The Tampa Bay Rays will be seeking some upgrades to help their lineup this winter, and one area specifically should be addressed.
Coming into the offseason, the Rays are hopeful to keep pace in the American League East despite having a lower payroll than the rest of the division. The AL East is going to be loaded once again in 2026, and in order to compete, Tampa Bay needs to make some upgrades this winter.
In 2025, this was a team that proved they could compete in the first half of the year but ultimately fell off in the second half. Now, the franchise has a couple of key areas that they should be looking to upgrade over the winter.
Due to some of the financial constraints for the team, it isn’t going to be easy to keep up with these powerhouses, but the Rays have always done a strong job getting the most out of their talent and identifying some perhaps overlooked players to help.
With some more free agents recently joining the market after the non-tender deadline, one potential player could be a great option to help Tampa Bay in the outfield.
Adolis Garcia Could Help the Offensive Needs in the Outfield
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After a great year in 2023 when the Texas Rangers won the World Series, the last two years have not been great for the former All-Star. It certainly wasn’t a shock that the team elected to move on from Garcia, and now he will be entering free agency, having to prove himself.
In 2025, he slashed .227/.271/.394 with 19 home runs and 75 RBI. While the slugging numbers weren’t bad, the batting average and on-base percentage were. Averaging a strikeout per game is certainly not ideal.
Even though the numbers aren’t great, the power numbers are what could be appealing to Tampa Bay. This is currently an outfield that desperately needs help in that area, and even though Garcia has struggled, he has still had some pop in his bat.
Due to the struggles and the fact that he is 32 years old now, it’s a bit hard to imagine that he will receive a multi-year deal, and his annual number could be in line with something the Rays would be comfortable committing to. Garcia isn’t a perfect target for Tampa Bay after two straight down seasons, but he could provide them with some power, which the team is in desperate need of from the outfield.
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