The Tampa Bay Rays may be in the market to ship out some of their best players.
The Rays may listen to trade offers for veterans Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe, according to Jeff Passan. The two infielders could possibly be fits for the New York Yankees.
Diaz is a contact-hitting first baseman who has been involved in Yankees trade rumors before. The 33-year-old hit .281 with a .755 OPS in 145 games in 2024. He hit 14 home runs and 65 RBIs.
Diaz heavily regressed from his 2023 season. He won the batting title with a .330 average and finished third in the AL MVP voting. The hope is for the first baseman to bounce back in 2025 before entering free agency at the end of next season.
Lowe has spent his entire seven-year career with the Rays. The 30-year-old hit 21 home runs and had 58 RBIs while slashing .244/.311/.473 in 107 games in 2024. The second baseman was an all-star in 2019 and also has two top-ten MVP finishes in his career.
Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres were the Yankees’ primary first and second baseman in 2024. Both players are free agents with no guarantee that they will return to the Bronx Bombers.
The Yankees have multiple options to fill either position internally. Jazz Chisholm Jr. began his career as a second baseman. Oswaldo Cabrera can also spend time at the position.
Ben Rice was Rizzo’s main replacement at first base in 2024. DJ LeMahieu can man the position.
The trade value for Lowe and Diaz are unknown but the Rays will likely be hesitant to send two of their veteran players to an AL East rival.
Casey Fahrer is a 2024 graduate of Syracuse University and a contributor to Inside The Pinstripes. He can be reached at [email protected].
