Two key questions facing new Rays owner Patrick Zalupski

Patrick Zalupski has officially taken control of the Tampa Bay Rays. MLB owners unanimously approved his $1.7 billion purchase of the team from Stuart Sternberg in late September. Zalupski is scheduled for a news conference on Tuesday, but it appears one key decision has already been made. 

President of baseball operations Erik Neander will remain in his role as the team's top-ranking baseball executive. 

Neander first joined the organization as a baseball operations intern in January 2007 and held several titles before being promoted to the top job in February 2018. The Rays are 668-526 (.559 winning percentage) in the eight seasons since and have gone to the playoffs five times, including reaching the World Series in 2020. 

Manager Kevin Cash — the longest tenured manager in the Majors — and most of his coaching staff are also expected to return. Assistant hitting coach Brady North has reportedly been offered an alternate role within the organization. The Rays hit .251/.313/.401 as a team this past season, finishing 15th in runs scored (714). 

Now that Zalupski has assumed control of the organization, several key decisions will need to take priority. 

The Rays need to secure a new stadium

Tropicana Field was unusable this past season after the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Milton, forcing the team to seek options elsewhere. An agreement was reached to use George M. Steinbrenner Field, home of the Yankees' Class-A Tampa Tarpons, but it only covered the 2025 season. Repairs to Tropicana Field are expected to be complete in time for the Rays to return next spring. 

The team's agreement with the city runs through the 2028 season. While it remains possible that an extension of some kind is reached, it seems likely that Zalupski and the executive advisory group he is assembling will explore options to finance and build a new stadium. 

Hurricane Milton didn't just damage Tropicana Field and parts of Tampa, but it wreaked havoc on Sternberg's efforts to get a new stadium built. An agreement was in place for a $1.3 billion complex that would include a hotel, offices, and retail space around the stadium and would help revitalize part of downtown Tampa. City officials were scheduled to vote on $600 million in funding for the project, but when that vote was delayed, it caused significant changes to the timeline and cost. 

The increased costs only fueled an already-tenuous relationship between Sternberg and the city, while ultimately contributing to his eventual decision (and the public pressure he received) to sell the team. It's unclear what kind of relationship Zalupski has with city officials or how that will impact efforts to obtain public funding for a new project. 

The Rays need to extend Junior Caminero

The organization does not spend big on payroll. They never have; it's the hallmark of a franchise that seems to win despite being outspent by nearly every other team. There is no way to know if that trend will continue under Zalupski. Until the team makes some big signings, it's nothing more than hope. 

The obvious place to start is with third baseman Junior Caminero. The 22-year-old batted .264/.311/.535 (131 OPS+) with 45 HR and 110 RBI this year, while going to his first All-Star Game (where he also put on a show during the Home Run Derby, finishing second to Cal Raleigh). 

Caminero has two years of team control before reaching arbitration, but there's no reason the Rays shouldn't sign him to an extension now. Finding a suitable comparable is where things get tricky. Two players come to mind as a starting point, however, based on their age and early production: Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio and Red Sox infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela. 

Milwaukee and Chourio agreed to an eight-year, $82 million extension before he even made his MLB debut. Boston signed Rafaela to an eight-year, $50 million deal. 

This past summer, Boston also signed outfielder Roman Anthony to an eight-year, $130 million extension. 

Eight years seems like the right place to start for Caminero, which would ultimately buy out three free agent years. A deal right at the midpoint between Chourio ($10.25 million AAV) and Anthony ($16.25 million) would put Caminero at $114 million over those eight years. Bumping the AAV to $15 million would push the total value to $120 million. Add in a club option or two, plus some incentives, and the Rays should be able to work out an agreement to keep their franchise cornerstone around long-term.