Brandon Lowe, Shane Baz, Mason Montgomery and Jake Mangum were all traded last Friday, for a total of six players and a 2026 draft pick in two separate deals.
The two trades significantly changed the Rays current roster projection. Most notably, there is now a huge opening at second base and in the middle of the lineup. The Rays need to find an everyday second baseman and also replace Lowe’s power bat.
Since the start of the 2019 season, Brandon Lowe has played second base in 54% of Rays games; the only players on the current 40-man roster who have played the position for Tampa Bay are Taylor Walls (73 games), Richie Palacios (39 games), Jonathan Aranda (23 games), Junior Caminero (1 game) and Yandy Diaz (1 game).
Since Walls will likely play shortstop (unless the Rays want to go with Carson Williams from the start of the season), Richie Palacios could be the lead option at this point. Palacios has performed well for the Rays when healthy, but has struggled to stay on the field over the past two years. Since joining the Rays, Palacios has slashed .239/.353/.337 with 6 HR, registering a 106 wRC+ over 364 plate appearances (only 48 of which came this past season due to multiple injuries).
Jonathan Aranda spent most of his minor league career as a second baseman, but after playing 23 games in the major leagues at the position, the Rays made the decision to make him their primary first baseman. The 27-year-old is now an All-Star because he excelled both offensively and defensively; he was among the leaders with 7 DRS, despite suffering from an injury for several weeks into the season. Should the Rays decide to move Aranda back to second base, they would need a first baseman or a designated hitter, depending on whether they move Yandy Diaz.
Chandler Simpson played his entire collegiate career at center for Georgia Tech. When the Rays selected him in the 2022 draft, they immediately pushed him into the outfield because they, like almost everyone else, believed he would become a plus defender with his speed. After several years, however, Simpson is still well below average, albeit with some breathtaking play every now and then. There have been mixed reports about whether Simpson is capable of playing second base in the major leagues, but with the Rays in need of a second baseman and Simpson now blocked in the outfield, they could try it out.
Ryan Vilade was cleared for waivers early in the offseason. The soon-to-be 27-year-old has just 28 games of major league experience and the Rays may be the fifth team he has suited up for in the Majors. Vilade is a versatile defenseman and has played in all areas during his minor league career, but was primarily an outfielder at the big league level. Still, the Rays may decide to give him a look at center.
Those are the 40-man roster options, but there’s also Logan Davidson, a former first-round draft pick who the Rays signed to a minor league deal and received an invite to spring training. Raynel Delgado is another minor league signing who has spent a lot of time at second base but has no major league experience whatsoever.
The Rays can always look to fill the position externally and we know the team has talked to the Arizona Diamondbacks about Ketel Marte, who is considered one of the best second basemen in all of baseball. To acquire him, however, the Rays would have to pay a high price to Arizona, which has already rejected other suitors who wouldn’t meet their asking price.
There are still several weeks left in the offseason before players start reporting to Spring Training in mid-February, giving the Rays plenty of time to address their roster needs.
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