Rays Announce Surprising Scouting Department Shakeup
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There are a lot of reasons to be excited about the Tampa Bay Rays, headlined by their forever-home dreams in the city recently going from a dream to a reality.
On the field, they currently own the best record in the American League at 83-57, three games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East. A playoff spot could be clinched as early as this weekend depending on how their series with the Texas Rangers goes.
While things are going great at the Major League level right now, the future is even brighter for the Rays. Despite trading away seven prospects ahead of the MLB trade deadline in an effort to bolster the roster for the stretch run of the season, Tampa Bay has one of the most highly-regarded farm systems in baseball.
Which is why the news shared by Francys Romero on X comes as such a big surprise. According to industry sources who spoke to Romero, the Rays are making some changes to their scouting department.
Rays making changes to scouting department
The Tampa Bay Rays have parted ways with scouts Jeff Johnson, Manager of International Scouting, and Rigoberto de los Santos, Dominican Republic Regional Crosschecker/Santo Domingo Area Scout, according to industry sources.
— Francys Romero (@FrancysRomero) September 4, 2026
Tampa Bay has decided to part ways with two different scouts. Jeff Johnson, who was the Manager of International Scouting, and Rigoberto de los Santos, the Dominican Republic Regional Crosschecker/Santo Domingo Area Scout.
Given how successful the organization has been at unearthing talent, whether it's via the MLB draft or international signings, it is surprising to see such a decision made at this point. The Rays are built to contend for years to come in large part because of the work the scouting department has done.
The front office has the means and abilities to make the trades which it did ahead of the deadline on Aug. 3, because the farm system is so deep. There are players who are ranked between Nos. 20-30 in the Rays’ system that would be borderline top-10 guys in other systems around the league.
Whatever the reason may be for the changes being made, the organization has certainly built up enough goodwill to receive the benefit of the doubt. They will continue chugging along and operating the same, finding younger, more affordable players to take the place of veterans who are getting pricey.
Given the success of the organization’s scouting department, it would not be a surprise to see both of them land opportunities with other teams around the league. It will also be interesting to see who Tampa Bay fills those spots with, as they could be considered rising stars in the scouting world.
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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.