Rays' Relief Pitcher Will Be a Top Trade Chip in Baseball This Winter

Which pitcher from the Tampa Bay Rays will be a top trade chip this winter?

Sep 26, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The hat and glove of Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) in the dugout during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

As the MLB Postseason starts to get closer to the World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays have been focused on preparing for the offseason. This is a franchise that is going to have a lot of important decisions to make, and it will be interesting to see the direction that they go. 

With new ownership, the hope is that they might start to spend some money in the near future. However, whether or not that will happen right away this offseason remains to be seen. The Rays have a strong front office that will have some significant decisions to make regarding some of their talented veterans. 

Tampa Bay has three players who figure to be potential trade chips for the team this winter based on their contract situations. Both Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe are going to be names talked about quite frequently this offseason, but they also have a talented relief pitcher who could be highly sought after. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about Rays relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks being one of the top trade chips in baseball heading into the winter. 

Fairbanks Could Be a Top Relief Pitcher Available

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Due to the veteran right-hander having a lot of success on the field, the option for the 2026 campaign has shot up to $12.5 million now because of escalators in the deal. This shows the type of pitcher that Fairbanks has been for the team, but he is projected to be the highest paid player on the Rays this coming season. 

It seems unlikely that Tampa Bay would have their highest paid player be their closer and moving him is certainly going to be a possibility. Relief pitching is always a premium for teams, and the 31-year-old has been fantastic for the Rays the last few campaigns. 

In 2025, Fairbanks totaled a 4-5 record, 2.83 ERA, and 27 saves. It was the third straight year that he totaled at least 20 saves, and over the last three seasons he has racked up 75 saves overall. He has certainly provided immense value to Tampa Bay, but the time might be coming to part ways. 

If the Rays elected to move him, they would be able to get a nice return based on what he could provide for a bullpen. Furthermore, some of the money that would have been allocated to him might be spread out to help the depth of the team. Even though he has been a great player for the franchise, he is a strong trade chip this winter.