Rays' Relief Pitcher Named Potential Trade Target for Tigers This Offseason

Which player from the Tampa Bay Rays might the Detroit Tigers pursue this winter?

Sep 26, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The hat and glove of Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) in the dugout during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

With the offseason quickly approaching in the Majors, the Tampa Bay Rays are watching to see who will be crowned as the World Series Champion. The Rays were certainly hopeful of being a playoff team and a contender in 2025, but a poor second half of the season resulted in them finishing under .500. 

After the season, new ownership officially took over for Tampa Bay, and the team will now be trying to figure out where their future home will be and what the direction of the team will be this winter. Historically, the Rays haven’t been big spenders, but that might start to chance a bit. 

Even if they do start to spend, they could elect to move some of their veteran talent that will be nearing the end of their contracts. This is a common practice for the team, and they still might do that this winter to strengthen their farm system. While they will have some options to move, one of the top ones could be a talented relief pitcher. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about Rays relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks being a potential trade target for the recently eliminated Detroit Tigers. 

Tigers Make Sense for Fairbanks

Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

It was a thrilling Game 5 of the ALDS between the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they were on the wrong side of a length extra-innings game and were eliminated from the playoffs. 

This is going to be a pivotal winter for Detroit, who must be thinking this could be their final year with Tarik Skubal at the top of the rotation. With that being said, they should be extremely aggressive both in free agency and on the trade market. With a few notable players in their bullpen hitting free agency and the unit having some issues overall, the team should be thinking about upgrades, and Fairbanks makes a lot of sense. 

The 31-year-old right-hander is set to make $12 million once Tampa Bay picks up his option. Due to his strong campaign in 2025, he went from being projected at $7 million all the way to $12 million, which seems steep for Tampa Bay to pay. 

It does seem unlikely that the Rays would pay the talented relief pitcher that lofty number, which makes trading him a real possibility. If he does become available, the Tigers will likely be one of numerous potential suitors for him.