Rays May Have Made Massive Mistake Not Trading Away Struggling Star in Offseason

The Tampa Bay Rays might have messed up by holding onto their slugger amidst numerous trade rumors.

Sep 12, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz (2) celebrates his double in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. | David Richard-Imagn Images

It hasn't been the strongest of starts this season for the Tampa Bay Rays.

With an offense that ranks tied for dead last in home runs, near the bottom in terms of RBI as a team and no better than middle of the pack in any major category to this point while having a record below .500, things are not ideal.

They have being kept afloat by a pitching staff that has done a nice job to start the year, though if they can't get the bats going, it will all be for naught.

One player in particular who is experiencing extreme struggles is someone who was at the center of trade rumors throughout the offseason.

First baseman and designated hitter Yandy Diaz has fallen a long way from the All-Star and MVP candidate he was during the 2023 season.

Over the first 10 games of the 2025 campaign, he has slashed .143/.178/.190 with just two walks, a total of six hits and five strikeouts to sport a minus-0.5 WAR to get the year started.

For comparison's sake, during 2023 where he finished sixth in American League MVP voting, Diaz slashed .330/.410/.522 with 22 home runs and 78 RBI.

Granted, a season that strong has proven both before and since to be an outlier in terms of what the rest of his career has looked like, though the Rays were not expecting him to be this poor to start the year.

Diaz's 2024 season would have been more of a fair ask, where he followed up the huge 2023 with a solid slash line of .281/.341/.414.

The steep drop in performance for Diaz, in addition to the fact that he has a club option for the 2026 season, made him the subject of trade rumors for numerous teams involved in the first base or right-handed slugger department.

Instead of dealing him, however, Tampa Bay essentially extended him instead by prematurely picking up his 2026 option -- valued at $12 million -- and added another team/vesting option for 2027 based on incentives centered around his 2026 performance.

Already owed $10 million in 2025, the Rays have locked themselves into $22 million over the next two seasons for a player whose numbers are trending in the wrong direction.

Had they shipped Diaz out of town this past winter, they likely could have netted a decent return.

If he continues to perform at this current level and things go south for Tampa Bay, his value at the deadline will likely be next to nothing.

It's a long season, so there is still plenty of time for Diaz to turn things around, but their decision to hold onto him and also pick up his 2026 club option is looking like a potential disaster.