Tampa Bay Rays, Infielder Taylor Walls Agree to Contract to Avoid Arbitration

Instead of going to an arbitration hearing over $275K, Taylor Walls and the Tampa Bay Rays have landed on a salary for 2025 while adding a club option for 2026.

Aug 9, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (6) fields a ground ball in the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays have avoided arbitration with infielder Taylor Walls by signing him to a one-year deal, the team announced Wednesday.

Walls filed for a $1.575 million salary in 2025 after failing to secure a contract ahead of the non-binding deadline on Jan. 9, while the Rays filed for him to make $1.3 million. That impasse, which boiled over onto social media, put the two sides on the path towards an arbitration hearing.

According to the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin, Walls will now make $1.35 million in 2025. The Rays also built in a $2.45 million club option on Walls for 2026.

Walls would be due a $500K buyout if Tampa Bay declines his option. The option could be worth up to $2.5 million if he clears 450 plate appearances in 2025, as he did in 2022.

This was Walls' first year of arbitration eligibility. If his option is declined, Walls will return to arbitration in 2026, then again in 2027.

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed INF Taylor Walls to a one-year contract with a club option for 2026.

— Rays Communications (@RaysPR) January 22, 2025

This past season, Walls hit .183 with one home run, 14 RBI, 16 stolen bases and a .529 OPS.

Walls was still able to post a 1.4 WAR and a 1.7 defensive WAR in 2024, though. Since making his major league debut in 2021, Walls has averaged a 3.2 WAR and 3.0 defensive WAR per 162 games, even leading the AL in defensive WAR back in 2022.

While he was snubbed from Gold Glove contention that season, Walls was a Gold Glove finalist in the AL utility spot in 2023.

Walls has racked up 50 defensive runs saved in his MLB career thus far. The 28-year-old had 12 defensive runs saved across just 83 games in 2024, on top of leading AL shortstops with a 15 Total Zone.

The Rays have a handful of young infielders coming up through their farm system that could threaten Walls' playing time in the near future.

Carson Williams, who is expected to make his MLB debut this season, has been ranked as the No. 1 shortstop prospect in baseball. Junior Caminero could be poised for a breakout season at third base, with Brayden Taylor coming up behind him.

Tampa Bay has now avoided arbitration with all seven of their eligible players.

Track all of the arbitration deadline deals across the league HERE.

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