With the start of spring training quickly approaching, the Tampa Bay Rays will be hoping to snap a two-year playoff drought. However, there are still some question marks on the roster. 

So far this winter, the Rays have been one of the more aggressive teams in terms of making moves. Tampa Bay always tries to get the most out of their payroll and roster, which generally leads to them being active. 

However, the American League East is loaded, and all of the other teams in the division spent a lot of money this winter to improve. For the Rays, it’s hard to say that they are a better team on paper than they were in 2025. A few key contributors like Shane Baz, Pete Fairbanks, and All-Star slugger Brandon Lowe are no longer on the team. While they were able to address some of the concerns in the outfield, this team does have some question marks. 

One position that the team likely wanted to improve was behind the plate. The catcher position has been a mess for a couple of years now, and it is trending toward being an issue once again this campaign. 

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about what the lineup for the Rays might look like on Opening Day. At the catcher position, he predicted that the starting catcher would be free agent Jonah Heim. 

Catcher Position is a Concern