Rays Not Done After Blockbuster Trade, Insider Believes

The Rays may have set the stage for more moves.

Apr 3, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A general view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove during the seventh inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images | Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays were busy on Friday. They had already signed Cedric Mullins and Steven Matz to contracts to try and improve their roster for 2026, but there was more on the way.

Second Baseman Brandon Lowe was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-way deal with the Houston Astros. Tampa Bay also traded Shane Baz to the Baltimore Orioles for several prospects.

But with second base now open for the Rays, there are a lot of different directions that they can go from here. Jon Morosi believes that this could even open the door for a blockbuster trade, potentially for somebody like Ketel Marte.

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More Moves Could Be Coming For Rays

Sep 24, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second base Ketel Marte (4) sits on the base against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

“This is not the culmination of the offseason,” Morosi said. “This is a portal to what might be coming down the line.

With Lowe gone, second base is open, and the Rays do have a lot of young starting pitching depth that they can trade from as they look for ways to upgrade their offense.

This may ultimately open the door for them to make a blockbuster move to acquire Marte. The two sides have discussed a deal that would land Arizona Major League ready starting pitching.

The Rays have that in their system and could ultimately be able to sway Arizona into giving up Marte, which would be a huge boost for the offense as they try to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season.

If they can’t land Marte, they can always pivot to Brendan Donovan, but it’s clear that the latest move opens up a lot of doors for the Rays, and it’s a clear sign that they hope to contend in 2026 after missing the playoffs two straight years.

Marte is probably their best option, and they now have a perfect opportunity to land him and use their pitching depth to get a deal done. It will be interesting to see what comes next for the Rays after these moves.

But they do appear to be in on trying to make 2026 a year in which they contend rather than hang around .500. It may only be a matter of time before the Rays make another blockbuster move and truly enhance their roster for 2026 and for the future.

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