TAMPA — The Rays can officially add a new item to their 2026 to-do list: Filling the Pete Fairbanks-sized hole in their bullpen.
On a busy Thursday of transactions in which they exercised Brandon Lowe’s club option and added another club option to Taylor Walls’ deal, the Rays declined their closer’s $11 million option for next season and paid him a $1 million buyout. Fairbanks is now a free agent.
It wasn’t a decision the Rays made lightly, considering Fairbanks’ impact in their bullpen and the unique personality he brought to Tampa Bay’s clubhouse and community. Acquired in July 2019, he played a part in the Rays’ run of five straight postseason appearances (2019-23) and leaves ranked among the club’s all-time relief leaders in strikeouts (second), saves (third), appearances (fourth) and innings (seventh).
“He’s been a part of a lot of special things on the field. And the work in the community and the interactions with fans in his own personal signature, unique, memorable way — just a lot to appreciate, and it makes these decisions difficult,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said.
“Even without all that, it still was a hard decision, but one we felt we needed to make to give ourselves some flexibility as we enter the winter here.”
Nor was it a move they made without understanding all their options. In this scenario, the Rays paid $1 million and received nothing in return. If they felt there was a trade to be made by picking up the option and getting something in return, they surely would have gone that route.
But it was a call they felt they had to make after considering their limited budget, their returning bullpen depth and the other areas (outfield, catcher, shortstop, rotation) they must address this offseason.
“We had an idea of the market and different things we could do, but also want to make sure that that we have enough maneuverability in the early going to target some other areas of our club that could use some help and improvement,” Neander said.
So, how will the Rays address his absence? That decision will be made by manager Kevin Cash, ultimately, but it seems likely to come by committee.
Cash has previously preferred a bullpen without set roles, allowing him to seek advantageous matchups and put his pitchers in the best positions to succeed. The Rays altered their approach with Fairbanks, making him a traditional closer who typically pitched one inning in save situations, but that could change next season.
The Rays are set to return high-leverage right-hander Edwin Uceta, who struggled in the first half before returning to his 2024 form in a dominant second half, and lefty setup man Garrett Cleavinger. And they added two intriguing late-inning arms last July in right-handers Griffin Jax (acquired from the Twins for Taj Bradley) and Bryan Baker (acquired from the Orioles for a Draft pick).
“Having acquired a couple relievers this summer that we could keep with us beyond this year, our bullpen had some depth to it,” Neander said.
Hard-throwing right-hander Hunter Bigge should be back in the mix next season after returning from a scary incident in the dugout that resulted in surgery to repair facial fractures. High-leverage righty Manuel Rodríguez should be back from the injured list at some point next season, too.
And there’s depth beyond that group in talented-but-inconsistent lefty Mason Montgomery, left-hander Joe Rock and right-handers Kevin Kelly, Mason Englert, Eric Orze and Cole Sulser. The Rays usually bring an array of arms into Spring Training, too, giving themselves plenty of chances to catch lightning in a bottle with big arms out of the bullpen.
For as much as the bullpen was an issue at times last season, especially in key moments during their slide out of playoff position in July, there are some underlying numbers that suggest they’re due to bounce back.
Rays relievers ranked second in the Majors last season in strikeout rate, at 26 percent. Their 8.1 percent walk rate was the second lowest in baseball, behind only the Cubs’ 7.9. They had the lowest xFIP (expected fielding independent pitching) mark of any bullpen. They did a lot of things well, but seemed to falter in the most crucial moments.
Will those trends lead to better results next season? The Rays are counting on it.
“As we look at that group, you definitely never want to be oblivious to the results you just had, but you’re always trying to figure out which parts are most influential when it comes to seeing the future and future performance,” Neander said. “We feel pretty good about the ingredients of that unit. I think we’ll still look for ways to improve it, certainly.”
