ST. PETERSBURG -- When the Rays decided to trade Brandon Lowe to the Pirates as part of a three-team deal last month, they created a bunch of questions.
How will the Rays replace Lowe’s left-handed power? What did the deal, along with the trade that sent starter Shane Baz to Baltimore for a bevy of highly touted prospects, mean for their chances to contend in a reloaded American League East?
Most immediately, who’s going to play second base for the Rays this year?
They have options, but not necessarily an answer yet.
“These deals have opened up some questions about what our ’26 roster will look like,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “Obviously, [we] understand that publicly. That's also the case internally. That's something that I don't think is going to be solved today, right?
“But it's something that we're obviously mindful of, and we'll consider anything and everything as we go forward for how we want to address it.”
As the Rays move forward into the new year, here are a few ways they could handle second base this season:
The top internal candidate
The roster will inevitably change between now and the Rays’ March 26 opener in St. Louis, but if manager Kevin Cash had to write out a lineup tonight, it would probably have Richie Palacios at second base.
Palacios can play all over the diamond, but he has logged more professional innings at second than any other position. The 28-year-old is an athletic defender with a game built around on-base ability and speed. The left-handed hitter held his own at the plate overall with a 100 OPS+ for the Rays the past two years.
One problem: He has played only 109 games in the Majors the past two years due to injuries -- 17 in 2025. Handing the job to him would be a big bet on better health.
“A player we really appreciate, but he’s got to prove healthy,” Neander said. “It was largely a lost year. He didn’t have a whole lot of opportunity. He’s certainly a candidate internally, but we’re going to give ourselves a little bit of time to sort through it.”
Possible (but unlikely) position changes
Hey, wasn’t speedster Chandler Simpson a middle infielder at Georgia Tech? Didn’t he take a few pregame grounders in the infield late last season? And don’t the Rays have too many outfielders, specifically left-handed-hitting outfielders like Simpson?
It’s all true, and it’s a logical thought process -- but not necessarily one the Rays seem inclined to follow through. They made Simpson an outfielder upon drafting him for a reason, and he has dedicated incalculable hours to improving in that role. While his defense remains a work in progress, the upside of his elite speed on the grass seems too great to give up on after one season in the Majors.
Two other internal options involve Taylor Walls and Jonathan Aranda, currently slated to be the Rays’ starting shortstop and first baseman, respectively. Aranda has played plenty of second, but moving him would just create another opening at first base or DH, depending on what they did with Yandy Díaz. Walls can play excellent defense anywhere, so he could slide over if the Rays add a shortstop -- or if prospect Carson Williams earns the job. That’s a lot of ifs.
High-profile trade candidates
Many Rays fans undoubtedly spent the holiday season hoping for the gift of D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte, one of the game’s best at second base.
He would be an energizing addition who could stick around beyond the upcoming season, but the D-backs might not move him if nobody meets their presumably sky-high asking price. D-backs GM Mike Hazen told MLB.com reporter Steve Gilbert they are “very likely” to end Marte trade talks “shortly” and his “gut [feeling] this whole time” has been that they will retain Marte.
Don’t forget about Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan. MLB.com reporter John Denton reported during the Winter Meetings that the Mariners, Royals, Astros and Rays “have been the most aggressive suitors” for the 2025 All-Star, who posted a slash line of .287/.353/.422 in 118 games for the St. Louis last year and comes with two years of club contractual control.
Another option: Could the Rays target a younger second baseman whose period of club control better aligns with the likes of Junior Caminero, Aranda and Simpson, as well as their planned move into a new ballpark in 2029?
Free agents
It’s not exactly a star-studded class of middle infielders, aside from former Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette. But there are some potentially helpful veterans available, including Willi Castro, Jose Iglesias, Dylan Moore, Ramón Urías, Luis Rengifo, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jorge Mateo.