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Rays Announce Warranted Promotions for Several People Within the Organization

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Rays, despite some restraints compared to other franchises around the MLB, have found a way to consistently be competitive on the field. A lot of that credit should go to the front office and coaching staff at every level for identifying and developing talent.

Executives, coaches, and players have all of the attention on them. When a team underperforms, they are the one under the microscope. And if things don’t get turned around on the field, changes are made and jobs are lost.

However, there is more to just those three groups that make a franchise successful. There are people behind the scenes who are helping in other regards that don’t always get the recognition they deserve.

Rays announce several in-house promotions in organization

Some of those people within the Rays organization received that recognition on Friday morning. As shared by Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Florida, and News Nation, several promotions have been announced by the franchise.

“We’re committed to constantly evolving as an organization,” said Rays President, Baseball Operations Erik Neander. “These promotions strengthen our ability to handle the daily challenges of our industry while also giving us space to focus on what is truly important to us—supporting our players and staff, fostering trust, and pushing forward with new ideas.”

Hamilton Marx has been promoted to vice president and assistant general manager. He has been with Tampa Bay since 2015, starting out as a baseball operations intern. Most recently, he was serving as the team’s vice president of baseball process and strategy.

The #Rays have announced several promotions:
- Hamilton Marx to VP, Assistant GM
- Samantha Bireley to Dir. of Baseball Ops
- Jeremy Sowers to Dir., Major League Ops
- Danielle Dockx to Dir., Position Player Programming.

“We’re committed to constantly evolving as an…
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) October 23, 2025

His responsibilities are vast, and will now include overseeing all amateur scouting. Marx also leads all of the work on contracts and salary arbitration. That is an area the Rays are going to be busy with this year, with an MLB-high 17 players eligible.

Samantha Bireley has been promoted to Director of Baseball Operations. She was previously the assistant director of baseball operations, a role she held for three years. Bireley has been with Tampa Bay since 2013.

Jeremy Sowers will be taking over as the Director of Major League Operations. A Big League pitcher for four seasons, he got an MBA from the University of North Carolina after his playing days were through.

He started his career as an executive with the Baltimore Orioles. Sowers has been a part of the Rays organization since 2016, starting as an assistant in the baseball operations department.

Danielle Dockx is taking over as Director of Position Player Programming. Before this, she was the assistant director of player programs & integration.