Following Guerrero Extension, Should Rays Pursue New Deal for Josh Lowe?

The Tampa Bay Rays aren't known as big spenders.

Their 2025 payroll is the second-lowest in Major League Baseball, and a lot of that has to do with the small market they reside in that makes it hard for the organization to spend money.

That's why what they've done in recent years through drafting and developing has been nothing short of remarkable, competing with the high-spending New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in their own division to win two out of the last five AL East titles.

Long-term contract extensions aren't something the Rays normally undertake.

In fact, excluding arbitration eligible players, Tampa Bay only has one player on the active roster who is scheduled to be with the team past this season -- pitcher Drew Rasmussen.

Wander Franco signed a massive 11-year, $182 million contract extension, but legal troubles will likely prevent him from ever playing in Major League Baseball again. So perhaps that makes the Rays a little nervous about committing to another long-term deal with one of their players.

However, on the heels of the Toronto Blue Jays extending their superstar slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with a massive 14-year, $500 million contract, Tampa Bay might be wise to do something similar with Josh Lowe.

Taken 13th overall in the 2016 draft, he never was considered their best prospect, but he was consistently in the upper half of the top 30 with a couple years being in the top 10 until he made his Major League debut in 2021.

Lowe has been a solid performer since being called up by the Rays, owning a career slash line of .262/.316/.434 with an OPS+ that's 10 points above the league average.

He had his breakout in 2023 when he hit 20 home runs and had 83 RBI, finishing the year with a bWAR of 3.7 and an OPS+ of 128. While he wasn't able to following that up last season since he was plagued by an oblique strain, the ceiling he showed the year prior was something this franchise can build around.

Tampa Bay won't have to pay him the type of contract that Guerrero received, and with him not hitting arbitration until next season, there is no rush to get something done.

However, the extension they previously gave Brandon Lowe -- seven years and $34 million -- was a steal for the type of production he has given this team, and that should be something they keep in mind here.

When the Rays were winning division titles, they might not have been carrying a high payroll, but they still had players on their roster who were some of the best at their positions.

If they are going to get back to that level, then they have to build around someone.

Lowe has shown he can be that guy when healthy.

Getting a long-term deal done with him should be something Tampa Bay pursues.

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