Rays Slugger Listed As Potential Trade Target For Mariners This Offseason

It has been a engaged wintertime truthful acold for nan Tampa Bay Rays, but nan guidance of nan squad still remains a spot of an unknown. 

Coming into nan winter, nan Rays figured to beryllium a squad that was going to beryllium looking to compete successful 2026. Despite finishing 8 games nether nan .500 mark, they had a affirmative tally differential, indicating that they should person seen much wins. Furthermore, a mates of injuries to cardinal players successful nan 2nd half of nan twelvemonth besides impacted them. 

To commencement nan offseason, they looked for illustration a squad that was going to beryllium fierce pinch a mates of notable free supplier signings successful Cedric Mullins and Steven Matz. These were surely moves made to thief triumph now, but nan moves that followed indicated otherwise. 

Even though trading Brandon Lowe and Shane Baz resulted successful a beardown return, it didn’t make Tampa Bay amended for 2026, and nan statement tin beryllium made that they are now importantly worse pursuing nan nonaccomplishment of Lowe, especially. Now, it will beryllium absorbing to spot if nan squad elects to proceed to waste and acquisition seasoned talent, and they person a very appealing slugger still connected nan roster.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report precocious wrote astir Rays slugger Yandy Diaz being a imaginable action for nan Seattle Mariners to thief amended their offense. 

Diaz Makes Sense For Mariners

While Diaz mightiness beryllium best-suited arsenic a designated hitter now, that tin beryllium adjuvant for Seattle, who is still seeking violative improvements. With nan signing of Josh Naylor to a semipermanent woody early successful nan offseason, location isn’t overmuch of a request for Diaz to beryllium playing immoderate first guidelines too a imaginable remainder time for Naylor. 

As nan highest-paid subordinate connected nan Rays, Diaz is undoubtedly going to beryllium a imaginable waste and acquisition candidate, and he could beryllium an effect summation for a squad for illustration nan Mariners. In 2025, he slashed .300/.366/.482 pinch 25 location runs and 83 successful 150 games played. It was a awesome run for nan slugger, and he was 1 of nan champion interaction hitters successful shot pinch his .300 batting average. 

For nan Rays, nan imaginable trading of Diaz would undoubtedly beryllium a spot of waving nan achromatic emblem connected competing successful 2026. This is simply a lineup that, moreover pinch him, has immoderate noticeable weaknesses correct now, and trading Diaz would beryllium different important blow. 

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