Reds Seen as Strong Fit in Trade This Offseason for Rays Slugger

Which slugger from the Tampa Bay Rays is a good fit for the Cincinnati Reds?

Jul 22, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; General view of Cincinnati Reds hat during the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

As the winter meetings get set to start in a couple of days, the hot stove is starting to heat up for the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Coming into the offseason, the Rays were always going to be a team to watch with the potential to contend in 2026, but also a couple of veterans who could be traded. Surprisingly, despite being considered to be one of the best potential trade candidates available when it was assumed Pete Fairbanks' option would be picked up. 

Tampa Bay elected not to go that route and declined the team option on the right-hander, making him a free agent. Even though they might have let Fairbanks go to free agency, they do have a couple of other talented veterans nearing the ends of their contracts that they might look to trade. 

While All-Star slugger Brandon Lowe has had his name start to pop up in rumors, he isn't the only talented slugger that the team might look to move this winter. 

Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan recently wrote about Rays slugger Yandy Diaz being a potential fit for the Cincinnati Reds to improve their offense. 

Diaz Would Be a Strong Option

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For much of the offseason so far, the Reds have been linked to some of the top sluggers available, like Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber. With a desire to improve offensively, both of these players make a ton of sense for them. However, there is still a very strong chance that they might miss on both of them in free agency. 

If that ends up being the case, they could look to pivot to another talented slugger, who would also be a lot more affordable. In 2025, Diaz had a great year at the plate, slashing .300/.366/.482 with 25 home runs and 83 RBI. 

While he might not have the same power numbers as Alonso or Schwarber, he is the better contact hitter, as shown by his .300 batting average. Furthermore, while he is older, he would be cheaper and still help improve the offense. 

Whether or not the Rays are going to entertain trading Diaz remains to be seen. However, they do have Jonathan Aranda at first base, who established himself as the starter. With Diaz likely just being a designated hitter for the team, they might deem him to be expendable. If that’s the case, Cincinnati is a strong fit on paper.