The Rays’ offense is getting a big-stage spotlight, and two very different bats are at the center of it.
Junior Caminero and Chandler Simpson have both been named finalists for the American League Silver Slugger Awards, giving Tampa Bay a pair of chances to add hardware after a season that ended with a 98-64 record, an American League East title and the league’s top postseason seed. The Rays are also finalists for Offensive Team of the Year.
Caminero’s season looked like the kind that puts a young slugger on the map for good. The 23-year-old third baseman hit .276 with 42 home runs, 101 RBIs and 100 runs scored while appearing in all 162 games. He also posted a .360 on-base percentage and an .884 OPS, numbers that helped him land his second straight All-Star nod and a spot as one of three finalists for American League Most Valuable Player.
Even with three fewer home runs than he had in 2025, Caminero’s overall production took a step forward. The biggest jump came in his plate discipline and ability to reach base, with his on-base percentage climbing from .311 in 2025 to .360 this season.
He’ll be up against Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas, who finished the regular season with 33 home runs and an .837 OPS.
Simpson’s case looks nothing like Caminero’s, but it’s every bit as compelling. He hit .306 and led the American League with 46 stolen bases, giving Tampa Bay a different kind of offensive threat. He did not homer at all during the season, yet still did enough to earn a place among the league’s top outfielders.
That makes his candidacy unusual in Silver Slugger history. The award has long favored power, and only two non-pitchers have ever won it without hitting a home run in the regular season: Pete Rose in 1981 and Ozzie Smith in 1987.
Simpson now has a chance to join that short list, though the competition is steep. Among the outfielders in the mix are former Rays star Randy Arozarena, Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger and Riley Greene. Three outfielders will ultimately take home the award.
The winners will be announced November 17.
In Other News...
Rays Now Face A Tough Reality With Nick Martinez
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The Rays now have to reckon with a familiar reality: a pitcher who has repeatedly kept his options open is likely to remain expensive if he reaches the market again. Martinez is expected to be a free agent in 2027 at age 36, and the industry view is that his next contract could still carry a meaningful annual price tag over a relatively short term. For Tampa Bay, the question is less about whether he can still help and more about whether they can keep pace with the market when the next decision arrives. [Read more 🡒]
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There is plenty of intrigue beyond the obvious pitching questions, too, because Tampa Bays decisions will not be made in a vacuum. Analysts are already weighing possible trade scenarios and the clubs broader roster priorities, while the conversation around the Rays future has even spilled into award speculation for Kevin Cash, Bryan Baker and Junior Caminero after the 2026 season. For a team that usually lives on the edge of every roster move, this winter could shape more than just the next opening day group. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Suddenly Loom Over One Major Rotation Decision
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Freddy Peralta is one of the names hanging over that picture, and the market points toward a departure that would leave a real hole in the rotation picture. Tampa Bay also has other arms headed toward free agency, so the front office is staring at another familiar challenge: how to replace proven innings without slipping out of contention, and how aggressively it will need to act if it wants to keep the staff from thinning out further. [Read more 🡒]