The Tampa Bay Rays are going to be busy at points this winter. There isn’t a team in baseball that has more players who are arbitration eligible than the Rays with 17. A lot of negotiating will be done to avoid hearings.
There will also be a lot of negotiations with other teams around the league. Tampa Bay has several players who are sure to generate interest on the trade market should they be made available.
Closer Pete Fairbanks has been very popular name on the trade rumor mill. Designated hitter Yandy Diaz has lived on the trade market the last few years. Second baseman Brandon Lowe and starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen could generate interest as well.
The trade market is where most of the headlines for the Rays will be generated this offseason. That is because there is only one outright free agent from the Major Leauge roster they have to make a decision on: starting pitcher Adrian Houser.
He was acquired from the Chicago White Sox ahead of the MLB trade deadline in exchange for Curtis Mead, Duncan Davitt and Ben Peoples. Tampa Bay needed starting pitching help with Taj Bradley and Zack Littell, who were included in other deals.
Adrian Houser doesn’t look like fit for Rays