The Rays’ latest run to the ALCS came with a familiar Tampa Bay twist: a handful of under-the-radar moves turning into real October value.
Bryan Baker, Kevin Kelly, Victor Mesa Jr., Liam Hicks and Nick Martinez all played major roles in the club’s postseason push, and The Athletic’s Will Sammon dug into how the Rays went about finding and landing that group. Kelly arrived as a Rule 5 Draft pick from the Rockies in 2022.
Martinez was the outlier in cost, signing a one-year, $13MM free-agent deal last winter. Baker came from the Orioles for a Competitive Balance Round draft pick in July 2025, Mesa was acquired from the Marlins in a quieter deal last February, and Hicks came over from Miami again at this year’s trade deadline.
Martinez is the only one of that group carrying a meaningful price tag. The other four are set to make less than $4MM combined in salary in 2026.
For a team that has built its identity on finding value where other clubs don’t, it’s a striking return - and a reminder of how well Tampa Bay’s scouting, analytics and development machine keeps humming. If the Rays can finish the job and win the franchise’s first World Series this fall, that process will have paid off on the biggest stage possible.
Elsewhere in the division, Boston apparently had its eye on another catcher before making the bigger splash for Adley Rutschman. WEEI’s Rob Bradford reports the Red Sox pushed to acquire Hunter Feduccia before Tampa Bay sent him to the Dodgers. Feduccia became available once Hicks was added, and he would have been a fit only in a limited role in Boston anyway, given his .205/.303/.284 line across 370 Major League plate appearances.
Feduccia had spent a long stretch in the Dodgers organization before Tampa Bay dealt him there at the 2025 deadline. Los Angeles then brought him back amid injuries to both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing.
He has stayed in the backup role behind Smith through the NLDS, while Rushing has been unable to catch because of a partial UCL tear in his throwing elbow. Feduccia is under team control through 2031, which leaves open the possibility that Boston could circle back this winter if it wants to move on from Connor Wong as Rutschman’s backup.
On the Orioles’ side, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko looked at the bullpen picture and suggested both Andrew Kittredge and Keegan Akin may be on their way out in free agency. Akin’s situation is complicated by the Tommy John surgery he underwent this past July, and Kubatko noted he may not pitch at all in 2027. Even so, that could give Baltimore a reason to consider a low-cost two-year deal that pushes most of the money into 2028, when Akin would presumably be healthy again.
Kittredge, meanwhile, missed the first month because of shoulder inflammation but still turned in a strong year, posting a 3.54 ERA over 48 1/3 relief innings with a 5.1% walk rate. The concern is that his strikeout rate fell sharply from 2025 to 2026, and he’s heading into his age-37 season.
In Other News...
Red Sox May Not Be As Set At Catcher As Fans Think
As the Red Sox sort through their offseason priorities, the conversation is not limited to the obvious needs on the roster. Power, a left-handed reliever and possibly a right-handed starter are all on the list, but catcher is quietly hanging around as a spot worth watching even after Boston's move for Adley Rutschman before the deadline seemed to stabilize things behind the plate.
The backup role is where the uncertainty lingers. Boston showed interest in Hunter Feduccia as a secondary option, a reminder that the club is still looking for ways to deepen the catching group rather than simply treating it as a settled position. With Feduccia off the board, the Red Sox may need to keep that market on their radar a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Face A Sonny Gray Decision That Could Shape 2027
Sonny Gray has made it clear he is not thinking about winding down anytime soon. After finishing the 2026 season with career-best numbers, the veteran right-hander said he intends to keep pitching in 2027, keeping alive the possibility of another run at a World Series, whether that comes in Boston or somewhere else.
For the Red Sox, the decision point is straightforward but consequential. Gray is under contract with a mutual option for 2027, and the club now has to decide whether to keep that door open or let him head toward free agency. It is the kind of roster call that can ripple beyond one winter, especially for a team that has invested in making itself relevant again and may soon have to choose how much it values a proven arm at a critical stage of its plan. [Read more 🡒]
Wilyer Abreu Still Has One Problem The Red Sox Cant Ignore
Wilyer Abreu gave the Red Sox just about everything they could ask for in 2026: a career-high workload, 24 home runs and elite defense in right field, where he led the league with 28 Defensive Runs Saved. He also showed growth in a few encouraging offensive areas, from power to walks to contact, which made his everyday role feel more secure as Boston leaned on him for production and steadiness over the long haul.
Still, the year did not come with a clean offensive finish, and that matters for a club trying to push deeper in October. Abreus production was uneven from month to month, and the same issues surfaced again in the playoffs, when the Red Sox struggled to score enough in the Wild Card Round and could not fully count on his bat to carry over the way his glove did. [Read more 🡒]