The Tampa Bay Rays will be getting ready to start the offseason very soon with the Toronto Blue Jays just one win away from winning the World Series. Once a champion is crowned the offseason will be kicking off soon after. 

Tampa Bay is going to have a couple of quick decisions to make right off the bat with the team needing to pick up the options on a couple of talented players. Brandon Lowe and Pete Fairbanks will headline the options the team needs to address, but they should be bringing both of them back. 

However, the tough decisions will come when the team might listen to trade offers on them. Even though they might trade some veterans this winter, that shouldn’t deter them from seeking some options to improve in other areas this winter. One of the areas that the team will likely look to address is in their starting rotation. Adding another veteran to the mix makes a lot of sense and should be realistic to accomplish. 

Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about impending free agent Adrian Houser being a good fit for the Rays in free agency. 

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Adrian Houser throwing the ball

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

It was a bit of a tale of two campaigns for the veteran right-hander in 2025. Houser split time with the Chicago White Sox and the Rays but was far more effective with the White Sox. In Chicago, he totaled a 6-2 record and 2.10 ERA in 11 starts. However, with Tampa Bay, those numbers went significantly down, and his ERA was 4.79 in 10 starts. 

For his career, the right-hander has a 4.06 ERA and the first half of the campaign with the White Sox might have been a bit of an anomaly based on his career production. However, even though he might not be a pitcher that will have an ERA as great as that, he could still be serviceable for the Rays. 

Tampa Bay has a few needs to address this winter, and adding a starter is one of them. Ideally, they would bring in a veteran who can provide some depth and eat innings for the franchise. Houser certainly meets that criteria, but the disappointing second half might result in the team looking at other options. It is going to be an interesting offseason for the team, and Houser could be in their plans for 2026.Â