When analyzing the trades made by the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, it is evident that the team believes it is in a rebuilding stage.

It is very clear that Tampa Bay is likely the worst team in the American League East. The trades involving Brandon Lowe, Shane Baz, Jake Mangum and others felt like moves signaling a white flag being waved and the towel being thrown in on the 2026 season.

There’s a contradicting report, though, as it was reported on Friday by MLB writer Francys Romero that the Rays are one of two teams pursuing a trade for Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte. The rival Boston Red Sox are the other team heavily pursuing Marte.

Marte has been rumored to be traded since the second half of the 2025 season when he had several unexcused absences during the season. Those absences caused friction between Marte and the organization, something it seems that only a trade would fix.

The report of Tampa Bay being interested is an intriguing one, as that would be the exact opposite of a rebuilding trade. It would certainly seem that a Marte trade is on the horizon and what a shocker it would be to see the Rays come out as the suitors for the All-Star second baseman.

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