Apr 3, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A general view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove during the seventh inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images

Rays Should Pick Up Option and Trade Star Relief Pitcher This Winter

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Oct 30, 2025 7:00 AM ET

With the World Series all tied up between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, the start of the offseason is right around the corner for the Tampa Bay Rays, and they will have to make some important decisions quickly.

The 2025 campaign was an interesting one for the Rays, and it felt like they were a team that was better than their final record indicated. Part of that is because of them selling at the trade deadline when it became clear that they weren’t going to be contenders for a playoff spot.

Moving some of their veterans on expiring contracts made a lot of sense, but some of the players who were still under team control for 2026, the franchise elected to hold on to. Now, they will have some pretty easy decisions to make regarding a couple of players with club options for 2026.

One of the players that they will have to decide on what to do with is their closer, Pete Fairbanks. In terms of picking up his option, that should be a relatively simple decision for the franchise, but it will get trickier after that.

Rays Should Pick Up Option and Trade Fairbanks

Due to his success in recent years with Tampa Bay, there were some escalators in his contract that have resulted in Fairbanks’ option being worth $11 million this coming season. While that isn’t a crazy number for a closer and relief pitcher of his caliber, it might be a bit steep for Tampa Bay.

Paying a closer that type of money doesn’t seem like the best move for the franchise, but they would still be wise to pick up the option. The reason behind picking up the option for Fairbanks should be to trade him this winter.

Even though the price tag might be a bit steep for the Rays, contenders would jump at the opportunity to get a pitcher of the caliber of Fairbanks at that number. In 2025, the right-hander totaled a 4-5 record, 27 saves, and 2.83 ERA. It was the third straight season in which the right-hander was able to total at least 20 saves, making him a reliable closer.

It will be interesting to see what the Rays elect to do with Fairbanks’ option. What makes the most sense for the team would be to exercise the option and seek a trade partner this winter. However, they might decide to hold on to him until the summer and see where the team is in the standings at this point.