Rays Projected To Show Great Improvements in Key Area During Season

The Tampa Bay Rays are facing an uphill battle when it comes to competing for a playoff spot in the American League.

Being stuck in the AL East is a daunting obstacle to overcome. They are behind the eight-ball when it comes to competing with their rivals because of the vast disparity in spending power on the Major League roster.

The Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays have massively different budgets compared to the Rays. It gives them more margin for error when building their respective rosters.

Tampa Bay cannot afford to whiff on free agent signings and has to find margins to improve upon to make up the gap in spending. It means finding areas to improve, which they look to have done this offseason.

Rays projected to improve defensively

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero throwing ball to fist base. — Sep 16, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA;Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) throws the ball to first base during the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Defense should once again become a strength for the Rays, which will help make up for some of what they are lacking offensively. Tampa Bay has been listed as one of the five projected improvers defensively by Mike Petriello of MLB.com.

Some of that is addition by subtraction. Outfielders Christopher Morel and Josh Lowe weren’t strong defenders, and neither is returning in 2026; Morel was non-tendered while Lowe was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in a three-team deal that included acquiring Gavin Lux from the Cincinnati Reds.

Another negative defender that won’t be in the lineup is second baseman Brandon Lowe. In 2025, he struggled mightily with the glove, but he more than made up for that with his incredible performance at the plate.

The Rays will certainly miss the power he provides with the bat and have to hope the combination of players helps offset the loss of offensive production with improved defensive numbers.

One of the players who will help improve that infield defense is Ben Williamson. He was acquired from the Seattle Mariners as part of the three-team trade that sent Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Mariners.

Rays have the pieces to greatly improve defense

Seattle Mariners third baseman Ben Williamson preparing to throw to first base. — May 6, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Ben Williamson (9) throws out Athletics second baseman Luis Urías (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Sutter Health Park. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Williamson is naturally a third baseman, but that is where Rays star Junior Caminero is entrenched. While his power numbers are where most of his value comes from, he showed improvements defensively at the hot corner, enough so that he should receive most of his playing time there.

Taylor Walls is a defensive whiz at shortstop and was a finalist for the AL Gold Glove Award in 2025. Carson Williams is another highly regarded defender up the middle.

Before 2025, Cedric Mullins, who signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay in free agency, was a well-regarded defender in center field. His numbers dropped last year, but there is hope he can get back on track.

Last but not least for potential improvement is Chandler Simpson. His speed and athleticism have not yet translated to defensive success in the grass, but the Rays are hoping that working with Kevin Kiermaier will pay dividends.