Rays' fans hope to follow in Tarik Skubal's footsteps with Edwin Uceta's arbitration

If you haven't received the notification yet, Tarik Skubal's record-breaking arbitration appeal came to a conclusion. The two-time Cy Young award winner was asking for $32 million in the upcoming season, while the Tigers low-balled his contract at a mere $19 million. Every baseball fan was attentive to the results of this process as the record for a player winning arbitration was overwhelmingly on the balance. Now, the Rays don't have quite the comparison here in terms of dollar amount with the difference between the two asking prices sitting at only $300,000. However, if the process finishes in a similar fashion, then the Rays will be able to move forward with their probable closer.

Skubal's 17.9 WAR in his six seasons is vastly different than Uceta's total WAR of 2, but the Dominican relief pitcher has put himself on the map in recent years. This confidence that he has received from his success led him to demand more financial compensation. The salaries that both sides (the Rays and Edwin Uceta) posted aren't far apart, but a victory for Uceta in this arbitration case could further boost his "self-worth" as a professional pitcher. Hopefully, there are no hard feelings after the process is completed.

The Rays' financial struggles are well-documented, but it is rather surprising that they didn't meet his expectations. Over the last two seasons with the Rays, the 28-year-old hurler has drastically improved his MLB stock. After three seasons in the National League, Uceta was sporting an unattractive -0.6 WAR and was likely going to see an early exit from major league baseball. However, the Rays gave him an opportunity after the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Edwin Uceta immediately blossomed in his June 2024 call-up, and he hasn't looked back since. In fact, Uceta finished the 2024 season with a 1.51 ERA in 41.2 innings and suddenly emerged as one of the top relievers in the game. 2025 started a little slower as expectations for his performance was now through the roof. Regardless, he settled in towards the end of the season and finished with a 10-3 record and a 3.79 ERA in a career-high 76 innings of work. The Rays may have noted his faulty start to last season, but Rays' fans know that their trusted closer-to-be will work hard to maintain his successful relief pitching.