Division Rival Makes Sense in Free Agency for Rays' Free Agent Pete Fairbanks

What team from the AL East makes sense for Pete Fairbanks?

Sep 17, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Pete Fairbanks (29) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ninth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

With the offseason continuing for the Tampa Bay Rays, free agency has been moving somewhat quietly around the holidays. However, things should start to heat up soon with the winter meetings right around the corner.

To start the winter, the Rays knew they had significant decisions to make regarding a couple of key players with team options. It felt like these decisions were going to be easy for the franchise, but it ended up being a lot more complex. 

Tampa Bay elected to pick up the team option on All-Star slugger Brandon Lowe but shockingly didn’t do the same for Pete Fairbanks. The talented closer was going to be making north of $10 million if his contract was picked up and the team decided that it was too high a number to bring him back. 

Now, he is a free agent and one of the top relief pitchers on the market. As a proven closer who totaled 27 saves in 2025 with a sub-3.00 ERA, the Rays received some excellent production from him. However, they should be a bit concerned after letting him go that he could join a division rival. 

Orioles Make Sense for Fairbanks

Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

After a terrible winter last year for the Baltimore Orioles, they had a bad campaign in 2025. The Orioles had won the most games in the American League the two years prior, and it seemed like the team was going to be a contender for quite some time. 

Unfortunately for them, injuries and poor production from the starting rotation dug them into a hole that they couldn’t get out of. This winter, the team is expected to be aggressive in their pursuit of some help for their starting rotation. However, they also have a need in the bullpen. 

Due to their closer Felix Bautista potentially being out for most of 2026, adding a proven closer is a massive need for the team. Baltimore traded a lot of their bullpen arms at the trade deadline and has some needs for the unit. 

Fairbanks would be able to come in and provide them with some excellent production and has proved that he can pitch in the challenging AL East. For the Rays, seeing their closer depart for the Orioles would be a tough pill to swallow. The team made the decision not to bring him back, and he could certainly stay in the division and make them regret that.