4 big leaguers out, 6 prospects in; where do the Rays stand now?

ST. PETERSBURG -- Tampa Bay’s front office was busy on Friday, pulling off a pair of significant trades.

Out went four Major League players: slugging second baseman Brandon Lowe, switch-hitting outfielder Jake Mangum, flame-throwing lefty Mason Montgomery and controllable starter Shane Baz. In came six high-upside prospects, all ranked among the top 22 in the organization according to MLB Pipeline.

Speaking after the dust had settled late Friday night, Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander acknowledged the obvious: They just made next season more of an uphill climb.

“Today's deals were, I think, more about losing a little bit in '26 to gain an awful lot as we look into the future,” Neander said.

After two future-focused trades, here are four future-focused notes on where the Rays stand and where they go from here.

No white flag
Friday’s moves look like the actions of a rebuilding team. But that’s not necessarily how the Rays view themselves, even after missing the postseason two years in a row.

They’ve added Cedric Mullins, Steven Matz and Jake Fraley with the intent to be competitive next year. They still have a solid core of players returning, despite all the turnover this offseason has already brought. And the offseason is far from over.

“We've got months to go here,” Neander said. “As we kind of make these difficult decisions, I hope there's some confidence that by the time the bell rings for Opening Day this year, as we've done virtually every year since 2008, we've given our teams a chance to be competitive and, if things break our way, we're playing in the postseason. We're going to continue to do everything we can to make that possible in 2026.

“We just can't do it while turning a blind eye to our future if we feel like we can do some things that make it all the more likely that we can position ourselves to make five consecutive playoff appearances, like we did from '19 to '23.”

Who’s on second?
Trading Lowe creates a clear opening at second base, where the Rays don’t have an obvious replacement. Neander mentioned Richie Palacios as an internal candidate, although Palacios has been limited by injuries each of the past two years and has bounced around the field during his time with Tampa Bay.

The Rays like a lot about Palacios, from his on-base skills and speed to his quality defense at second base, so he could be an option there. But they’re not giving the job to anyone yet.

“He's certainly a candidate internally, but we're going to give ourselves a little bit of time to sort through it,” Neander said.

That could mean pivoting to use some of their newfound prospect depth to acquire a more proven second baseman in a trade. They’ve been connected to the D-backs’ Ketel Marte, and the Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan would also make sense to fill the void left by Lowe.

What about the starting staff?
Dealing Baz creates an opening in Tampa Bay’s rotation that could be filled from within, or by signing a free agent with some of the money that had been earmarked for Baz and Lowe.

The Rays are set to have Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot and Matz in their starting staff, and they could turn to Ian Seymour, Joe Boyle, Yoendrys Gómez or Jesse Scholtens to round out the group if they don’t add another arm. Someone like former Ray Zach Eflin, now a free agent, would make sense to provide innings and a veteran presence.

Lowe was due $11.5 million next year, and Baz is set for a raise in arbitration after making $1.45 million this past season. Neander said the Rays intend to use that roughly $14.5 million in financial flexibility, if they find the right fit(s) for their roster.

“I want to be careful to manage expectations, but it does create some possibilities as you look to replenish your roster, that you do have some financial flexibility to play with, certainly,” Neander said.

The big picture
The Rays’ new ownership group isn’t getting involved in baseball decisions. But it’s hard to ignore the fact that the club’s top priority at the moment is building a long-term ballpark in the Tampa Bay area that it says will be “transformative” for the franchise.

Neander acknowledged that in the context of Friday’s trades.

“We've got to be honest about our kind of current standing in this division, where we're at,” Neander said. “That is not a white flag by any means, but it means you have to be open-minded if an aggressive offer comes along that we believe strengthens us considerably for the years ahead and potentially a new ballpark.”

Along those lines, Neander went out of his way to reference the development of a younger position-player core that includes Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda, Chandler Simpson and, soon, Jacob Melton.

What do they have in common? They’ll all still be under control in 2029, the Rays’ admittedly ambitious target to move into their new home.

“Ideally, we can kind of formulate a group of talent that can be together and grow together for four to six years and turn into something special,” Neander said. “And when those things line up, we've got to take our shots and make the difficult decisions to go get those guys that we believe in.”