3 Rays players who won't be back after World Series loss to Brewers

With the World Series in the books, the Tampa Bay Rays will turn their attention to the offseason. Work on seeing what can put them over the top in 2027 is underway.

Part of that will be deciding who won't be part of the plan for next season, so they came to make room for those who will come in.

Here are three players who likely won't be back next season. For one reason or another, the Rays will likely opt to seek other options.

Gavin Lux

There's a chance you completely forgot he was on the team. The last time he played in a Rays uniform was on March 22 in spring training. He hasn't played in a game since. He was dealt two different injuries, and it meant just 28 games played for Triple-A Durham.

He made $5.5 million this year. The Rays would likely prefer to put that money elsewhere.

Lux also plays positions that are essentially taken by other players, mainly second base and left field. It's unlikely he could be viewed as an alternative at shortstop.

Cedric Mullins

Mullins has a mutual option that would give him a pay raise from $7 million to $10 million, according to Spotrac. It's hard to see the Rays picking up their end of the deal.

In 137 games played this season, he batted .208 with a .628 OPS. He's had just five trips to the plate during the entire postseason. What was aimed to be a stealth pickup just didn't pan out that way. It was worth a shot, even if things could have been better.

The Rays managed just fine in the outfield with Jonny DeLuca in center field. They have options to work with as they search for other potential help on the open market.

Jorge Mateo

He was nice defensive addition who makes for a great pinch runner. The Braves opted to designate him for assignment, and the Rays brought him along on their march to the World Series.

One incentive to bring him back would be that he's cheap. Spotrac projects his market value to be $1 million. If the Rays want to pay that for some depth, it's their choice, but that's all he'd be.

In 84 trips to the plate, he batted .141 with a .386 OPS. The Rays are likely going to move on.

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