Former MLB Executive Believes Rays Must Upgrade This Key Position

What position is a pressing need for the Tampa Bay Rays to upgrade this winter?

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

It has been a busy couple of days for the Tampa Bay Rays to start the offseason, and it will likely only get more chaotic with free agency starting up. 

While the Rays likely won’t be big spenders with new ownership just yet, they figure to be in the mix a bit and are no strangers to making a surprise signing here and there. Coming into the offseason, this is a team that is certainly looking to improve in 2026. 

Last year started off well before the team cooled off during the summer. Ultimately, they ended up finishing eight games under .500. It was a disappointing end to the campaign, but there is a good amount of talent in place to believe that this team can once again be a contender in 2026, and this time sustain it. 

However, while the team has some good things already in place, they do have a couple of areas that they should seek to improve. Former MLB executive Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about one of the most significant needs for the Rays being the catcher position. 

Catcher Certainly Needs Upgrading 

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With the recent decision not to pick up the hefty team option on closer Pete Fairbanks, it is clear that the front office is going to be trying to spread some money around into other areas to help improve the roster overall. Paying Fairbanks over $10 million a year seemed unlikely, but it was a surprise that they didn’t pick up the option and trade him. 

One of the positions that they could look to allocate some of that money to is catcher. This is a position that has haunted the franchise for many years with a lack of production, and the current options of Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes aren’t great. 

In free agency, options are going to be limited as well. Veteran J.T. Realmuto is going to be the top option to sign, but he might be slightly out of their price range. Furthermore, what could make sense is a reunion with Danny Jansen, who had some success with the team in the first half of the year. 

Options will likely be limited on the trade market, but they could pursue some catching prospects if they elect to move Brandon Lowe or Yandy Diaz. With options being somewhat limited, this could be a challenging area for the team to upgrade this winter.