Playing GM: 5 Moves to Complete the Rays 2026 Roster
Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of Rays' POBO Erik Neander and consider five moves that will best round out their 2026 roster.
After a stretch of five straight postseason appearances from 2019 to 2023, the last two seasons have been quite disappointing for the Tampa Bay Rays. As their roster currently stands, they look like a shell of the once American League East juggernaut that made it to its second World Series in this span.
The 2025 Rays put up the lowest win total the club has recorded since 2016, and to make matters worse, they spent the entire season playing in George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees, due to the damage caused by Hurricane Milton to the Trop.
While this was the lowest the team has been in years, the Rays did show some positive signs in 2025. For example, former top prospect Junior Caminero took his game to another level this season, finishing just one home run shy of tying the single-season franchise record.
The Rays have been active this offseason, as they’ve made a few notable moves. They signed left-hander Steven Matz to a two-year deal worth $15 million, and they also inked outfielder Cedric Mullins to a one-year deal worth $7.5 million.
In addition to these two free agent moves, the Rays made two significant moves in the trade market. These moves began with a deal that sent Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum, and Mason Montgomery to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-team deal that netted them left fielder Jacob Melton and RHP Anderson Brito.
Later that same day, the Rays moved Shane Baz to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for a tremendous prospect package. They managed to receive two 2025 first-round picks in Caden Bodine and Slater de Brun, along with Michael Forret, Austin Overn, and the 33rd pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
With the Rays making calculated moves to sell off pieces when needed, they have several roster vacancies to fill by Opening Day. Although this may be tougher to do with their razor-thin budget, it shouldn’t be too difficult to complete their roster within the coming weeks.
Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the president of baseball operations, Erik Neander, and consider five moves that make the most sense for the Rays as they look to round out their 2026 team.
Editor’s Note: This piece was inspired by Peter Appel and Jack McMullen’s breakdown on the Jan. 13 episode of the Just Baseball show. This article will explain their key moves and offer some further analysis.
Bring Back Zack Littell
When looking at the Rays’ projected rotation, some definite questions must be addressed before Opening Day. Their rotation has faced many injuries over the past few seasons, and they could benefit from some valuable depth added into the mix.
For starters, only two of the Rays’ five projected starters reached the 150-inning mark in 2025, and while they could always rely on internal options, this isn’t a winning formula. It also seems likely that Matz will make a significant number of starts for this team, and it’s a little more unclear how this will go since he hasn’t done this in two years.
The other major question mark for this rotation will be left-hander Shane McClanahan. Although he was one of the better arms in the game when healthy, he hasn’t pitched since 2023, which makes it much harder to rely on him.
Given these questions, it makes sense that the Rays would be looking to add some more depth to their rotation. Aside from giving the team more flexibility, they could use a very solid arm to ensure this group can be competitive. This is where righty Zack Littell comes (back) in, as he’d address each of these areas.
Littell put together a very 2025 campaign between two teams, including the Rays. In 186.2 innings, he registered an ERA of 3.81, a WHIP of 1.10, 130 strikeouts, and a 1.5 fWAR. He was a very reliable arm every time he stepped on the mound, and that’s exactly what the Rays are looking for from a starting pitcher.
Aside from the time he spent with the Rays in 2025, Littell has had a good amount of success in a Rays uniform. In fact, his best season as a full-time starter took place with the club in 2024, where he registered a 3.63 ERA across 156.1 innings.
Even though he’s coming off a very solid year, Littell shouldn’t command too much money on the free agent market. If the Rays were to sign him, a two-year deal worth $28 million would be a great fit for both sides.
This deal allows the Rays to add some much-needed, quality starting pitching depth without going out of their comfort zone financially. As for Littell, this allows him to return to the team where he found the most success, and to get another chance to do this yet again. Overall, it’s the best fit for both sides on the free agent market.
Add Depth by Signing Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Outside of their rotation, if there’s one area offensively that the Rays could desperately use some more help, it’s shortstop.
Over the past four seasons, the Rays have consistently relied on Taylor Walls to be their fill-in at the position. In fact, Walls hasn’t appeared in fewer than 84 games, and he hasn’t produced offensively in the slightest.
During the last two seasons, Walls hasn’t put up a wRC+ higher than 66, as he’s consistently been one of the game’s worst offensive players. Going back even further, he’s never posted a wRC+ above 84, meaning he hasn’t even been close to a league-average hitter during his big league career.
To make matters worse, 2025 was the first season in which Walls registered a positive OAA, meaning there isn’t much defensive value to fall back on, either. This has created a desperate need for some shortstop depth, which is exactly where veteran Isiah Kiner-Falefa comes in.
Kiner-Falefa began the 2025 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates before being claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays to end the year. Between both teams, he slashed .262/.297/.334 with two homers and a 75 wRC+ while recording 0.7 fWAR along the way.
Although his numbers on the surface aren’t exactly positive, Kiner-Falefa managed to put up an elite whiff rate of just 15.1% during this span. He followed that up with a strikeout rate under 17% as well.
Due to Kiner-Falefa’s numbers, he shouldn’t command a fortune on the free agent market. It makes sense for the Rays to sign him to a one-year deal worth $4 million, which is a fair price to pay for a depth piece. This deal also allows the Rays to potentially move him at the deadline if teams have interest.
With Carson Williams likely set to get his first full season in the big leagues, he’ll likely see limited reps. While Kiner-Falefa wasn’t an overly productive player, he’d be a cheap upgrade from Walls as depth at shortstop.
Allow Dominic Keegan and Carson Williams Big League Action
The next thing the Rays need to do heading into 2026 isn’t an external move, but instead something they should focus on internally. They should give Carson Williams and Dominic Keegan a spot on the Opening Day roster, as both players could be big pieces for the club in 2026.
Beginning with Williams, the 2021 first-round pick has been a prized possession of their farm system since the moment he was drafted. He was consistently ranked near the top of most top 100 boards across the industry as he tore up the minor leagues.
After patiently awaiting his arrival in the big leagues, Williams finally got a shot in August of 2025. He’d end up appearing in 32 games, but put up subpar numbers overall. Williams slashed .172/.219/.354 with five homers and a 54 wRC+, while also putting up an abysmal strikeout rate over 40%.
However, the 2025 season was the first year of his professional career where he was a below league-average hitter. Williams had never posted a wRC+ below 125 during a full season up until last year, when he struggled in Triple-A and the major leagues.
Williams will still be 22 years old until June, and the sky remains the limit for his offensive production. It’s time that he gets a shot to be the everyday starting shortstop, and that begins with a chance to crack the Opening Day roster.
Although he wasn’t as highly regarded as a prospect, Keegan finds himself in a very similar situation to Williams heading into 2026.
After being selected in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft, Keegan has consistently torn the cover off the ball at every level he’s played. Up until this year, Keegan hadn’t registered a wRC+ below 126 at any level while simultaneously displaying advanced plate discipline.
The adjustment to Triple-A was a bit challenging for Keegan during his first 69 games at the level. He slashed .241/.306/.429 with 10 homers and a 89 wRC+. He also saw his walk rate fall below 10% and his strikeout rate balloon over 30% for the first time in his pro career, which both show how much he struggled.
However, the Rays currently have very little catching depth. There are currently only two catchers on the big league roster in Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia, meaning the starting job is wide open if Keegan has an impressive showing in spring. If he delivers, he should be given every chance at the big league level.
For both Williams and Keegan, spring training will be very important in determining where they’ll begin the 2026 season. The Rays should give both players every opportunity possible to prove themselves and make the Opening Day team.
Sign Max Kranick to a Minor League Deal
After signing Kiner-Falefa and Littell, the Rays’ offseason will be all but complete. From there, it’ll be about putting the finishing touches on the offseason and picking up some potential impact players on minor league deals.
The first of these players is right-hander Max Kranick.
The past few years have been a whirlwind journey for Kranick. After cracking the big league level with the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 2021, he would undergo Tommy John surgery the following season. The road to recovery was tough, and he didn’t appear in a big league game again until 2025 with the New York Mets.
Kranick pitched to a 3.65 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 37 innings with the Mets, as he finally looked like the pitcher he was once meant to be. He even kept his walks to a minimum, which was an important takeaway, given that this was his biggest issue during his previous big-league appearances.
Unfortunately, the arm issues struck once again, and Kranick was sidelined for the rest of the season due to a right flexor injury that required surgery. He’s reportedly going to begin throwing on Monday, which is an important step in the right direction.
With Kranick displaying some interesting potential when on the field, and the Rays having a lack of notable pitching depth, he’s worth taking a flier on with a minor league deal.
Sign Eli Morgan to a Minor League Deal
Kranick isn’t the only minor league free agent the Rays should sign this winter. After an injury-ridden 2025 season, right-hander Eli Morgan finds himself in a similar situation as Kranick, and he’s worth taking a flier on as well.
After posting a 1.93 ERA in 42 innings out of the bullpen for the Cleveland Guardians in 2024, the future seemed bright for Morgan. The Cubs ended up trading for him in exchange for Alfonsin Rosario following the 2024 season, and this appeared like a good addition to the Cubs’ bullpen.
However, this deal quickly soured once the season began. Morgan had a tough start for the Cubs, as he surrendered 10 earned runs in just 7.1 innings for the club to begin the season. Then, disaster struck, and Morgan found himself suffering from an elbow impingement that sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Even though Morgan wasn’t able to replicate his 2024 success in 2025, he’s another arm that makes sense for the Rays to add to their bullpen depth. If he stays healthy, he could quickly earn another shot in the big leagues and hopefully move one step closer to his 2024 success.
Written by
Jay Staph, a huge baseball fan and stat nerd, founded and ran his own baseball writing website, BSBWrites, at just 16-years-old. With focal points around prospects,…