The Tampa Bay Rays came into the offseason with a few spots on their roster that they were looking to upgrade. Catcher, shortstop, outfield and starting pitching were all mentioned as possible areas the team was going to seek upgrades.
Early in the offseason, another void was created on the roster. The Rays surprised a lot of people when they announced they were declining the club option they had on closer Pete Fairbanks.
Instead of exercising the $11 million option they had on him, the team opted to pay a $1 million buyout, making him a free agent a year early.
It was a decision that Tampa Bay took right to the deadline. They canvassed the league to assess Fairbanks’ value, and when they concluded that trading him would be a challenge, they opted to cut their losses and avoid being saddled with that contract.
While interest in him wasn’t very high on the trade market, that isn’t expected to be the case in free agency. Plenty of teams are expected to pursue him, with some heavy hitters expected to be in the mix.
Pete Fairbanks predicted to draw considerable interest in free agency