The Tampa Bay Rays have been very busy this winter, including making a couple of nice additions in free agency. However, they missed out on a player who would have been a great fit. 

It has been an interesting offseason for the Rays, who continue to try to balance between a franchise looking to contend and one that is building for the future. In 2025, this was a team that had a positive run differential but finished under .500 after a poor second half of the campaign. 

Due to some injuries and not having a home field, the struggles in the second half of the season were understandable. Coming into the winter, the team had a couple of precise needs, and they started to address them rather quickly. 

Improving the outfield was one of the main priorities, and they added two veterans to help in that area. Furthermore, they also added left-handed pitcher Steven Matz to provide some depth and a potential option in the starting rotation. 

While the team made some nice additions, they also traded away some significant talent this winter. One of the positions that was a need and hasn’t been addressed this offseason was behind the plate. Unfortunately, an ideal target is off the board.

J.T. Realmuto Would Have Been Great Fit