Rays In-Season Trade Acquisition Projected To More Than Double Salary in Arbitration

A Tampa Bay Rays player, eligible for arbitration for the first time, is projected to more than double his $740,000 salary from this past season.

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In an effort to improve the team’s bullpen during the 2025 MLB season, the Tampa Bay Rays pulled off a surprising trade with their American League East rivals, the Baltimore Orioles.

Just days ahead of the 2025 MLB Draft, on July 10, they acquired right-handed relief pitcher Bryan Baker in exchange for a pick. The selection sent to the Orioles ended up being No. 37 overall, which was used on high school outfielder Slater de Brun.

It was a deal that surprised a lot of people. Giving up a valuable asset such as a draft pick isn’t something the Rays normally do. Let alone for a middle relief pitcher, many would consider solid but not great.

Only time will tell if that deal was worthwhile for Tampa Bay, but the early returns would say no. On top of his underwhelming production with the Rays, the team now has to pay him a significant raise.

Byran Baker set for sizable salary increase

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Baker earned $740,000 during the 2025 season. Arbitration eligible for the first time in his career this winter, he is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to more than double that salary in  2026.

The 30-year-old has been projected to land a salary of $1.5 million with 3.049 years of service time. Tampa Bay almost certainly isn’t going to throw the towel in on him already, but for a franchise where every penny counts when it comes to their payroll, they need better production out of him.

In 31 appearances with the Rays, Baker wasn’t overly effective. He threw 30.1 innings and had a 4.75 ERA and 87 ERA+. His numbers dropped across the board in comparison to what he was producing with Baltimore prior to the trade, resulting in a -0.1 bWAR.

On the bright side, his strikeout and walk rates both remained above the league average at 27.6% and 6.5%, respectively. His average exit velocity was lower with Tampa Bay, but he saw an unfortunate increase in his hard-hit rate allowed.

The bullpen, overall, was one of the strengths for the Rays during the 2025 season. They are hoping that Baker can be part of the equation in 2026, especially with the future of closer Pete Fairbanks up in the air.

He is considered by many to be a legitimate trade chip for the team this offseason. With so many teams around the league needing bullpen help, it would make some sense for Tampa Bay to flip him for longer-term assets, with his 2026 team option being the last year he is under control for.