This offseason has already been an eventful one for the Tampa Bay Rays, and they haven’t even begun making changes to their roster.
A new ownership group has officially bought the franchise and had its introductory press conference earlier this week. They have provided a lot of optimism moving forward, with plans to build a new stadium and potentially increase payroll as well.
Having an ownership group that is willing to spend more money on the Big League roster would certainly help elevate the Rays. For the last two decades, they have been in the bottom third of the league in payroll.
They have found a lot of success diving headfirst into analytics. Combining that savviness with some more money to spend would help elevate the on-field product.
One position that Tampa Bay could look to improve is catcher. President of baseball operations Erik Neander has already revealed that they will be looking for help behind the plate this winter. There aren’t a ton of options in free agency, which could lead to them seeking an upgrade on the trade market again.
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Expect the Rays to also look into adding some pitching depth to the roster. The team is relatively healthy heading into the season, but there are some questions surrounding a few pitchers.
How much can the team rely on ace Shane McClanahan? He hasn’t pitched since 2023, missing the last two seasons. A two-time All-Star, he has the ability to anchor a rotation, but how much he can pitch in 2026 remains up in the air.
At least he is healthy and on track to be on the mound in spring training. The same cannot unfortunately be said for two of his teammates, as Tampa Bay is already looking at being without two pitchers at the start of the 2026 campaign.
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Manuel Rodriguez and Brian Van Belle are both expected to be sidelined once spring training rolls around, per Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times.
Earlier this summer, it was reported that Rodriguez would need an operation on his elbow. Ultimately, it was flexor tendon surgery done, and June is when he is aiming to get back on the mound.
He is a significant loss in the team’s bullpen. Over the last two campaigns, he has made 71 appearances, throwing 68 innings with a 2.12 ERA, 59 strikeouts and a 1.9 bWAR.
Van Belle doesn’t have a clear-cut plan. He has a visit set up with Dr. Keith Meister to figure out the extent of his elbow issues. Reports are that he is dealing with a UCL sprain currently.