Fairbanks has recorded 75 saves over the past three seasons. When healthy, he was Cash’s favorite stopper. The right-hander ranks third in franchise history with 90 saves. He would almost certainly have passed Colome (95) and Roberto Hernández (101) if he had stayed with the organization another year. Instead, Tampa Bay declined Fairbanks’ $11 million option and allowed him to hit free agency. He signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Marlins on Christmas Eve.
The Rays will now have to fill the void left by Fairbanks. Since the organization didn’t want to pay a reasonable price to keep him, the new closer will likely be an internal choice. Tampa Bay has a long history of producing solid relievers, with Fairbanks himself being part of that lineage. These are the potential candidates…
Edwin Uceta
Uceta was the top heavily indebted right-hander behind Fairbanks last season. He led the bullpen with 76 innings and was tied for the team lead with 21 holds. Uceta had just one save in 2025, but he previously served as closer when Fairbanks missed time in 2024. The right-hander recorded the first five saves of his MLB career that season.
The closer caliber stuff is there for Uceta. His fastball, changeup and cutter all had a whiff rate above 31% last season. He has a career swinging strike rate of 15.5%. The main problem is the long ball. Uceta gave up 11 home runs in 2025, which ranked in the top 10 among relievers. He had a healthy fly ball rate of 34.4% and a huge aerial contact rate of 29.5%. The tendency to allow fly balls to the pull side is a scary trait for a reliever called upon to protect small leads.
Griffin Jax
Acquired at the trade deadline for Taj BradleyJax would be the closest. He had been the con man in Minnesota John Duranalthough he had secured some sort of timeshare in 2024. Jax earned a career-high 10 saves that season. He opened the year as a closer, with Duran dealing with an oblique injury, and was still called upon to finish games even when the incumbent returned. The 2025 campaign didn’t start so smoothly, as Jax had a 4.50 ERA when dealt to Tampa Bay, but a SIERA of 2.08 and an xFIP of 1.79 suggested he had been unlucky.
The change of scenery didn’t help Jax. He allowed seven earned runs in his first 7 1/3 innings with Tampa Bay. Jax allowed three home runs in that stretch, including a game-losing three-run explosion Cal Raleigh early August. He finished the season with ten scoreless appearances, although these mostly came in low-leverage spots. Jax also served as the opener in two games down the road.
Garrett Cleavering (honorable mention)
FanGraphs’ bullpen depth chart lists each of Uceta, Jax and Cleavinger as closers. It’s fair to include Cleavinger considering his big job last season. He matched Uceta with 21 holds as the favorite left setup man. However, Cleavinger’s candidacy has a clear flaw. He is the only left-handed reliever on the 40-man roster. There’s virtually no chance he gets the better job without another lefty in the bullpen.
Bryan Baker
Baker had the qualities of the unknown reliever who turns Tampa Bay into a shutdown guy. Last season, he posted a 32.5% strikeout rate through three months with the Orioles. The Rays traded for him in early July. Baker made a significant pitch mix adjustment in 2025, doubling down on his changeup usage and prioritizing it ahead of his slider. The change was by far Baker’s best scent pitch. It also held opponents to a measly .128 batting average.
While the jump in strikeouts was nice, Baker was still hit incredibly hard. He gave up barrels at a 12.6% clip, which ranked in the 1st percentile. His 48.3% hard-hit rate placed him in the 3rd percentile. Unless Baker can find a way to miss bats And to limit the damage, he will probably get a ticket for the middle innings.
Hunter Piglet
While he may not break camp with the team, Bigge looms as the potential closer of the future. Tampa Bay acquired him at the 2024 trade deadline in the deal that was shipped Isaac Paredes to the Cubs. Bigge dominated that season at Triple-A and earned his first promotion to the big league. He pitched well in his short time in Chicago and then continued to excel with the Rays.
Bigge’s 2025 season was blighted by two injuries. He had a lat strain in early May. In June, he was hit in the face by a 105-mph foul ball. Bigge suffered multiple facial fractures as a result of the incident. He never returned to the mound.
Bigge has the best speed and serve height (a wipeout slider) to succeed as a closer. His recovery timeline is not clear, but he should be available to contribute for the big league club at some point. Given the long layoff, Bigge could be more of a 2027 candidate.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
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