Rays' Starting Infield Surprisingly Named Player Likely To Be Traded

Would it be surprising if the Tampa Bay Rays traded one of their infielders?

Sep 26, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The hat and glove of Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) in the dugout during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays have emerged as one of the best teams in the American League this year, but that doesn’t mean that the team will be standing pat in terms of making moves for the rest of the season. 

With the Rays off to one of the best starts in the league, they are showing no signs of slowing down and are on pace for over 100 wins this year. That would certainly be an amazing accomplishment, and there is a lot of credit to go around. 

Even though the offseason was an interesting one and filled with a plethora of moves, many of them have worked out well, and Tampa Bay has to be pleased with the results. If the winning continues, the Rays do have a few notable needs that they could look to address to improve. 

While the rotation has been strong, injuries are starting to pile up a bit for the unit. Furthermore, in the lineup, they could also elect to try and get another hitter or two to make the batting order a bit deeper. Even though they figure to be buyers, moving key players is never off the table.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the most likely player to be traded for the Rays this season being shortstop Taylor Walls. 

Moving Walls Would Be a Surprise

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls | Pablo Robles-Imagn Images

When trying to predict what the Rays might do at the trade deadline, even having a crystal ball would be challenging. Tampa Bay this winter had a couple of surprising moves, especially when it came to trading away Shane Baz. The right-hander was still under team control, and moving him came as a surprise. 

As the season progresses and the Rays continue to contend, how they approach things will be interesting. On paper, Tampa Bay should be a buyer, but with a hesitancy to move prospects after they just restocked the system, they could elect to move major league talent. 

Walls is one of the best defenders in the game, and while that provides value, he doesn’t bring much to the team in terms of offensive production. On a very team-friendly deal with an option for next year as well, Walls could be an appealing piece for a team looking to improve defensively.

For Tampa Bay, while they value good defensive play, they have Carson Williams in the minors, who has to get called up and prove what he can or cannot do eventually. That makes Walls a bit expendable, and while it would be surprising to trade one of their starters, anything is possible if Tampa Bay deems it could improve the team.