Rays Predicted To Address Glaring Outfield Need Signing Royals Veteran Free Agent
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The Tampa Bay Rays have a few positions that they are looking to upgrade this offseason to improve their lineup’s offensive production.
Catcher has been a necessity essentially since their inception and continues to be a hole that needs to be filled. Shortstop was mentioned as well, but with Taylor Walls being brought back, they at least have options there.
Where they will likely take their biggest swing will be in the outfield. The Rays were dead last in home runs by their outfielders in 2025, which the president of baseball operations, Erik Neander, wants to change.
During his end-of-season press conference, he mentioned power and run production being two areas of weakness to address in the outfield. One player who could be available in Tampa Bay’s price range this offseason who can address both of those areas is Mike Yastrzemski.
Mike Yastrzemski predicted to sign with Rays
The long-time San Francisco Giants slugger, who was traded to the Kansas City Royals ahead of the MLB trade deadline this summer, has been predicted to sign with the Rays by Will Laws and Nick Selbe of Sports Illustrated.
Yastrzemski has been incredibly consistent throughout his Major League career. The 2.8 bWAR that he recorded in 2025 is the seventh straight campaign he has recorded somewhere between 2.0 and 3.0 bWAR in a season.
He has a career OPS+ of 113, with only one campaign, 2022, not being in triple digits. That year was also the only time that he didn’t have an OPS of at least .735.
Yastrzemski is a consistent source of power, hitting double-digit home runs every year of his career, including the 2020 shortened season because of COVID-19. In 162-game campaigns, he has hit at least 15 home runs and 14 doubles every year.
Along with his prowess at the plate, he remains a solid defender. Yastrzemski has experience playing all three spots in the outfield, but at this stage of his career, he is best suited as a corner outfielder.
Mike Yastrzemski would be big upgrade for Rays
It is easy to see why the veteran outfielder has been predicted to sign with Tampa Bay. Two of their options, Chandler Simpson and Jake Mangum, are contact-first players whose impact is predicated on speed.
Christopher Morel has been underwhelming since being acquired from the Chicago Cubs. He has been mentioned as a potential non-tender candidate. Josh Lowe hasn’t been able to replicate the level of success he had in 2023 when he broke out.
Yastrzemski is 35 years old, so he won’t require a long-term commitment. That is ideal for a Rays team that notoriously doesn’t spend a ton of money on its Major League roster.
That kind of consistency would not only make him an upgrade for the roster but potentially a trade chip down the line should they not be in contention when the deadline rolls around.
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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.