The Tampa Bay Rays know that they need to find some offensive upgrades this offseason. There are a few excellent building blocks on the roster, but overall, this was a group that was middle of the pack, at best, in too many statistics.
As a team, the Rays had a wRC+ of 98, which was below the league average of 100. Second baseman Brandon Lowe, first baseman Jonathan Aranda, third baseman Junior Caminero and designated hitter Yandy Diaz were the only players who recorded above-average seasons.
That quartet accounted for most of the team’s power production as well. They hit 115 of the team’s 182 home runs.
Somewhat surprisingly, two of those four players have been involved in trade rumors within the last year and will continue to be the entire winter. Subtracting from an offense that is in need of production seems counterproductive, but there are reasons for the Rays to strongly consider it, at least when it comes to Lowe.
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There isn’t a second baseman waiting in the wings, as was the case when Isaac Paredes was traded to the Chicago Cubs. That cleared the way for Caminero to take over as the everyday starter at the hot corner.
But Lowe fits the mold of the kind of player Tampa Bay has moved in recent years. They would rather trade a player a year too early than a year too late, getting back whatever value they can instead of watching a key contributor leave in free agency for nothing.
Getting that kind of power production from a player at the keystone is rare and provides the Rays with a distinct advantage. However, there are some reasons to believe this could be the best chance for Tampa Bay to sell high.
For starters, he was relatively healthy in 2025, playing in 134 games. He missed at least 53 games in four consecutive campaigns. The only other year he played at least 134 games was in 2019.
Given his checkered injury history, moving on may not be the worst idea. Also, he is under team control for only one more season; if the Rays want to get back any value for him, this is their best chance.
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There are also concerns that his impact is waning in multiple facets. His .307 on-base percentage was the lowest of his career. A declining walk rate is the main culprit, with 6.9% being a career low as well.
Also, his effectiveness as a base runner and defender went in the wrong direction. His Baserunning Run Value of -1 was in the 31st percentile, the worst in his career. A -9 Fielding Run Value was by far the worst single-season mark for him, too.
The combination of Taylor Walls and Carson Williams won’t produce as much at the plate as Lowe, but they can certainly close the impact gap with how much more sound they would be defensively.
Tampa Bay could look to catch lightning in a bottle offensively, using Christopher Morel more at second base after deploying him mostly in left field. Also, it would be fair to assume the Rays would reallocate the money saved by trading Lowe into a position of need, such as the outfield, to find more offensive production.