The Tampa Bay Rays have started up their offseason, and there are some critical decisions to be made regarding what the franchise is going to look like in 2026. 

It has already been a busy start to the winter for the Rays, who are trying to reshape their roster a bit and improve some areas of need. So far, Tampa Bay appears to be a team that will seek some help in the outfield, catcher, and also in the starting rotation. There is a potential need at shortstop, but that figures to be at the bottom of the list, with the hope that Carson Williams will emerge. 

Due to the payroll for the team likely not going up significantly in the first offseason with new ownership, the team has had to be creative to free up some money. With multiple needs, it is going to be hard for the team to achieve all of their goals, but one move the team recently made was pretty shocking. Perhaps it is also going to be the wrong one. 

Jorge Castillo of ESPN recently wrote about Rays’ former closer Pete Fairbanks being in line for potentially a three-year contract this offseason. 

Fairbanks’ Situation is Puzzling