The Tampa Bay Rays may have a familiar offseason puzzle on their hands: how to make room for Nick Martinez if they decide they want him back.
Martinez is back on the market after the Rays declined his 2027 mutual option, sending him into free agency for the second straight winter. His value figures to be higher this time around after he earned his first All-Star nomination with Tampa Bay and gave the club steady production throughout the year.
If the Rays want to reunite with him, they may need to clear space in the rotation. Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reported that Tampa Bay could put some of its starting pitching into trade conversations, with Shane McClanahan and Ryan Pepiot named as possible chips.
“The Tampa Bay Rays plan to keep ace Drew Rasmussen, who’s one year away from free agency, but could trade Shane McClanahan or Ryan Pepiot to fit in the return of free agent starter Nick Martinez,” Nightengale wrote.
Drew Rasmussen already looks locked in for 2027 after Tampa Bay picked up his $20 million option, a move that made him a trade candidate in some eyes. Still, Erik Neander has said the Rays plan to have Rasmussen lead the rotation in 2027, which would also make him the highest-paid player for a single season in franchise history.
That leaves McClanahan and Pepiot as the more realistic names to watch if the Rays decide Martinez is worth the shuffle. Tampa Bay has built up enough pitching depth to at least entertain the idea, with Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour having made successful transitions into the rotation. Ty Johnson and Brody Hopkins are also possibilities, even though their Major League debuts came as relievers.
McClanahan returned to the mound in 2026 after missing nearly two years because of injury, but he is entering the final year of team control. Clubs have also been wary of paying a premium for players who could hit free agency after the 2027 season.
Pepiot presents a different kind of decision. He missed the entire 2026 season, which makes his market value harder to pin down, but he remains under team control through 2028 and won’t reach free agency until after the 2028 season.
Before the injury, Pepiot was a major piece for Tampa Bay in 2024 and 2025. Over those two seasons, he made 57 starts, posted a 3.75 ERA across 297.2 innings, struck out 309 batters, walked 109, and finished with a 4.3 bWAR.
In Other News...
Rays Fans Wont Love Where This Former Tampa Bay Bat Landed
Jake Bauers is headed back into the American League East, and this time it comes with a twist Rays fans probably wont enjoy. After helping the Milwaukee Brewers win the World Series and earning National League Championship Series MVP honors along the way, Bauers reportedly agreed to a four-year, $58 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, giving a division rival a proven left-handed bat.
For Tampa Bay, it is another reminder of how quickly the offseason can reshape the balance of power in the division. Boston is clearly looking to strengthen its lineup, and adding a player who just played a major role in a championship run only raises the stakes for everyone else in the AL East. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Have A Real Snub Debate After Awards Night
The Rays had one of those seasons that usually leaves some hardware in the case, but awards night went by without a single trophy for Tampa Bay. After finishing with the best record in the American League at 98-64, the club had a presence in several major races, with Junior Caminero, Bryan Baker and Kevin Cash all drawing enough attention to reach finalist status.
Caminero ended up second in AL MVP voting without a first-place vote, Baker placed third in the reliever race and Cash was runner-up for Manager of the Year, yet none of them walked away with the prize. For a team that spent the year stacking wins and putting together one of the leagues strongest resumes, the blank finish across the board only sharpened the debate over how the Rays were viewed compared with the rest of the American League. [Read more 🡒]
Junior Caminero Just Put The Rays In Rare MVP Company
Junior Caminero did not take home the American League MVP award, but his runner-up finish still put the Rays in a place they do not visit often. The Baseball Writers Association of America announced the 2026 winner as Houstons Yordan Alvarez, with Kansas Citys Bobby Witt Jr. third, and Camineros second-place showing gave Tampa Bay a real seat at the table in a race dominated by star power.
For a Rays club that has long built around development and value, having one of its own finish that high in the voting says plenty about where Caminero has arrived. Alvarezs season was the standard, with a .316/.432/.601 line and league-leading marks across the board, but Camineros place just behind him gives Tampa Bay a fresh reminder that its next wave can still break through on the sports biggest individual stage. [Read more 🡒]