Rays Can Afford To Bring Back Zack Littell Based on Salary Comps, Contract Prediction
The Tampa Bay Rays are going to be on the lookout for help at several positions in their lineup this offseason. Catcher, shortstop and outfield have been mentioned as areas to upgrade by the team’s president of baseball operations, Erik Neander.
But an under-the-radar need for the team could be on the mound. The Rays have veteran starting pitcher Adrian Houser hitting free agency, and could be in the market to bring in a backend innings eater to replace him.
Tampa Bay could re-sign Houser if it so chooses. He didn’t perform as well with them as he did with the Chicago White Sox before being acquired in a trade, but he is expected to be incredibly affordable.
Another player the Rays are familiar with, who they could look to sign in free agency, is Zack Littell. He was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds ahead of the MLB trade deadline and is hitting the open market as well.
What could it cost Rays to bring back Zack Littell?
If Tampa Bay wanted to reunite with him, what kind of deal could they have to offer him? Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) has predicted him to sign a one-year, $10 million deal.
The former MLB executive shared several salary comps to get to that number, such as the one-year deals Michael Soroka and Aaron Civale signed, worth $9 million and $8 million, respectively.
On multi-year deals, Clay Holmes, Tyler Mahle and German Marquez were used. They had annual averages of $12.67 million, $11 million and $10 million.
At that price, the Rays should strongly consider bringing him back. If he performs as well as he did in 2025, going 8-8 with a 3.58 ERA over 22 starts, they could flip him for something of value ahead of the trade deadline again.
Rays should have the means to afford Zack Littell reunion
Based on the expected market of suitors for him, Tampa Bay likely doesn’t have to worry about getting into a bidding war and a team blowing away their offer. The Colorado Rockies, Athletics and Baltimore Orioles were mentioned as best team fits along with the Rays.
Tampa Bay has been named a good fit for him, and a reunion with Littell does make a lot of sense. He is a reliable and durable innings eater who would provide a veteran presence as a No. 4 or No. 5 starter.
Littell does a great job of avoiding barrels and not clogging the basepaths with walks. He isn’t going to generate a ton of strikeouts, relying heavily on generating ground balls and having his team behind him play good defense.
The Rays have some starting pitching depth heading into the winter, but it can never hurt to add a little more. Littell would be great insurance with Shane McClanahan set to return for the first time since 2023, and to have alternatives in case Joe Boyle and Ian Seymour aren’t ready for full-time Major League roles.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.