Rays agree with 9 arb-eligible players, likely headed to hearing with Uceta

ST. PETERSBURG -- Thursday was a busy day for the Rays, as a quarter of their 40-man roster was facing the annual deadline to exchange salary arbitration figures. But they handled nearly all of that business in a timely fashion, announcing nine agreements on Thursday afternoon while preparing for one arbitration hearing.

The Rays agreed to terms on contracts for the coming season with starter Ryan Pepiot, catcher Nick Fortes, infielder/outfielder Richie Palacios, outfielder Josh Lowe and relievers Bryan Baker, Garrett Cleavinger, Griffin Jax, Kevin Kelly and Steven Wilson.

They will likely proceed to a hearing with high-leverage reliever Edwin Uceta after exchanging salary figures on Thursday. Uceta filed for a $1.525 million salary, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, and the Rays filed at $1.2 million.

The agreements reached set the following players’ salaries for this year, according to a source:

Jax: $3.565 million
Pepiot: $3.025 million
Lowe: $2.6 million
Fortes: $2.535 million
Cleavinger: $2.4 million
Wilson: $1.52 million
Baker: $1.275 million
Palacios: $945,000
Kelly: $925,000

The Rays entered the offseason with a whopping 16 players eligible for salary arbitration then added one, Wilson, in a trade with the White Sox. They parted with four arb-eligible players, most notably Shane Baz (traded to the Orioles) and Christopher Morel (designated for assignment and later non-tendered). And they took action earlier this offseason to avoid arbitration with three players.

Shortstop Taylor Walls had his $2.45 million club option exercised in November, with a $3.1 million club option tacked on for 2027. Reliever Cole Sulser avoided arbitration with a split-contract agreement ($1.05 million in the Majors or $600,000 in Triple-A) in November. And they agreed to another $3.6 million deal with Shane McClanahan in December, the same salary he earned while missing the past two seasons due to injuries.

They will join the following players who have guaranteed contracts for this year: Yandy Díaz ($12 million), Steven Matz ($7.5 million), Cedric Mullins ($7 million), Drew Rasmussen ($5.5 million) and Jake Fraley ($3 million).

Players who are not yet eligible for salary arbitration (like All-Stars Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda, for example) typically receive the Major League minimum salary, which is set for $780,000 this year, or slightly above that figure, with the opportunity to earn more through the collectively bargained pre-arbitration bonus pool.

The Rays typically cease negotiations after exchanging salary figures with arb-eligible players, although they will make an exception to discuss a multiyear deal. They did that last offseason with Walls, for instance, agreeing last January to a one-year contract with a club option that kept them from going to a hearing.

The Rays last went to an arbitration hearing in 2024, when the three-person panel ruled in their favor over Jason Adam and Harold Ramírez.

Uceta, who turns 28 on Friday, broke out in a big way for the Rays in 2024. The right-hander produced a 1.51 ERA with 57 strikeouts and only eight walks in 41 2/3 innings over 30 appearances, ending the season as one of manager Kevin Cash’s most trusted relievers.

This past season wasn’t quite so smooth for Uceta, as he owned a 5.77 ERA with nine homers allowed in 40 appearances through July 8. But he was practically untouchable after that, recording a 1.70 ERA with 54 strikeouts, 11 walks and only two homers allowed in 37 innings over his final 30 outings.