Deciding on Whether or Not To Trade Star Slugger Will Be Tough Call for Rays

What should the Tampa Bay Rays do with their star slugger this winter?

Jul 9, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (mg) walks off the field in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

With the World Series set to conclude after Game 7 between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers, the Tampa Bay Rays will be starting up their offseason in the coming days. 

Things will start off for the Rays with a couple of options that they will need to make decisions on rather quickly. Fortunately, it should be pretty easy for Tampa Bay to make the call on options for Pete Fairbanks and Brandon Lowe. 

However, while it will be simple to exercise their options, what they do next will be the more difficult decision. The Rays will have a number of veterans that they could look to move with both Lowe and Fairbanks falling in that category. 

Even though the team should exercise the option of Fairbanks, he seems like a player very likely to be traded. Due to the right-hander being set to make over $10 million for 2026, it seems unlikely that the team would want to pay their closer that much. 

In addition to potentially dealing Fairbanks, there is another veteran that the team might elect to move. However, it is slightly more complicated for the franchise. 

Adam Berry of MLB recently wrote that the team might be hesitant to trade slugger Yandy Diaz this winter. 

Is There a Clear Replacement?

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When considering moving a player, the Rays must first consider who would be a potential replacement. Even though dealing a player like Brandon Lowe would net them a great haul, they don’t have any clear option to replace him. 

The same can also be said for Diaz, who is coming off a fantastic year. The 34-year-old slugger was a star in the middle of the lineup for Tampa Bay, and replacing that production would be a challenge. 

One of the differences between those two sluggers is that Diaz is likely to be spending the majority of his time at the designated hitter spot. While there isn’t a clear replacement for him in terms of his offensive production, it would free up a place to potentially get some young players consistent at-bats. 

Overall, it might behoove the team to hold on to Diaz if they don’t seek a potential replacement for him in either a trade or free agency. While the best move for the team might be to hold on to the slugger, listening to trade offers would be wise.