Rays face 1pm deadline with five arbitration eligible players
Shane Baz and four other Rays are eligible for arbitration
Today is the deadline for teams and arbitration eligible players to come to an agreement regarding salaries for the 2025 season.
Entering the offseason, the Rays had 12 players eligible for arbitration, and the team has resolved seven of those contracts: The Rays non-tendered Colin Poche, Tyler Alexander, Dylan Carlson, and Richard Lovelady. They came to an agreement on a contract with Cole Sulser in November. Jose Siri was traded to the New York Mets. Most recently, Drew Rasmussen was signed to a two year deal with an optional contract extension.
That leaves five remaining players.
Here they are, with their MLB Trade Rumors projected arbitration salaries followed by what year of arbitration they are going through.
- Zack Littell - $4.8M - (arb year 3)
- Shane Baz - $1.9M - (1*)
- Garrett Cleavinger - $1.4M - (1)
- Taylor Walls - $1.3M - (1)
- Ben Rortvedt - $1.1M - (1)
Shane Baz is a super two player, meaning he gets to go through four years of arbitration*
The deadline is 1 pm for an agreement to be reached. The Rays, and the majority of Major League Baseball teams, operate under a file and trial system, meaning that if they are unable to come to terms today, they will no longer attempt to make a deal with the player.
Last year, the Rays went to arbitration hearings with two players: Jason Adam and Harold Ramirez. Neither are with the organization today. Any arbitration hearings generally take place shortly before spring training.