Rays Will Have Major Competition if They Want To Retain Adrian Houser in Free Agency
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The Tampa Bay Rays aren’t going to have a lot of work to do in free agency when it comes to retaining talent. A majority of their work is going to be via arbitration, where they have an MLB-high 17 players eligible.
Decisions have to be made on a few team options, but all signs point to them exercising the ones that closer Pete Fairbanks and second baseman Brandon Lowe have. Whether they remain on the team is another question, with both being popular names in trade rumors.
The only Major League contributor who is hitting free agency for the Rays this winter is starting pitcher Adrian Houser. He was acquired ahead of the MLB trade deadline this past summer from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Duncan Davitt, Ben Peoples and Curtis Mead.
After a brutal 2024 with the New York Mets, in which he recorded a 5.84 ERA across 69.1 innings, he had a nice bounce back in 2025 with the White Sox and Tampa Bay.
He threw 125 total innings, making 21 starts. Houser recorded an ERA of 3.31 with 91 strikeouts, but his production was much better with Chicago compared to the Rays.
Having to pitch in a hitter’s haven at Steinbrenner Field certainly didn't help, surrendering seven home runs with Tampa Bay in 56.1 innings compared to only three with the White Sox in 68.2 innings.
Adrian Houser will draw plenty of interest in free agency
While his statistics may not jump off the page, Houser is a solid back-of-the-rotation arm. He can effectively eat innings when healthy and has had a few productive campaigns in his career.
That could lead to him having a sizable market this offseason. Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) has listed him among the top 50 free agents available this winter, coming in at No. 46.
There are several teams listed as best fits for him that the Rays are going to have to compete with. Along with Tampa Bay, the former MLB executive has named the Los Angeles Angels, Athletics, Colorado Rockies and Chicago as the best fits for Houser.
The Rays know as well as anyone that a team can never have too much pitching. Their rotation looks like it can be a strength right now with Shane McClanahan returning from injury to join Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot, Shane Baz, Joe Boyle and Ian Seymour.
Starting pitching doesn’t look to be a huge need for Tampa Bay, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they opt to let their young guys have a chance instead of bringing back the 32-year-old Houser.
Alas, he can provide a nice veteran presence at the backend should he be brought back into the mix. A ground-ball pitcher who misses barrels and has a good fastball, he would benefit greatly from the Rays being able to play at Tropicana Field again.
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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.