park by adjusting not only the minor league team’s schedule but also potentially even the Rays’ schedule as necessary. Using a minor league park or Spring Training complex could be a way for the club to remain in their current market even if city decides against repairing the Trop. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times notes that the Phillies’ and Yankees’ respective spring training complexes in Clearwater and Tampa seem to be the most likely local options for the Rays to utilize as a temporary home.

Of course, using a minor league facility runs the risk of a clash with the MLBPA over any negative impacts the move might have on players. MLBPA head Tony Clark recently discussed the union’s role in the process, noting that they’re limited in terms of their ability to impact the team’s choice of facility but can ensure that the ballpark’s amenities are up to major league standards and ensure the players are not put into “harm’s way” by the move. One example of how the MLBPA’s role works can be found in the similar situation playing out on the west coast due to the Athletics’ temporary relocation to Sacramento, where the club initially planned to utilize artificial turf but will now continue using grass on the field in 2025 following intervention by the union due to concerns that artificial turf would retain too much heat.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top