Projecting the legitimate worth of Rays arbitration-eligible relief pitchers

For this offseason, the Rays have 12 arbitration-eligible players which is tied for the 4th most in the MLB. Arbitration is a process where players and their respective organizations negotiate the athlete's salary for the upcoming season. Both sides have until January 10th to come to a salary agreement for 2025.

By November 22, the Rays must decide which players they are going to tender, or retain, for next season. Any player who is non-tendered will become a free agent immediately. Now, we're going to breakdown the Rays arbitration candidates and their likely fate.

A few notable cases are four of the Rays left-handed relievers. Left-handed pitching, especially in the bullpen, is immensely important. Therefore, the Rays need to be very careful how they handle the arbitration processes with Colin Poche, Tyler Alexander, Garrett Cleavinger, and Richard Lovelady.

Cleavinger was the most productive hurler of the group in 2024 as he manufactured a 3.75 ERA over 60 innings. The University of Oregon product has been a steady contributor in the Rays bullpen since 2022 as he has amassed a 3.38 ERA over that span. The Rays acquisition of the hard-throwing lefty revived his young career.

We believe that the 30-year old is worth around $2 million. However, according to MLB Trade Rumors, Cleavinger may have a $1.4 million arbitration salary. Hopefully he will decide to stay with the Rays regardless, due to his success in with the organization.

Tyler Alexander is another solid left-handed arm in the Rays bullpen. Actually, Alexander even started nine games this past season and finished with a 6-5 record. His most notable performance came in Toronto where he threw 8.1 perfect innings en route to a win.

The crafty lefty is projected to receive a $2.8 million arbitration salary and we agree with this figure. Nevertheless, Alexander would certainly be welcomed back for another year with the Rays.

Poche and Lovelady are two more competent bullpen pieces. However, Lovelady hasn't quite shown his worth yet in a Rays jersey. Acquired via a trade deadline deal with the Chicago Cubs, the 29-year old went 3-5 with a 3.77 ERA. If we had to non-tender one of these bullpen arms, Lovelady should be the obvious choice.

Colin Poche proved himself during the 2023 campaign where he finished with a remarkable 12-3 win-loss record and a 2.23 ERA as a long reliever. The 30-year old had to battle through a few injuries that limited his innings, but he still recorded a 3.86 ERA.

In conclusion, the Rays front office has some key decisions to make in arbitration over the next few months. These four relievers could be essential components in the formidable back-end of the Rays pitching staff.