This does not mean that all three positions will be filled externally. Neander said the club needs to both “assess the players we have” and keep an eye outside the organization for upgrades. They’ve already shuffled the mix in the first two weeks of the offseason. Kameron Misner was traded to Kansas City while hiring fliers Ryan rested And Jake Fraley. There’s still no certainty that Fraley will get an arbitration contract, which MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz expects will end up at $3.6 million.
Tampa Bay has a lot of semi-interesting outfielders, but none are stuck in an everyday position. Chandler Simpson, Jake Mangum, Johnny DeLuca And Jos Lowe would probably get the majority of playing time as things stand. Simpson is the best base stealer in the sport and has excellent contact skills, but there is no power and he probably doesn’t have the defensive sense to play in good center field. Mangum has a similar offensive profile that only includes contact. He’s a very good base stealer in his own right and a more natural defender than Simpson, but he feels more like a fourth outfielder than a regular player.
DeLuca is another speedy and defensive outfielder with minimal power. It has a little more pop than Mangum offers, but has a similarly aggressive approach. DeLuca lost most of the ’25 season due to right shoulder and left hamstring injuries. Lowe has a typical right-field profile and hit 20 home runs a few seasons ago, but he’s coming off a career-worst .220/.283/.366 across 435 plate appearances. He enters arbitration expecting a sum of $2.9 million.
Richie Palacios, Christopher Morel And Tristan Peters they all also occupy roster spots for 40 people. Palacios bounces between second base and the corners of the outfield. A knee sprain limited him to 14 MLB games. Morel has been a disappointment since coming over from the Cubs in the Isaac Paredes trade. He’s a bad defender who has hit .208/.277/.355 in 495 plate appearances with Tampa Bay. He is expected to make an arbitration salary of $2.6 million and could be traded or undrafted. Peters is a 26-year-old rookie with four MLB games under his belt and unspectacular numbers in Triple-A.
The front office has to decide if anyone from that group wants to be an everyday player long-term. The Rays outfielders hit a combined .251/.306/.356 last season. They were last in the MLB with 35 home runs. It would be a surprise if they didn’t add someone who could provide more stability through free agency or trade, even though Neander has indicated that the heavy lifting will likely have to be done internally. “You rely on the group you have – a little bit better health, a little bit more performance, and then maybe it will be supplemented from outside,” he told Feinsand.
Neander mentioned two other uncertain positions: short stop and catcher. He told MLB.com that the club will keep an eye on both markets, but broadly expressed confidence in its internal options, especially behind the plate. The Rays are well positioned defensively at both spots, but have limited offensive ceilings.
Taylor Walls And Carson Williams are ready to compete for the shortstop job. Walls has made a name for himself as a plus-plus defenseman who isn’t going to offer anything at the plate. Williams, 22, is one of the organization’s top prospects. He is highly regarded defensively and certainly has more power than Walls, but it is an open question whether he will make enough contact to be a regular player. Williams shot at an unsustainable 34% clip in Triple-A this year, fanning out in 44 of his first 106 MLB plate appearances. He hit .172 over 32 games and should probably start in the minors next season.
Neander said they would look for ways to make that “a little bit more competitive than we have now.” However, it is a weak free agent class. They clearly don’t sign Bo Bichette or return Hi Seong Kim. Behind that are mainly glove-first utilities like Walls. There aren’t many obvious trade candidates available either, but it’s possible they will look to waivers or minor league free agency to at least bring in another depth piece.
Nick Fortes And Hunter Feduccia are positioned behind the dish. Neander praised Fortes as a defenseman and expressed confidence that there is more in the tank with Feduccia, who hit .151 in 36 games after being acquired from the Dodgers as part of the three-team Zack Littell deadline agreement. The 28-year-old Feduccia is a career .278/.387/.452 Triple-A hitter who has never been given a chance Will Smith in Los Angeles. Not surprisingly, the Rays didn’t shed him after two down months in his first real appearance against big league pitching.
“If we can find a way to get better at that position, we will, but those are two guys that we value. As we go into next year and that’s where we are right now – a lot of players, we count on developing from where they were, and that certainly applies to those two and [we] I think they can give us more than this year,” Neander said. JT Realmuto And Victor Caratini are the only real options on the free agent market, assuming they don’t amount to anything Danny Jansen back. Trade candidates include: Jonah Heim, Luis Campusano And JC Escarra.
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