The Rays are among the more interesting bubble teams with the deadline eight Caris LeVert Jersey days off. Tampa Bay entered todays series finale with the Yankees at 50-49. They dropped the game 9-1, putting them back to .500. Todays lo s knocked Tampa Bay five games behind the Royals, who hold the final Wild Card spot in the American League. The Red Sox and Mariners also sit between the Rays and the last playoff spot. Theyre 10.5 back with three teams to jump in the AL East, so its almost certainly Wild Card or bust. A five-game deficit certainly isnt insurmountable, but its not an easy gap to close either (especially with multiple teams to jump). MLB.coms Mark Feinsand last night that the Rays are expected to both buy and sell at the deadline. Presumably, thatd take the form of shopping players on more expensive salaries and/or a dwindling control window while exploring acquisitions of MLB-ready talent that could aid the Rays in a longer shot playoff push this season and contribute to the 2025 roster. Tampa Bays front office is plenty familiar with trying to strike that balance as they look to remain annually competitive despite bottom five player payrolls. The Rays have no shortage of veterans whod generate interest. The Rays had five players on MLBTRs initial list of Top 50 trade candidates last week: , , , and . Thered be a ton of interest in if the Rays genuinely considered moving their All-Star third baseman. wrote last week that the Rays are willing to listen on Paredes, though theres nothing to suggest thats more than the organizations standard openne s to talking about every player. and are each making between $8MM and $9MM and would be appealing targets in a light infield market. has had a nice rebound season after signing a surprisingly low $1.5MM free agent deal. Hes headed back to free agency next winter and offers multi-positional versatility and plus contact skills from the right side. Virtually every contender could squeeze him onto the roster and in their payroll ledger. Tampa Bay certainly isnt going to trade everyone from that group. The Rays have never been keen on completely tearing down the roster and embarking on multi-year rebuilds. Theyre not far enough from the playoff mix to make that advisable regardle s. Yet itd be surprising if the Rays didnt at least move one or two veterans. Rosario, as their only impending free agent of note, is the most obvious candidate. The front office is clearly willing to deal some players under team control beyond this season, as evidenced by their trade of starter (who is eligible for arbitration for the final time next winter) to Milwaukee. wrote this morning that the Rays could be more apt to trade players who are going yearly through arbitration than to deal those playing on guaranteed contracts. Arozarena, Paredes, Littell and Adam fall into the first bucket. Fairbanks, Daz and Lowe have signed extensions, while Eflin joined Tampa Bay on a three-year free agent deal. Theres not much difference between players on guaranteed contracts versus arbitration salaries in practice, but The Athletic writes that the Rays could feel more of an obligation to hold the players who have committed to the franchise for multiple seasons. While thats a po sible factor, itd be surprising if the Rays drew too rigid a distinction. Tampa Bay traded and each of whom had signed an extension to the Dodgers last winter. Glasnows deal sent him close to home on the West Coast and came in conjunction with another extension with L.A.; the Dodgers flipped Margot to Minnesota within a few weeks. Tampa Bay traded within two years of signing him to a five-year extension back in December 2020. Eflin ($11MM), Lowe ($8.75MM) and Daz ($8MM) have the highest salaries among players on multi-year deals. Arozarenas $8.1MM salary is by far the highest of Tampa Bays group of players on arbitration deals. Eflin will make $18MM next year in the final season of his backloaded contract. Daz is set to make $10MM next season on a deal that has a $12MM team option for 2026. The Rays hold club options on Lowe (valued at $10.5MM and $11.5MM, respectively) for the next two seasons. Arozarena is set to go through arbitration twice more, while Paredes is eligible for arbitration through the 27 campaign. Hell certainly be in line for a lofty raise on this years $3.4MM salary. Fairbanks, Adam, Rosario and Littell are all on modest salaries; Fairbanks $3.666MM figure is the highest of the bunch. All but Rosario are under contract or club control for at least another season. If the Rays ultimately straddle the line between buying and selling, theyre fairly well positioned to deal from their rotation and infield. return from Tommy John surgery was one motive for the Civale trade. The Rays could welcome back and over the next couple months and will get back in 2025 perhaps le sening the sting of a deal involving Eflin or Littell. Upper level infielders like and top prospect could make it easier to part with Lowe. Thats arguably also true of Paredes, although itd have been an easier sell if Caminero hadnt had two extended injured list stints in Triple-A this year because of quad i sues. Tampa Bay doesnt have as much long-term stability in the outfield, particularly if they move Arozarena at some point. At catcher, theyve gotten good production this year out of but could still look for a clearer long-term answer. Tampa Bays typically excellent bullpen has been an unexpected i sue this season, so thats another area where the Rays may look to add. Landry Shamet Jersey