The Tampa Bay Rays have been a very busy team this winter, and they have been trying to balance being competitive in 2026 while also keeping an eye on the future.

With new ownership coming in and taking over the Rays, there is hope that the team will start to spend and increase payroll. While their primary focus is getting a new stadium, they will be trying to change things going forward. 

So far this winter, the team has primarily done what they have done in recent years, and that is moving expiring talent with an eye on the future. However, they have made some trades that make a lot of sense for the franchise, and they have one of the best farm systems in baseball. 

Even though they had moved some of their veteran talent this winter, they do still have one key slugger under contract, and he is coming off a great year. While it is certainly still possible that they move him this offseason, he is one of the better players in baseball right now. 

Brian Murphy of MLB recently wrote about the Top 100 players in baseball, and Rays’ slugger Yandy Diaz made the list, coming in ranked 71st. 

Diaz Coming Off a Great Campaign