Rays Unfortunately See Ideal Target in Free Agency Sign With Phillies

A potential target for the Tampa Bay Rays in free agency is now off the board.

May 25, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays have been very busy this winter, including making a couple of nice additions in free agency. However, they missed out on a player who would have been a great fit. 

It has been an interesting offseason for the Rays, who continue to try to balance between a franchise looking to contend and one that is building for the future. In 2025, this was a team that had a positive run differential but finished under .500 after a poor second half of the campaign. 

Due to some injuries and not having a home field, the struggles in the second half of the season were understandable. Coming into the winter, the team had a couple of precise needs, and they started to address them rather quickly. 

Improving the outfield was one of the main priorities, and they added two veterans to help in that area. Furthermore, they also added left-handed pitcher Steven Matz to provide some depth and a potential option in the starting rotation. 

While the team made some nice additions, they also traded away some significant talent this winter. One of the positions that was a need and hasn’t been addressed this offseason was behind the plate. Unfortunately, an ideal target is off the board.

J.T. Realmuto Would Have Been Great Fit

J.T. Realmuto is staying in Philadelphia, per multiple reports. Realmuto's deal with the Phillies includes up to $5M worth of incentives each season pic.twitter.com/QktU9ifHlK

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) January 16, 2026

Production from the catcher position has been a struggle for many years now, and that might be a trend that continues in 2026. Realmuto would have been a fantastic fit for Tampa Bay, but he received a significant deal from the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Following the team missing out on signing Bo Bichette, they quickly pivoted back to Realmuto at the catcher position. The high price tag likely would have been too much for the Rays to realistically consider, but his market could have been different if Philadelphia had signed Bichette. 

With Realmuto off the board, it appears like it will be Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia getting a majority of the work behind the plate. Neither one of these players performed well when given the opportunity in 2025. 

While the team just helped improve the second bad situation with the addition of Gavin Lux, catcher doesn’t appear like it will be a spot that they will be able to upgrade externally this winter. Overall, Realmuto going back to the Phillies with the large contract he did makes a ton of sense, but he would have also been an excellent addition for the Rays.