Rays' Cedric Mullins: Inks one-year pact with Rays
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Mullins signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Rays on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
2025 marked one of Mullins' worst seasons at the plate in the majors, as he finished the year with a .216/.299/.391 batting line over 498 plate appearances alongside 17 homers, 59 RBI, 58 runs scored and 22 steals. With fellow lefty-hitting outfielders Chandler Simpson, Jake Fraley and Josh Lowe already in Tampa Bay, so Mullins may need to improve upon his 2025 numbers to maintain a regular spot in the lineup.
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Rays' Griffin Jax: Part of Rays' closer-by-committee
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Jax, Garrett Cleavinger and Edwin Uceta are expected to be part of a closer-by-committee for the Rays in 2026, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
There's been some talk of Jax potentially stretching out to join the Rays' rotation, but the current plan is to leave the 31-year-old in the bullpen. Acquired from the Twins at the trade deadline, Jax had an elevated 4.23 ERA in 2025, but a 2.51 FIP and 35 percent strikeout rate were more indicative of how he pitched. Mason Montgomery, Bryan Baker, Hunter Bigge, Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodriguez (elbow) could also work their way into high-leverage work, but the tentative plan seems to be for Jax, Cleavinger and Uceta to share the closer role.
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Rays' Edwin Uceta: Likely part of closer committee
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Uceta, Garrett Cleavinger and Griffin Jax are expected to be part of a closer-by-committee for the Rays next season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Pete Fairbanks easily paced the Rays with 27 saves in 2025, but he is a free agent after the team declined his $11 million option. That leaves a vacancy in the ninth inning, and it seems the Rays plan to fill that void with multiple arms. Uceta finished with a 3.79 ERA in 2025, but he had a 32.1 percent strikeout rate and boasts a 33.3 percent strikeout rate in his two seasons with Tampa Bay.
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Rays' Garrett Cleavinger: Will be part of closer committee
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Cleavinger, Griffin Jax and Edwin Uceta are expected to be part of a closer-by-committee for the Rays in 2026, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Rays elected to decline Pete Fairbanks' $11 million option, and the plan for now is to fill that ninth-inning vacancy with multiple players. Cleavinger had the best season of his career in 2025, holding a 2.35 ERA and 82:18 K:BB over 61.1 innings. The lefty has neutral splits, so he should not be at a matchup disadvantage when it comes to who manager Kevin Cash chooses to deploy in save situations.
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Rays' Xavier Isaac: Underwent brain surgery in July
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Isaac revealed Friday that he underwent brain surgery in July, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Isaac's last game at Double-A Montgomery came on June 25, but he had asked the Rays not to divulge details of his medical status during the season. However, Isaac revealed the cause of his absence in an Instagram post Friday, noting that the brain surgery was "life-saving." Isaac recently attended a hitting camp and is expected to be 100 percent for the start of spring training. The first baseman slashed .201/.366/.446 with nine home runs in 41 contests for Montgomery in 2025 and will likely need another full year of seasoning in the minors in 2026.
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Rays' Jake Fraley: Back with Rays on one-year deal
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The Rays re-signed Fraley to a one-year, $3 million contract Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Rays non-tendered Fraley last week, but he's now back on a new one-year pact. Fraley has never had more than 382 plate appearances in a major-league season, in part due to injury issues but also due to the left-handed hitter's career .508 OPS versus lefty pitchers. The 30-year-old does have a career .261/.344/.432 batting line against righties, though, and will be part of Tampa Bay's outfield mix in 2026.
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Rays' Daniel Vellojin: Inks pact with Tampa Bay
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Vellojin signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Thursday.
Vellojin spent the 2025 campaign with High-A Bowling Green, slashing .195/.305/.311 with six home runs, 32 RBI, four stolen bases and 30 runs in 76 games. He figures to begin 2026 at Double-A Montgomery after rejoining Tampa Bay's farm system.
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Rays' Cole Sulser: Avoids arbitration with Rays
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The Rays and Sulser avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.05 million contract, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Sulser receives a small raise in his second year of arbitration eligibility. Slated to turn 36 in March, Sulser made 18 appearances out of the Rays' bullpen in 2025, collecting a 1.99 ERA and 22:7 K:BB over 22.2 innings. He'll likely fill a middle relief role in 2026.
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Rays' Jake Woodford: Nabs NRI deal with Rays
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The Rays signed Woodford to a minor-league contract Friday with an invitation to spring training, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
Woodford made 22 relief appearances for the Diamondbacks this season, posting a 6.44 ERA and 23:13 K:BB over 36.1 frames. The 29-year-old right will compete for a spot on the Rays' Opening Day roster but is likely to begin the 2026 campaign at Triple-A Durham.
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Rays' Raynel Delgado: Signs with Rays
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Delgado signed a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Rays on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Delgado spent the entire 2025 season with the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate, slashing .281/.363/.378 with 53 RBI, 58 runs scored and 40 stolen bases across 474 plate appearances. The 25-year-old infielder has yet to make his big-league debut but will get a chance to compete for a roster spot during spring training.
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Rays' John Rooney: Signs MiLB deal with Rays
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The Rays signed Rooney (elbow) to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training Nov. 15, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Rooney elected free agency earlier this month after being removed from the Astros' 40-man roster, and he's quickly landed in a new organization. The lefty reliever had elbow surgery in September, though the specific nature of the procedure and a recovery timeline aren't clear. Rooney made one appearance for Houston but spent most of 2025 at the Triple-A level, holding a 2.56 ERA and 55:24 K:BB over 38.2 frames.
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Rays' Jadher Areinamo: Bumped to 40-man roster
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Tampa Bay selected Areinamo's contract from Double-A Montgomery on Tuesday, thus protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Rays acquired Areinamo in a deal with Milwaukee in late July. The 21-year-old had been playing at the High-A level prior to the trade, but he immediately jumped up Double-A with the Rays and slashed .255/.316/.397 with four homers, 19 RBI and six stolen bases over 37 contests. Areinamo can play multiple infield positions and has shown a bit of pop along with good speed on the basepaths. Perhaps most impressively, he's struck out below a 13 percent clip each of the past three seasons.
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Rays' Alex Cook: Protected from Rule 5 Draft
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The Rays selected Cook's contract from Double-A Montgomery on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Cook came to the Rays as a 12th-round selection in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft. The right-hander has worked mostly as a reliever in the minors, and he turned in a nice 18:3 K:BB over 15.2 innings while posting a 2.30 ERA and 0.86 WHIP across 13 appearances in his first taste of Double-A ball last season. Cook dealt with some injuries last year, but if he can stay healthy and continue to impress next season, he should get a chance to move up to the Triple-A level.
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Rays' Dominic Keegan: Won't be part of Rule 5 Draft
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The Rays selected Keegan's contract from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Keegan was a fourth-round selection in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft. The catcher reached Triple-A for the first time last season and put together a .241/.306/.429 slash line with 10 home runs and 36 RBI over 297 plate appearances. The pop was promising, but Keegan also struck out at a 30.6 clip with Durham -- a rate much higher than in his previous minor-league stops. If he can impress with the bat early in the 2026 season, Keegan could make his MLB debut next year.
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Rays' Steven Wilson: Joins Rays' bullpen
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The White Sox traded Wilson and Yoendrys Gomez to Tampa Bay on Tuesday in exchange for Tanner Murray and Everson Pereira (back), Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Wilson is a veteran reliever who got into a career-high 59 games with Chicago last season, recording a 3.42 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 51:22 K:BB over 55.1 innings. He notched two saves and nine holds but was also charged with seven blown saves. Wilson should bolster Tampa Bay's relief corps but is unlikely to be a high-leverage option for the team.
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Rays' Yoendrys Gomez: Shipped to Tampa Bay
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The White Sox traded Gomez and Steven Wilson to the Rays on Tuesday in exchange for Everson Pereira (back) and Tanner Murray, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Gomez joined the White Sox last May as a waiver claim from the Dodgers, who had previously claimed him from the Yankees. The right-hander ended up appearing in 12 contests (including nine starts) for Chicago, posting a 4.84 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 47:16 K:BB over 48.1 innings. Gomez mostly worked as a starter during his time in the minors, but Tampa Bay may elect to use him out of the bullpen.
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Rays' Jacob Kisting: Sent to Tampa Bay
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The Twins traded Kisting to the Rays on Tuesday in exchange for reliver Eric Orze, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Kisting was a 14th-round selection by Minnesota in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft. The righty got into 30 games (five starts) across Single-A and High-A ball last season, posting a 3.79 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 77:23 K:BB over 73.2 innings. He'll likely begin his Rays tenure in the lower levels of the minors.
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Rays' Jake Fraley: Designated for assignment
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The Rays designated Fraley (oblique) for assignment Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Timesreports.
The veteran outfielder was claimed off waivers by the Rays in early November but has already lost his place on the 40-man roster. Fraley finished the season on the IL due to an oblique strain and totaled 76 games between Atlanta and Cincinnati. He had a .241/.332/.382 slash line with six home runs and four steals in 217 plate appearances.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: DFA'd by Tampa Bay
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The Rays designated Morel for assignment Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Morel played in 105 games for the Rays last season but was inconsistent at the plate with a .219/.289/.396 slash line and 35.7 percent strikeout rate in 105 plate appearances. The 26-year-old clubbed 26 homers with an .821 OPS for the Cubs in 2023 but posted a .651 OPS over the past two regular seasons.
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Rays' Luis Guerrero: Dealt to Rays
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The Rays acquired Guerrero from the Red Sox on Tuesday in exchange for Tristan Gray.
Guerrero was outrighted off Boston's 40-man roster last week after passing through waivers unclaimed, but now he's on the move to a new organization. The right-hander holds a 2.63 ERA but a 19:16 K:BB across 27.1 frames covering parts of two major-league seasons. Guerrero has a big arm and the Rays will now be tasked with getting him to throw more strikes, which is something they've had success with as an organization with other hurlers.
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