Former first-round pick Dylan Carlson among 4 Rays non-tendered before deadline

It was a hectic night for MLB news as the non-tender deadline saw 25 teams let go of at least one of their players. The Rays surprisingly chose to avoid contract talks with four of their ten remaining arbitration-eligible players.

The four players that the Rays front office decided to non-tender were outfielder, Dylan Carlson and left-handed pitchers, Tyler Alexander, Richard Lovelady, and Colin Poche. Of these four, the least surprising are left-handed pitchers, Tyler Alexander and Richard Lovelady.

Lovelady was designated for assignment a few day prior, so his fate was set before the deadline. However, the decision to non-tender Alexander was released last night. The former Detroit Tiger was a major contributor for the Rays in 2024, as he made an appearance in over 100 innings. Although, he put up pedestrian numbers, recording a 5.10 ERA and allowing a career-high 23 home runs.

Rays fans may have been at least a little shocked about the verdict on reliever, Colin Poche and switch-hitting outfielder, Dylan Carlson.

Poche was originally drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 14th round of the 2016 draft. Arizona traded the left-hander to the Rays in 2018 and he quickly made his major league debut the following season. The Texas native struggled at first with consistency and a major injury that sidelined him for the entirety of the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

Regardless, Poche returned better than ever and had the most productive season of his career in 2023, as he finished second on the team with 12 wins as a relief pitcher. Right-handed starter, Zach Eflin was the only member of the staff with more victories that season with a total of 16. Poche will surely be missed in the Rays bullpen, but this decision opens up the opportunity to add other relievers to the roster.

Lastly, left fielder, Dylan Carlson was also non-tendered by the Rays last night. Tampa Bay acquired him through a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2024 deadline.

We believe that flurry of trades that transpired last summer were primarily set in motion to decrease payroll and start a rebuild of some sort. Nonetheless, Rays fans started to see the potential that Carlson exhibited as he was trying to build off of his remarkable rookie season in 2021. Unfortunately, It hasn't panned out for the 26-year old as he has hit a lackluster .225 since his first season in the majors.

Despite the disappointing news, the Rays have now opened up three spots on their 40-man roster because of last night's drops. With a full offseason ahead of them, the options are plentiful via free agency or trade, as they look to strengthen the core competition.