Rays Reportedly Interested in Adding Veteran for This Key Area

Wil the Tampa Bay Rays add a veteran in free agency 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

The offseason has started for the Tampa Bay Rays, and the team has already been very active, making some moves to help improve and shape their roster. 

After missing the playoffs in 2025 despite a strong first half of the year, the Rays are focused on improving their depth to survive the long campaign in the tough American League East. Even though the payroll might not be going up as early as this winter, the hope is that new ownership will start to spend a bit going forward once their stadium project is figured out. 

With the recent decision to save money by letting closer Pete Fairbanks go, Tampa Bay is clearly going to be looking to allocate that money into other areas, with them seemingly being comfortable with the bullpen unit. One potential area of need is going to be the starting rotation. 

Contributors to The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about the Rays reportedly seeking some rotation help this winter to provide some depth for the unit. 

Adding Veteran Pitcher Makes Sense

Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

While the rotation is looking fairly solid at this stage of the offseason for Tampa Bay, there is undoubtedly a need for the unit. This group very well might go with how their star southpaw Shane McClanahan performs. After missing the last two years because of injury, he is trending in the right direction and could be ready to go for 2025. 

When healthy, he is capable of being one of the top pitchers in the league. However, it would be foolish not to expect some rust, and the team must be careful with his workload after missing so much time. Behind him in the rotation is Drew Rasmussen, who is coming off a great campaign in 2025. Rounding out their rotation so far are Shane Baz and Ryan Pepiot, showcasing that there is some talent for the unit. 

While the rotation has the potential to be strong, adding an anchor in the back end of the unit makes sense. The Rays might not need an ace, but they could use a reliable arm who is going to eat some innings for them. 

Fortunately, adding a veteran like this is an achievable task this offseason, and there should be a number of options available. A lot of the success for this unit is going to be relying on the health of McClanahan, but adding a veteran starter can help provide depth for the rotation.