Walls’ situation is different from the others, as he will remain under club control regardless of Tampa Bay’s decision. The option was included in the deal he signed in January to avoid an arbitration hearing, so this decision is just a matter of setting his salary for next year. If the Rays pick up his option, the Gold Glove finalist will earn $2.45 million. The alternative is buying out the shortstop’s option for $50,000 and going through the arbitration process.
There’s more at stake for Lowe and Fairbanks, whose options represent their final seasons of club control with the Rays. Tampa Bay can exercise Lowe’s option for $11.5 million or pay $500,000 to make him a free agent. Fairbanks’ $7 million option is now worth $11 million, thanks to him maxing out his performance bonuses, with a $1 million buyout.
Speaking at his end-of-season news conference last month, president of baseball operations Erik Neander indicated that the Rays holding on to Lowe and Fairbanks at this year’s Trade Deadline was “indicative of kind of where we are” with both.
“I think we expect to be a competitive team next year. How do we improve ourselves? What kind of money is required? How do you need to allocate it? [That] will be a consideration as we get in the winter and find the right mix,” Neander said. “Those are two players that have meant a lot to our organization. We appreciate them both greatly. We’re going to go into this winter and just see how we can best configure this thing to win more baseball games next year.
“We didn’t move them at the Deadline, and usually that’s a pretty good sign of how we feel about them.”
Let’s look at both situations.
The Rays picked up Lowe’s club option for this past season, a relatively easy call that he rewarded with his healthiest year since 2021. He hopes the same scenario plays out next year and beyond.
“Obviously, I hope they pick it up and I get to spend another year in Tampa,” Lowe said at Rogers Centre on the final day of the regular season. “We love the area. We love the fans. We love the coaching staff, the players that are here. So, as much change that happens in our game, we’d like for that to be a constant.”
Lowe, 31, hit .256/.307/.477 with 31 homers, 19 doubles and 83 RBIs in 134 games while earning his second career All-Star nod. He’s a veteran leader in the clubhouse who possesses rare power for a second baseman, which is critical given Tampa Bay’s lack of pop in the outfield.
All of that makes picking up the option seem like the fairly obvious call. All of that would also make Lowe an intriguing trade candidate for power-starved contenders who need help at second base, if the Rays choose to make him available.
One catch: While there are utility players like Richie Palacios and Tristan Gray who could step in at second base — as well as prospects like Cooper Kinney (No. 17 prospect) and Émilien Pitre (No. 28) in the system — the Rays simply don’t have anyone who could fill Lowe’s position and replace his production right away. For that reason, it’s hard to see a scenario in which they plan to contend while cutting ties with Lowe.
Like Lowe, Fairbanks is coming off a productive season and his healthiest year in quite some time.
The 31-year-old right-hander made a career-high 61 appearances, recording 27 saves with a 2.83 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings. Fairbanks also is a key part of Tampa Bay’s clubhouse culture and a link to the clubs that reached the postseason every year from 2019-23.
This option is the last portion of the extension Fairbanks signed prior to the 2023 season, covering what would otherwise be his first year of free agency. It would make Fairbanks the third-highest-paid player on the team, behind Yandy Díaz ($12 million) and Lowe, which makes the Rays’ decision here somewhat more complicated.
Rays managing partner Patrick Zalupski indicated the club’s payroll isn’t set for a significant increase when he said on Oct. 7, “The economics of the club have not changed since we acquired it.” So, committing $11 million to a single reliever would be an uncharacteristic and potentially risky move for a budget-conscious front office, especially with other needs to address.
Will the Rays take that gamble with Fairbanks and bring him back atop a bullpen that also features Edwin Uceta, Garrett Cleavinger, Griffin Jax and Bryan Baker, among others? Or are they more likely to pick up his option and explore the trade market? We’ll find out soon after the World Series ends.
