The MLB offseason is off to its typical slow start but things should start ramping up as soon as this weekend with the conclusion of the General Manager meetings.
Tuesday, November 17th, is the deadline for teams to add players from within their organizations to their 40-man roster and thus protecting them from the Rule 5 draft. Just a few days after that on Friday, November 20th, the non-tender deadline will pass; this is when teams must make a decision to offer contracts to all of their arbitration
eligible players.
Of course there is also the looming threat of the MLB offseason being halted by the expiration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and thus a lockout. When the previous CBA expired on December 2nd, 2021, the free agency market moved with rampancy that was unprecedented and many expect for the same thing to happen again.
Comings and Goings
Once the World Series concluded, the following players left via becoming free agents: Freddy Peralta, Gavin Lux, and Jorge Mateo. The Rays declined their mutual options on Nick Martinez and Cedric Mullins, making them both free agents. Nick Madrigal and Jonathan Heasley were outrighted from the 40-man roster while Alexander Alberto and Jack Suwinski were both added.
Tampa Bay also had to activate all of their players from the 60-Day Injured List, placing Jacob Melton, Edwin Uceta, and Ryan Pepiot back on the 40-man roster. That gives the Rays a total of 39 players on their 40-man roster.
So with all that being said, let’s take a look at the current state of the roster and who may be on the move and who is likely to stay, at least for now.
Who is on the bubble
There is a lot to be said for where the Rays could make marginal improvements throughout the roster despite this being a team that made it to the World Series. The team could use more impact players on the offense. With the departure of Nick Martinez and Freddy Peralta and the uncertainty regarding the health of Ryan Pepiot and Shane McClanahan leaves the starting rotation in disarray. Top prospects like Carson Williams, Brody Hopkins, and Jacob Melton who were expected to become key cogs of the 2026 Rays roster didn’t pan out. That doesn’t mean any of those five players are at risk to leave the organization yet.
Pitchers on the bubble: Alexander Alberto, Joe Boyle, Garrett Cleavinger, Alex Cook, Jesse Scholtens, and Edwin Uceta
Alberto and Boyle both have Major League arsenals but Alberto only just reached Triple-A this past season, his 6th year in professional baseball while Boyle has some of the worst command in the game.
Cleavinger went from being one of the top relievers in the Rays bullpen in 2025 to being among their least dependable in 2026. He is projected to make $3.7M in his final year of arbitration eligibility.
Cook was a 40-man roster addition last November and made a handful of appearaces for Tampa Bay this season.
Scholtens served as depth for the Rays this season, with the team calling upon him whenever they needed innings whether they were competitive or not. He had a 5.45 ERA over his final 10 appearances (38 IP) of the season.
Uceta was the de facto Rays closer in 2024 in a breakout campaign but lost some of that polish in 2025. There was hope he could refind that success this past season but he was never able to get started as he dealt with a shoulder issue early on. Uceta did begin a rehab assignment but was not able to recover from his injury. Following the season, the Rays announced that Uceta had undergone surgery and would be out for at least the first couple of months of the 2027 season.
Position Players on the bubble: Jadher Areinamo, Carson Williams, and Nick Fortes
Fortes was the Rays primary catcher for the majority of the 2026 regular season and performed well for the team. However, the Rays made a major upgrade at the trade deadline, acquiring Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins and Fortes was relegated to backup duties. The backup catcher role fits Fortes perfectly, but the soon to be 30-year old backstop is projected to make $3.4M in arbitration this offseason while Kenny Piper is seemingly ready to take over that role.
Areinamo was a 40-man roster addition last November, despite having just reached Double-A that season. The infield prospect was talented enough that the Rays believed a team would take him in the Rule 5 draft. However, his offensive production took a step back in 2026 while his K% soared. There is still reason to believe in him going forward as will only turn 23 a few weeks from now.
Carson Williams was supposed to be the shortstop of the future for the Rays, but he has squanded the limited opportunities thus far presented to him. He was called up to the Rays active roster three different times in 2026 but only started in 11 games and hit .108/.154/.216 over 40 PA. Late in the season, when the Rays were pushing for the playoffs, the team signed Jorge Mateo and relied on him over Carson Williams.
