Blue Jays Signing Star Free Agent Would Make Things Impossible for Rays

If the Toronto Blue Jays sign a star free agent, the Tampa Bay Rays could be in big trouble.

Apr 16, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A Toronto Blue Jays hat and glove in the dugout during a game against the Atlanta Braves at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

It has undoubtedly been a busy offseason so far for the Tampa Bay Rays, but they haven’t been the only team working hard in the American League East this winter. 

Coming into the offseason, the AL East was expected to be an active division in trying to improve, and so far, that has yielded mixed results. While the Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and Baltimore Orioles have been active, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have been shockingly quiet. 

This was a division that sent three teams to the playoffs in 2025, and that will undoubtedly be the goal again in 2026. So far, teams like the Blue Jays and Orioles have improved, but the Red Sox and Yankees still have work to do. For the Rays, they aren’t capable of spending the type of money that the other teams in the division are, and that is likely to make things difficult. So far, one team has separated themselves a bit and it could get worse for Tampa Bay. 

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the Toronto Blue Jays potentially signing Kyle Tucker to a long-term deal. This would undoubtedly be bad for the Rays. 

Tucker Signing With Toronto Would Make Things Impossible for Tampa Bay

David Banks-Imagn Images

If Tucker were to sign with the Blue Jays, it would be a devastating blow for the Rays’ chances of competing likely for quite some time. Toronto is starting to establish themselves as the team to beat in the AL and pairing Tucker alongside Vladimir Guerrero for multiple years would be an extremely challenging thing to deal with. 

The All-Star slugger has proven to be one of the most consistent and best all-around players in baseball over the last several years and is going to make a massive impact wherever he signs. If that ends up being the Blue Jays, it’s hard to imagine a way that Tampa Bay could realistically compete with them. 

While the payroll for the Rays is expected to go up, that might not happen until the new stadium is finished, which will be years from now. Even though the team has a strong farm system and some young talent to build around, competing with a team like the Blue Jays, who are now spending a ton and becoming a powerhouse, is going to be hard. 

Even though it might just be one more player, it’s hard to imagine that the Rays will be a contender if Tucker signs with Toronto.