Surprise NL East Team Named Potential Landing Spot for Rays' Pete Fairbanks

Which team from the NL East might be a landing spot for Pete Fairbanks?

Sep 13, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Pete Fairbanks (29) celebrates after defeating the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

With the winter meetings coming up right around the corner for the Tampa Bay Rays, one of their free agents continues to draw interest. 

Even though the Rays very rarely have free agents come from their team, that is the case this year with two pitchers from the team. After trading for Adrian Houser last summer, he went to free agency as expected. 

Furthermore, what was a surprising move by the team was not to pick up the team option on closer Pete Fairbanks. While the right-hander was scheduled to make a lot of money if the team did pick up the option, they figured they would have been able to trade him afterward. 

Good relief pitching, a proven closer is a valuable asset, and now Fairbanks is one of the top relief pitchers on the market. There seems to be a plethora of good fits for him, and even a couple of surprising ones. 

Kevin Barral of Fish on First recently wrote about the Miami Marlins being a potential suitor for Rays free agent closer Pete Fairbanks. 

Marlins Looking to Spend

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Even though Miami isn’t a notorious spender, every once in a while, it does elect to make a splash. While Fairbanks wouldn’t require a massive deal to be the closer, he is likely going to need a multi-year contract. 

In 2025, the Marlins were a team that was considered a likely seller at the trade deadline, with their ace Sandy Alcantara being the topic of many trade rumors. However, the team elected not to trade him last summer, and they don’t appear likely to move him this winter either. 

When Miami got going in the second half of the campaign last year, they were one of the best teams in the National League during that span. Now, the team might believe that they can sustain that level of success for an entire season in 2026. 

Adding Fairbanks to their bullpen would give them a veteran addition capable of leading the unit. The right-hander has been a good closer for multiple years now and would help solve a need for the Marlins. With some good options in free agency, Fairbanks does make sense for Miami based on what they would likely be willing to spend. 

Due to multiple teams expressing interest in Fairbanks, the decision by Tampa Bay to let him go to free agency continues to be a bit of a puzzling one made by the franchise.