ST. PETERSBURG -- Shortstop Taylor Walls won a Gold Glove Award on Sunday night, an overdue honor and a strong reminder of his value to the Rays.
The Rays rewarded Walls’ work and issued another reminder of how much they appreciate his defensive excellence by exercising his $3.1 million club option for the 2027 season.
The Rays made a handful of other moves on Monday, most notably selecting the contracts of hard-throwing reliever Alexander Alberto and outfielder Jack Suwinski to add them to the 40-man roster.
Alberto, 25, finished the season with Triple-A Durham and has a chance to impact Tampa Bay’s bullpen next season with his triple-digit cutter. Suwinski was acquired from the Dodgers prior to the Trade Deadline to improve the Rays’ MLB-ready outfield depth and finished the season with Durham. Selecting both kept them from becoming Minor League free agents.
Additionally, infielder Nick Madrigal cleared waivers and elected free agency, and right-hander Jonathan Heasley became a Minor League free agent after clearing waivers. The Rays also traded Minor League right-hander Evan Reifert to the Astros for cash considerations.
With the offseason now underway, the Rays have 39 players on their 40-man roster.
Walls’ option year was tacked onto his $2.45 million contract for this past season, which also came in the form of a club option. He would have remained arbitration-eligible and under club control even if the Rays had declined his option, but Monday’s decision sets his salary for next year before he enters free agency heading into the 2028 campaign.
Walls is a career .200/.291/.298 hitter, but his glove -- more specifically, his instincts, anticipation, knowledge, actions, range and reliability at shortstop -- made him one of Tampa Bay’s most valuable players. Walls totaled 3.5 Wins Above Replacement for the American League champion Rays this year, according to Baseball-Reference, due in large part to the incredible work he did in the field.
Walls is also coming off his healthiest season in some time. The 30-year-old played 124 games, his highest total since playing 142 in 2022.
The Rays’ other four pending contract option decisions were previously addressed.
Designated hitter Yandy Díaz had a $13 million option for 2027, which was added in Spring Training, that vested when he reached 500 plate appearances in August. That deal is now officially in place for next season.
The Rays on Saturday exercised ace Drew Rasmussen’s $20 million club option for next season, providing him with some financial certainty and the security of not having to deal with free agency. But it doesn’t guarantee that Rasmussen will be back in Tampa Bay’s rotation with a franchise-record single-season salary next year, as he could still be traded.
As expected, Tampa Bay quickly declined its mutual options with starter Nick Martinez and center fielder Cedric Mullins. That left Walls as the last option-related decision to make before Monday’s deadline.
But there were other matters to address on Monday, five days after the Rays lost the World Series to the Brewers by dropping Game 5 at Tropicana Field. The 60-day injured list is not in effect during the offseason, so the Rays had to reinstate or part with four players who finished the season on the 60-day IL.
Starter Ryan Pepiot, reliever Edwin Uceta and outfield prospect Jacob Melton were reinstated, meaning they once again have spots on the Rays’ 40-man roster, while Heasley -- who made just one appearance in May before sustaining a season-ending elbow injury -- was removed.
Pepiot, Uceta and Melton did not play for the Rays this past season. Uceta was sidelined by a shoulder injury at the beginning of Spring Training and never made it back. Pepiot made it through the spring but couldn’t pitch through a hip issue that required season-ending surgery; he graduated from the rehabilitation phase of his recovery and should have a normal offseason.
Melton was healthy enough to play 45 games for Triple-A Durham, but various injuries -- and the emergence of right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. -- kept the 26-year-old from debuting for the Rays. He finished the season on the 60-day IL due to a right hamstring strain.
Separately, the Rays re-signed right-hander Kodi Whitley to a Minor League contract with a non-roster invitation to Spring Training. Whitley, 31, posted a 2.81 ERA in 32 innings over 25 appearances for Triple-A Durham this year.