Rays: 16 Things to Look Forward To in 2016

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Apr 6, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg prior to the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Number Thirteen Thing to Look Forward to: Financial Flexibility

I know it sounds wrong. It definitely felt weird to write. But the Rays are actually in a decent financial position heading into 2016. Their current obligations for 2016 stand at $29.7 million and their arbitration cases add up to $33 million, for a total of $62.7 million.

Some of the remainder will go to league minimum players ($6-7 million), leaving the Rays $5-6 million below where they have been in spending over the last 2 seasons. That could possibly go up if the Rays lock up Odorizzi to an extension, but it wouldn’t be by a huge amount for 2016.

Now, $5-6 million doesn’t sound like much, and it isn’t much, but when you consider the few needs of the team and add in the possibility – or likeliness – of trades, you get a better feeling about there situation. If the Rays deal any of Jake McGee ($4.7m), James Loney ($9.67m), Logan Morrison ($4.1m), Matt Moore ($5.1m), and Desmond Jennings ($3.1m) would automatically create flexility for the team.

Some are easier to move than others at this point, but overall, the Rays at the least have some financial flexibility for the 2016 season.

Next: Number Fourteen Thing to Look Forward to: International Progress