With the winter meetings coming to a close for the Tampa Bay Rays, the team did make a move but also saw others in the division improve.
As expected, the winter meetings did not disappoint with no shortage of news. The Rays started things off with the signing of now relief pitcher Steven Matz. The southpaw and Tampa Bay have reportedly agreed to a two-year deal, and he will help improve the bullpen.
However, even though the Rays were active, they also saw others in their division improve at the winter meetings. Most notable was the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles signed Pete Alonso to a long-term deal and have created one of the best offenses in the league.
Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, the division continues to improve, and competing is going to be a challenge. However, the Rays are no strangers to operating in the space of a lower payroll, and they will try to find a way to keep up. Furthermore, one decision that they made this winter, they might regret with a lot of interest buzzing about a player they let go to free agency.
Jorge Castillo of ESPN recently wrote about Rays closer Pete Fairbanks generating a ton of interest in free agency.
Fairbanks is a Strong Option
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When Tampa Bay elected not to exercise the team option on Fairbanks, it came as a shock to many. He was expected to be a top trade candidate this winter, and while he would have had a high price tag for 2026, the team figured to be able to get something for him.
Perhaps they were worried that they wouldn’t be able to trade him in a timely manner and wanted to have the money that would have gone to him available for other free agents. With a couple of quick signings, that very well might have been the case for the team.
With the closer market really moving along with numerous top options signing already, Fairbanks’ time feels like it could be soon. So far, many have received multi-year deals, and the right-hander appears to be worthy of one as well.
He is coming off a great season in which he totaled 27 saves and a 2.83 ERA. While injuries have been a slight issue in the past, he has been proven in the role, and his generating a lot of interest should come as no surprise.
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