The Rays and veteran righty Nick Martinez are in agreement on a deal, per Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Boras Corporation client's deal is pending a physical. Martinez is the second free agent swingman whom the Rays have added this offseason. They signed lefty Steven Matz to a two-year, $15MM deal at the Winter Meetings.
Hudson began his pro career as a sixth-round pick for the Reds in the 2012 draft, and his MLB career consisted of 19 games over parts of four seasons. The catcher suited up for the Angels, Cardinals, and Mariners during the 2018-20 seasons, and after three full years in the minors, Hudson returned to the Show for a single appearance with the Mets during the 2024 campaign. Over Hudson's 33 plate appearances, he hit .167/.219/.200 with one double and one RBI.
Born in a Montréal suburb, Pitre attended Félix-Leclerc Secondary School and went undrafted in his first season of eligibility. Honouring his commitment to the University of Kentucky, the middle infielder appeared in just 11 games in his freshman season. He got more playing time in 2023, slashing .318/.440/.413 with a home run in 281 plate appearances for a 104 wRC+.
The Seattle Mariners are nearing a deal to acquire infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals as part of a three-way trade that also includes Tampa Bay Rays, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Ahead of the 2018 trade deadline, the Phillies sent Waguespack to the Blue Jays in exchange for Aaron Loup, with Waguespack earning a look with the Jays the following season. Over 16 outings in the big leagues in 2019, Waguespack made 13 starts and posted a 4.38 ERA and 4.91 FIP in 78 innings pitched. Unfortunately, the right-handed pitcher struggled the following season in his 11 appearances, being DFA'ed. That was his last action in the big leagues with the Jays.
The Rays rarely make major forays into the free agent market, and it was widely assumed that Realmuto would eventually return to Philadelphia. Beyond these two points, however, it makes plenty of sense why the Rays would've checked in Realmuto, given both their needs behind the plate and the fact that Realmuto lingered on the open market until mid-January. Had the Phillies successfully signed Bo Bichette, for instance, Realmuto's chances of a reunion might've gotten a lot slimmer, leaving the door open for the Rays (or another catcher-needy team) to swoop in with an offer.
In the 19 years between 1993 and 2011, the Red Sox didn't finish in last place in the division a single time. In the 14 years since 2011, they finished in last 6 times. The lean Chaim Bloom years were intended, according to Fenway Sports Group, to serve as something of a resent to avoid the "boom and bust" cycles that we've seen over the last decade.
The Tigers and Rays announced a trade that sends outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy to Tampa Bay for cash considerations. Detroit had designated him for assignment before the holiday DFA freeze when they officially re-signed reliever Kyle Finnegan.
It's hard to ever really know what the Rays are planning. Are they thinking two steps ahead, and this is all lining up for them to move three prospects to bring in an even better, more cost-controlled major leaguer than the ones they sent out? Did they look around the division and see the entire AL East* loading up, realize that they have absolutely no chance of competing in 2026, and therefore punt to 2027?
A longtime Baltimore Oriole, Mullins spent eight seasons with the club that drafted him in 2015 before he was dealt to the New York Mets at last year's trade deadline in exchange for three players. Between both squads, Mullins posted a .216/.299/.391 slash line with 23 doubles, 17 home runs, and 59 RBIs to the tune of a .690 OPS. Following the trade, Mullins struggled with the Mets, producing a .565 OPS with a .284 OBP down the stretch with New York, who eventually missed out on the playoffs.
Rooney elected minor league free agency after being outrighted by the Astros at the beginning of the offseason. The 28-year-old had a brief stint with Houston, who acquired him from the Marlins in a small trade in August. The Astros called him up for his big league debut three weeks later. Rooney struck out two of six batters faced while giving up a solo home run to Luis Vázquez in his only appearance.
The Rays announced that first baseman Bob Seymour has been released to pursue an opportunity in Asia. No details were provided about which team or country he is heading to. He was already off the 40-man roster, as he was designated for assignment last week. Seymour, 27, has spent his entire professional career with the Rays thus far. A 13th-round pick from the 2021 draft, he crushed homers throughout his minor league career but also struck out quite a bit.
The Mets have interviewed Padres third base/infield coach Tim Leiper for an unspecified role on New York's coaching staff, according to The Athletic's Tim Britton. SNY's Andy Martino reported yesterday that the Mets were nearing a hire for their third base coach vacancy, so it would seem logical that Leiper might be the one being tapped as Mike Sarbaugh's replacement.
The catching position in Tampa has been a revolving door for many years now. Mike Zunino got the majority of the playing time back there in the 2019 to 2022 stretch but his performance tailed off in the final year of that span. In 2023, the Rays used Francisco Mejia, Christian Bethancourt and without any of those three taking firm hold of the job.
"It's an incredible honor to become the stewards of the Tampa Bay Rays, a franchise with a proud history and a bright future," Zalupski said in a statement. "We're all energized by the responsibility to serve Rays fans everywhere and this great game. ... We will work hard to earn the respect and confidence of our fans and new MLB partners, and we are excited about the upcoming challenge to deliver a world-class experience on and off the field."
A new daily talk show, "Florida Matters: Live & Local," has debuted on WUSF 89.7. For more than two decades, "Florida Matters" brought newsmakers and others to your radio for a half-hour each week. Well, now an hour of "Live & Local" will air Monday through Thursday at noon. In addition to interviewing studio guests, host Matthew Peddie will take calls and emails so you can be part of the discussion.
