Rays' front office has multiple club options to decide on for next season

The Rays' front office has some important decisions to make this offseason as five key players will be relying on club options to stay with their current team. Yandy Diaz, Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez, Cedric Mullins, and Taylor Walls are all depending on the front office to stay with the Rays' organization for the 2027 campaign. These five athletes have a combined 2.6 WAR so far this season led by Yandy Diaz and Nick Martinez tied at a productive 1.1 WAR.

Yandy Diaz ($10 million club option; increases to $13 million if he reaches 500 plate appearances)

Accepting a $10 million option for one of the best pure hitters in the game would be a no-brainer for the Rays. However, Diaz has reached the 500 plate appearances threshold in his last five seasons and even surpassed 600 in 2024 and 2025. Therefore, the real question is will $13 million be too much for their model of consistency? Any Rays' fan would argue that he's much more valuable, but it will be interesting to see how the payroll is divided.

Diaz has started this season as one of the top hitters in the game as he is currently fifth in the majors with a .337 AVG. The 34-year-old has also crushed four home runs and has reached base about 43% of the time. The Rays would likely be a much different team without their trusted slugger.

Drew Rasmussen ($8 million club option; could increase to up to $20 million depending on health and innings pitched)

The Rays' 2025 All-Star and clear-cut ace is off to another great start. Rasmussen is currently 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in his first five starts as he continues to help the Rays win ballgames. His presence is clearly very important to the clubhouse, but is it worth $20 million? We'll see what the option ends up totaling, but the Rays unfortunately may have to part ways with this 30-year-old hurler.

Cedric Mullins ($10 million option)

We all love Cedric Mullins, but it's more of a nostalgic kind of love as we recall his 2021 All-Star campaign. Although his defense has been steady, Mullins' offense is nowhere near where it used to be with the Baltimore Orioles. Unless he goes on an amazing run the rest of the season, the Rays will likely let Mullins go after this season, especially considering the hot start from backup center fielder Jonny DeLuca.

Nick Martinez ($20 million option)

Unfortunately, Nick Martinez will not be with the Rays in 2027. This club option is way too pricey for a starting pitcher who's getting into his late 30's. There's no reason to fret. The Rays have done this time and again with players like Corey Kluber, Nelson Cruz, and Rich Hill. Just embrace his appearances this season and hopefully he can continue to help us win ballgames and make a deep run.

Taylor Walls ($3.1 million option)

It would appear that the Rays consider Taylor Walls to be their franchise shortstop. He's still only 29 years old and he plays defense better than just about anyone. Also, top prospect Carson Williams is still struggling to figure it out at the big-league level as he currently holds a .164 career average in 122 at-bats. Therefore, $3.1 million probably won't be an issue to keep Walls around for the 2027 season.

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