Sep 28, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Carson Williams (7) hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth inning at Rogers Centre. Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Rays' Farm System Rightfully Ranks Well Following Offseason Trades

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Mar 7, 2026 7:00 AM ET

With Opening Day quickly coming for the Tampa Bay Rays, the team is trying to get through the spring unscathed and be relatively healthy entering the regular season.

Fortunately, while there have been a couple of players dealing with injuries, the Rays have been able to stay relatively healthy. This is always key for a franchise heading into the year, and following missing the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns, the team is looking to change their fortunes.

This winter, Tampa Bay made some moves both for the present and for the future. Few teams in baseball are able to do what the Rays do from a mindset perspective, and while they had needs to address for the major league roster, they also wanted to improve their farm system.

Tampa Bay generally has one of the best farm systems in baseball year after year, and it is a main reason why they are able to sustain success with a low payroll. However, that unit started to weaken a bit, and adding an influx of talent helped them improve it.

MLB Pipeline recently released the Top 10 farm systems in baseball, and the Rays should be pleased that they were ranked 10th.

Winter Trades Strengthens Unit

While Tampa Bay made a ton of moves this winter, two of the most notable were the trading of both Brandon Lowe and Shane Baz in two separate deals. The All-Star slugger was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-team deal, and the Rays got a nice return, headlined by outfield prospect Jacob Melton.

Furthermore, while trading Lowe wasn’t a surprise with him entering the final year of his deal, it was surprising to see them move Baz, who was still under control for a few years. However, adding a plethora of more prospects into their Top 30 and replacing him by signing Steven Matz and Nick Martinez on one-year deals could work out well.

With a plethora of new talent coming in, this is a very deep unit for the Rays. While in a perfect world they would have some prospects ranked in the Top 25, depth is also important. Tampa Bay is very capable of developing talent, and they have a lot more of it in the system following this winter. Even though focusing on improving the farm system isn’t something most teams do, the Rays were wise to strengthen the unit following it taking a little slip.

This article first appeared on Tampa Bay Rays on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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