TAMPA — The Rays were busy during the first official week of the offseason, and president of baseball operations Erik Neander will surely stay active with the GM Meetings taking place in Las Vegas this week.
But they made a few interesting moves — beyond the procedural roster shuffling that happens this time of year — that might have flown under the radar. Let’s take a look at a few of them and what they could mean for the Rays in 2026.
Adding outfield depth
On Nov. 3, the Rays acquired outfielder Ryan Vilade from the Reds for cash considerations. Three days later, they claimed outfielder Jake Fraley off waivers from the Braves.
They’re low-risk moves at a minimal cost. Given the Rays’ need to improve their overall outfield production, why not see what they can do? At the very least, they’ll provide more options.
“Let’s try to build up some strength in numbers, then just see what the rest of the offseason presents,” Neander said.
This is a reunion of sorts for the 30-year-old Fraley, a second-round pick by the Rays in the 2016 Draft who went to Seattle in the November 2018 trade for Mike Zunino. He’s played 468 games over parts of seven seasons with the Mariners, Reds and Braves.
He can play either corner outfield spot, although he’s seen more time in right, and he has been an effective hitter versus right-handed pitchers, batting .261/.344/.432 against them in his career. In his third year of arbitration eligibility, he is projected to earn another raise after making $3.125 million last season.
“It’s no secret our outfield situation last year wasn’t the kind of output that we were hoping for,” Neander said. “Just felt like the opportunity to claim him, given how we see the player, was worth bringing him in.”
Vilade, a second-round pick by the Rockies in the 2017 Draft who was once a highly ranked prospect in their system, has spent most of his career in Triple-A. He debuted at that level in 2021, also the same year he made his brief MLB debut for the Rockies, and he’s played 559 games in Triple-A since then, slashing .275/.356/.421 while playing all over the outfield and infield.
He’s had a few other short stints in the Majors with the Tigers, Cardinals and Reds, and he’s now out of Minor League options, which would limit the Rays’ flexibility. Still, they thought such a versatile player was worth a longer look.
“Just somebody [where] we saw some signs of life and hasn’t had much of an opportunity, and maybe he can take that next step for us,” Neander said.
Whitley rejoins 40-man roster
The Rays added Forrest Whitley to their 40-man roster rather than letting him become a Minor League free agent, giving the right-hander another chance to establish himself after a dominant run for Triple-A Durham down the stretch.
After being designated for assignment by the Astros, Whitley landed with the Rays in June and made a few encouraging appearances out of the bullpen. Then came two ugly outings, at which point Tampa Bay had little choice but to DFA the out-of-options righty.
But Whitley cleared waivers and reported to Triple-A, where he put up excellent numbers while moving back into the rotation. The 28-year-old produced a 2.60 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 55 1/3 innings over 13 outings, racking up 66 strikeouts compared to only 19 walks.
Whitley was once the top-ranked pitching prospect in baseball. Can the Rays help unlock his potential? If nothing else, he could provide additional rotation depth and another intriguing arm to consider.
“It’s encouraging to see what he did there this year, and [we] felt he was deserving of the opportunity to come back on the roster and see where it plays from there,” Neander said.
The Rays face a roster crunch every offseason, and Seymour and Misner were two early casualties — despite the roles they played this year — as the club cleared space on its 40-man roster for players coming off the 60-day injured list and additions like Whitley, Fraley and Vilade.
It’s not over, either, as they still have to protect Rule 5 Draft-eligible prospects and make room for whatever acquisitions they make the rest of the winter.
