Picking Up Option of All-Star Slugger Should Be No-Brainer for Rays

Is the decision to pick up an option of a slugger an easy one for the Tampa Bay Rays?

Aug 17, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) looks on against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

With the World Series coming to a close soon, the Tampa Bay Rays will have some important decisions to make regarding a couple of team options within five days from the end of the playoffs. 

It is certainly a quick turnaround for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays after the decide a champion, but for the Rays, they should be fairly prepared at this point about what the early part of the offseason is going to look like. 

After a poor second half of the campaign, they will be hoping to bounce back in 2026 and get back into contention. There is certainly reason to believe that they will be able to achieve that based on what the roster is going to look like. 

While they will have a lot of returning players, they will also have some quick decisions to make regarding some club options on a couple of key players. Arguably, the most important option that they have to make a decision on is their All-Star second baseman, Brandon Lowe. Fortunately, that decision should be a relatively easy one.  

Exercising Lowe’s Option is a No-Brainer

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After electing not to trade Lowe during the summer, the indication should be rather clear that the team is going to be picking up his option this winter. The slugger is coming off of one of the best years of his career in 2025, and that resulted in him making the All-Star team. 

Last campaign, he slashed .256/.307/.477 with 31 home runs and 83 RBI. Lowe proved to be one of the best offensive players in the league at his position, and while he might not be the best defensively, he provides immense value at the plate. 

While it seems like a no-brainer that the team will be picking up his option, the real question is going to be whether or not they look to trade him this winter. If Lowe was made available, he would be highly sought after, but that might not be the best move for Tampa Bay. 

Even though the franchise has some good young players waiting in the wings, they are a bit thin at second base after Lowe on the depth chart. Due to their lack of a replacement, it would be wise for the team to hold on to their All-Star until the trade deadline, when they can reevaluate where they are in the standings. If they are out of contention, then it would be the time to move him.