Rays Agree to Pre-Arbitration Deals With All but One of Their Eligible Players

Only one Tampa Bay Rays player did not agree to a contract and will head to arbitration as a result.

Sep 6, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove at Tropicana Field. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Coming into the MLB offseason, there wasn’t a team in the league that had more arbitration-eligible players than the Tampa Bay Rays.

17 players in total were eligible for arbitration, which meant a lot of negotiating was going to be done by the team. But, as the offseason moved along, that number was whittled down because of the transactions the team made.

The final number of arbitration-eligible players ended up being 13 for the Rays. Some of the players, such as left-handed pitcher Shane McClanahan, right-handed pitcher Cole Sulser and shortstop Taylor Walls, agreed to deals before the deadline.

Right-handed pitcher Shane Baz was also eligible but ended up being traded to the Baltimore Orioles.

Rays, Edwin Uceta heading to arbitration

That left 10 players who could negotiate a deal ahead of the arbitration deadline on Jan. 8. According to the Rays Communications official account on X, nine of those players agreed to a deal.

The only player who will be heading to an arbitration hearing against Tampa Bay is right-handed relief pitcher Edwin Uceta. He was projected to earn $1.4 million by analysts, but he and the team will now each submit a contract number and head into a hearing, where his salary for the 2026 season will be decided.

The other nine players who avoided arbitration and agreed to a deal ahead of the deadline were paid between $925,000, which right-handed pitcher Kevin Kelly agreed to, and $3.6 million, which was given to McClanahan.

After a slow start to the 2025 campaign, Uceta emerged as a legitimate weapon for manager Kevin Cash. He was truly dominant, reaching plateaus with his season-long production that have rarely been reached.

The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to terms with nine of their 10 remaining arbitration-eligible players:
• RHP Bryan Baker
• LHP Garrett Cleavinger
• C Nick Fortes
• RHP Griffin Jax
• RHP Kevin Kelly
• OF Josh Lowe
• INF/OF Richie Palacios
• RHP Ryan Pepiot
• RHP Steven…

— Rays Communications (@RaysPR) January 8, 2026

In 76 innings, he recorded a 3.79 ERA with 103 strikeouts and 21 holds. He is a key part of the team’s bullpen and could see even more late-game responsibilities with closer Pete Fairbanks moving on this winter to the Miami Marlins.

Once Uceta’s contract is finalized, the Rays can focus whatever money they have left to spend on upgrading the roster for 2026. Rumors have swirled that, based on arbitration projections, they could have between $15-20 million.

Expect a large portion of their available spending money to go toward some starting pitching help and potentially another bat for the lineup. There is a major hole to fill at second base with Brandon Lowe now on the Pittsburgh Pirates, and catcher remains a position of need.