Breaking Down Rays' Offseason Needs Following Winter Meetings

What are the needs for the Tampa Bay Rays following the winter meetings?

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

With the winter meetings concluding this week, the Tampa Bay Rays still have numerous needs to address this offseason. 

It has been a busy start to the winter for the Rays, who are seeking to make improvements and contend in the American League East. This is a division that is shaping up to be one of the best in the Majors, and Tampa Bay knows that they have to improve to keep up. 

So far this winter, they have begun that process. In the outfield, the team signed both Jake Fraley and Cedric Mullins to help improve the offense for the unit. There are a lot of options that the team currently has, and competition will hopefully bring out the best in the unit. 

Furthermore, after the loss of Pete Fairbanks to free agency following the team's shockingly not picking up his team options, Tampa Bay was able to sign Steven Matz. While the team has made a few moves, there are still other areas that need some help. 

Multiple Areas of Need

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Even though it has been good to see the team making some additions so far this winter, there is still more work to do. To start, one of the most pressing needs for the team is behind the plate at catcher. This is a position that Tampa Bay has struggled to get good offensive production from, and it has resulted in the lineup looking a lot shorter because of it. 

Unfortunately, addressing this issue isn’t going to be easy, with it being such an important position and options generally being scarce. 

Furthermore, while behind the plate is an issue offensively, so is the shortstop position. Taylor Walls might be a fantastic defender, but he is a non-factor in the batting order. Top prospect Carson Williams might not be ready to contribute in the Majors just yet, and adding a veteran that can help offensively would be ideal. 

In addition to those two spots in the batting order, upgrading the rotation is also a need. With the uncertainty surrounding the health of Shane McClanahan going into the campaign, adding another veteran or two that can be reliable and eat innings will be important.

Overall, the needs of the team aren’t terrible for Tampa Bay, and they can certainly accomplish improving those spots this winter. However, if they want to contend, they must improve, and that starts with addressing key areas first.