Tampa Bay Rays: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Rays' Emerging Star Projected to Replicate Breakout Season in 2026

The Tampa Bay Rays are getting set for pitchers and catchers to report soon, and all eyes will be on a budding star for the franchise. It was a challenging campaign for the Rays in 2025 after the roof was taken off their home stadium due to a Hurricane.

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The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

What’s the strongest reason to believe this season won’t be a waste?

DRaysBay works best as a place for community and conversation. It’s what differentiates the SB Nation sites from others. Accordingly, in the lead up to the new season, all MLB sites will have an initiative for “Daily Questions,” starting today.

Matt Thaiss News / MLB Trade Rumors / January 31

Red Sox, Matt Thaiss Agree To Minor-League Deal

The Red Sox have agreed to a minor-league deal with catcher Matt Thaiss, according to Andrew Parker of SoxProspects (link via Chris Cotillo of MassLive).

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 31

Rays Star Pitcher Projected for Incredibly Productive Return to Mound

The Tampa Bay Rays' pitching staff is going to look a lot different in 2026 than it did at the end of the 2025 campaign. Closer Pete Fairbanks had his club option declined, which made him a free agent.

Jose Ramirez News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'MLB active doubles leaders' quiz

How many of the active MLB players with 300 or more doubles in their career can you name in five minutes?

The '2025 MLB hits leaders' quiz

The 'Cleveland's 1997 World Series roster' quiz

The 'Most multi-HR games by MLB team' quiz

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 31

Rays' Top 100 Prospect Has Potential To Be Impact Player in 2026

The Tampa Bay Rays have had a very busy offseason, and the team will be hoping to contend in 2026. As expected, the Rays were a very busy team this winter, making a plethora of moves with both improving for the short-term and the long-term in mind.

MLB News / Yardbarker

The 20 most significant MLB Rule 5 draftees

The Rule 5 draft, held annually at the winter meetings in December, never garners much fanfare, but it has been known to yield some noteworthy transactions.

Junior Caminero News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 31

Junior Caminero Will Make or Break Rays Because of One Statistic

The Tampa Bay Rays are going to have some new faces in their lineup for the 2026 season. Gone is second baseman Brendan Lowe, part of a trade package with outfielder Jake Mangum and right-handed pitcher Mason Montgomery to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 30

Rays Official Spring Training Invitees List Headlined by Top Prospects

After a busy offseason, the Tampa Bay Rays are set to begin the 2026 season soon with spring training right around the corner. It will be nice to see the team back on the field preparing for the upcoming regular season.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 30

Rays Shockingly Receive Poor Farm System Ranking Heading into 2026

It has been a very busy offseason for the Tampa Bay Rays, who are hoping to be able to contend in 2026. While that might be a lofty goal, the franchise is also trying to keep an eye toward the future. The Rays are one of the few teams in baseball that year after year can remain competitive while keeping a vision for the long-term.

MLB News / Just Baseball / January 31

Top Cardinals’ Prospects Who Could Contribute in 2026

Chaim Bloom’s reign as the head of baseball operations is off to a scorching start, with household names Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and Sonny Gray all being moved to contenders.

Tampa Bay Rays News / DRaysBay / January 30

Tampa Bay Rays announce 2026 Spring Training invitees

The Tampa Bay Rays have announced their non-roster invitees to Spring Training and the list is made up of several top prospects and former top draft picks as well as several players with big league experience.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 30

Rays' Star Slugger Could Become Top Player in Baseball in Near Future

With pitchers and catchers set to report soon, the start of the 2026 season is right around the corner for the Tampa Bay Rays. Heading into the year, all eyes are going to be on one player in particular for the team. As expected, this winter, the Rays were a very active team both on the trade market and in free agency.

MLB News / Yardbarker

The 25 greatest pitching seasons from the modern MLB era

America's favorite pastime has more memorable performances than any sport. As such, figuring out which pitchers had the best seasons ever is no easy task.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 30

Rays Counting on Outfielder Debuting in Top 100 Prospect Rankings

The Tampa Bay Rays are never going to be a team that spends a lot of money in free agency, putting them behind the eight-ball when it comes to competing with their rivals in the American League East.

Shane McClanahan News / Last Word On Sports / January 29

What Can the Rays Expect From Shane McClanahan?

A lot has happened since Shane McClanahan last threw a professional pitch for the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s been nearly three years since the native of Maryland was healthy and dominating on the mound.

Click here to get Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day emailed to you!

The 'Super Bowl host cities' quiz

The 'Most TD in first two NFL seasons' quiz

The '100-yards + TD Conference Champ games' quiz

The '14-win NFL quarterbacks' quiz

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 29

Rays' Farm System Receives Shockingly Poor Ranking Despite Great Depth

With the offseason coming to a close soon, the Tampa Bay Rays have had an interesting winter so far. However, some of the moves that they made should be viewed as good ones for the future. Despite a desire to snap their two-year playoff drought, the Rays are a team that is going to have a hard time keeping up in the American League East.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 29

Rays' New Prospect Named Best Player for Team Not in Top 100 Rankings

With the offseason coming to a close for the Tampa Bay Rays, the team is getting set for pitchers and catchers to report soon. Furthermore, they will be

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 29

Rays Surprisingly Seen as Team That Has Added a Plethora of Talent This Winter

It has been a very busy winter for the Tampa Bay Rays, but it has been challenging to gauge the direction of the franchise. However, with a plethora of moves made, the organization might have improved overall quite a bit. While the 2025 season might not have gone according to plan for the Rays, they were a team that did have some bright spots.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 29

Rays Wisely Not Concerned With Early Performance of Key Offseason Acquisition

As the Tampa Bay Rays get set for pitchers and catchers to report next month, the team has been very active this winter, reshaping the roster. While the

Carson Williams News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 28

This Key Area is Major Concern for Rays' Top Prospect Carson Williams

The Tampa Bay Rays have entered a new era with a fresh ownership group that will hopefully bring some positive change to the franchise. However, this is

Tampa Bay Rays News / Tampa Bay Rays on SI / January 28

Rays Lineup Would Receive Much-Needed Power Boost Adding Rangers Free Agent

The lineup for the Tampa Bay Rays is going to look a lot different in 2026 than it did at the end of the 2025 season. All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe is now with the Pittsburgh Pirates after a trade.

MLB News / DRaysBay / January 28

Upgrades in the Outfield

The Rays front office has quietly done a nice job restructuring the outfield group – so quietly that the improvements may have even flown under the radar of many fans.

Tampa Bay Rays News / MLB on ClutchPoints / January 27

Tampa mayor addresses report on Rays’ $2.3 billion stadium cost

The Tampa Bay Rays remain at the center of a high-stakes stadium debate as new cost projections surface, placing renewed focus on the future of baseball in the region.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Stadium Rant / January 27

Why The Tampa Bay Rays Are Poised For A 2026 Resurgence

The Tampa Bay Rays are done accepting mediocrity. After an uncharacteristic stumble in 2025, this organization is resetting with intent, rather than panic.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Last Word On Sports / January 26

Can the Rays Still Bolster Their Catching Depth?

The Tampa Bay Rays have been quiet since the calendar flipped to a new year, but there is still time to bolster the edges of the roster. The options are dwindling, though, and the Rays need to demonstrate a level of aggressiveness.

Tampa Bay Rays News / MLB Trade Rumors / January 25

Finding The Rays’ Closer Replacement

There was a time in the not-so-distant past that Tampa Bay shuffled through closers every season. Manager Kevin Cash took over in 2015. Over the next eight seasons, the club had seven different saves leaders.

Tampa Bay Rays News / Total Pro Sports / January 22

Tampa Bay Rays Issue Key Update On Stadium Status

Tropicana Field’s indefinite shutdown cast serious doubt on the Tampa Bay Rays’ long-term survival after the damage from Hurricane Milton. As a result, the Rays played their home games at Steinbrenner Field last year, the spring training facility of the New York Yankees.