It’s 2026 and Rays Reacts is back!
It’s a whole new phase of Rays baseball. The Tropicana Field roof is getting fixed (with the Rays set to return home in April after a weird 2025 at Steinbrenner Field), and we’ve got new ownership in town led by Patrick Zalupski and his group, who closed the deal back in September 2025 after buying the team from Stuart Sternberg for $1.7 billion.
So let’s talk about the elephant in the room: spending.
For years, the Rays have punched above their weight with one of the lowest payrolls in MLB, relying on smart trades, elite player development, and that signature innovation to make deep playoff runs. It’s been impressive, when it worked. Lately the process has just left fans frustrated as the teams stars get shipped out just as they’re hitting their prime without the promise of playoff baseball in the near term.
New ownership means there might be the promise of new opportunities via free agency to repair what’s been broken by the various trades. So does new ownership mean more money?
52% of y’all believe the new ownership signals it’s time for the Rays to enter a “Big Spender” era.
This was tongue in cheek, we all know the new ownership group also has to pay for a current stadium and a new stadium, but many of y’all want to see the team invest more aggressively to build a sustainable contender now.
Yet, there’s skepticism too…
Only 14% think the front office will make a significant signing this offseason; that’s understandable. So far this winter, the Rays have made some solid but very modest moves.
With arbitration settled for most players and the free agency dam ready to break any moment, there should be room to spend a little more. Putting less than $100 million into the payroll these days puts this baseball team in the bottom tier of spenders — and right now the roster is around $78 million, which is less than a third of the first luxury tax threshold.
It’s reasonable to expect the Rays should be able to add, and it will be interesting if they can add given some expectations that the Rays might finish last in the AL East. If you disagree with that assessment, head over to FanDuel — who sponsored this post — and bet the over!
Cheers and Go Rays.
