ST. PETERSBURG -- Ask just about anyone involved with the Rays this season what made this particular team so special, and you’re bound to hear quickly about the bond they shared in the clubhouse. President of baseball operations Erik Neander mentioned it in the opening statement of his season-ending press conference on Tuesday, saying, “The way this group came together is unlike anything that we’ve ever experienced here.”
Now, ask just about anyone involved with the Rays this season what made that particular dynamic possible, and you’re bound to hear quickly about the impact Nick Martinez made in the clubhouse.
Martinez was a stabilizing force in Tampa Bay’s rotation as the club ran all the way to the World Series, and he was the veteran presence the Rays needed to spark the unique chemistry and camaraderie that also carried them to the Fall Classic.
But he’s a free agent now, as his mutual option for next year was declined, and his career year on and off the field for Tampa Bay should give him the opportunity to pursue a larger salary or a multiyear deal this offseason.
How much of a priority will it be for the Rays to attempt to keep Martinez in the fold?
“Exceptional year between the lines, and however good you'd like to describe that and declare that, he really was even better off of it. That is something that, no matter what happens, Nick's impact will stay with a lot of these guys,” Neander said. “When you're as close as we were to getting over the hump, the Nicks, the Freddy Peraltas -- you wouldn't mind running it back with those guys, yeah, without question. So we'll see what happens.
“Just a tremendous, tremendous talent, a tremendous human. This year was an absolute blast, and he deserves as much or more credit than anybody, any singular force, for that. And yeah, that's not lost on us.”
Patching up the rotation would seem like an area of focus for the Rays this offseason, considering the youth and stability within their position player group.
Martinez and Peralta, two-fifths of their season-ending rotation, are free agents. Drew Rasmussen will be considered a trade candidate until he shows up to Spring Training in a Rays uniform, despite Neander’s comments to the contrary on Tuesday, as he’s due $20 million next year. Left-hander Shane McClanahan could also be a trade candidate, as he’s entering his final season under club control before becoming a free agent.
But Neander said the Rays feel good about the potential quintet they could roll out to start the season: Rasmussen, McClanahan, Griffin Jax, Ian Seymour and a fully healthy Ryan Pepiot, who threw a bullpen session last month to graduate from his rehab program.
“We do like the five we have, and I think being in that position going into this offseason is certainly helpful,” Neander said. “If we can strengthen them further, we absolutely will.”
Around the horn
• Reliever Edwin Uceta underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder last month, Neander said. The procedure was described as a “cleaning up of the joint,” with no more extensive repairs required. Expected to play a high-leverage role in the Rays’ bullpen, Uceta reported to Spring Training with a shoulder issue and spent the whole season on the injured list.
Uceta is expected to fully recover, Neander said, but he won’t be ready to pitch until June at the earliest.
“Every time it seemed like he had cleared hurdles to get a ball back in his hand and get going, there was a setback [and] it didn't quite feel right,” Neander said. “Cleaned it up, and we’ll give it another go next year.”
• Neander said the Rays are “not going to get into any details about the particulars” of potential extension talks with AL MVP finalist Junior Caminero, but noted: “He’s as critical a player to our success as we have.”
“There’s some players we never, ever want to let go of, and as we go along, hopefully that’s how it plays out,” Neander said.
• Playing the final game of the season forced the Rays to get a “late” start to the offseason, albeit for welcome reasons. Neander said the staff was already meeting Tuesday morning about development plans for the Rays' returning position players to take into their work this winter.
“Our job is to make sure our players have the most productive offseason possible,” he said. “We had a World Series-appearing, AL pennant-winning team [and] a lot of it is coming back. And the entirety of our focus is to make sure that those guys are as ready as they can possibly be for 2027, and that's it.”