There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Tampa Bay shuffled through the shutout every season. Manager Kevin Cash took over in 2015. Over the next eight seasons, the club had seven different managers. Alex Colome it was the team’s only pass rusher in back-to-back seasons (2016 and 2017). That changed in 2023, there Pete Fairbanks took over as it neared full time.
Fairbanks has collected 75 saves over the past three seasons. He has been Cash’s backup if he is healthy. The right-hander ranks third in franchise history with 90 saves. He would probably go through Colome (95) again Roberto Hernandez (101) had been with the organization for another year. Instead, Tampa Bay declined Fairbanks’ $11MM option and allowed him to hit free agency. He signed a one-year, $13MM deal with the Marlins on Christmas Eve.
The Rays will now need to fill the void left by Fairbanks. Considering the organization didn’t want to pay a reasonable price to keep him, the new closer will likely be an in-house pick. Tampa Bay has a long history of producing strong relievers, and Fairbanks himself is part of that lineage. These are the possible candidates…
Edwin Uceta
Uceta was the top player behind Fairbanks last season. He led the bullpen with 76 innings pitched and is tied for the team lead with 21. Uceta had just one save in 2025, but previously served as the closer when Fairbanks missed time in 2024. The right-hander recorded the first five saves of his MLB career that season.
The closest thing is to Uceta. His fastball, changeup, and cutter all had whiff rates above 31% last season. He has a 15.5% career swing rate. The biggest problem is the long ball. Uceta has given up 11 home runs in 2025, which ranks in the top 10 among pitchers. He had a healthy fly ball rate of 34.4% and a great air contact rate of 29.5%. The tendency to allow fly balls to the pull side is a scary trait for a reliever called upon to protect small leads.
Griffin Jax
Acquired by the trade deadline of Hello BradleyJax would wait nearby. He had been Minnesota’s setup man from the back John Duranalthough he had forced some time in 2024. Jax had a career high 10 saves that season. He opened the year as the closer to Duran who was dealing with minor injuries, and was still called upon to finish games even after the starter returned. The 2025 campaign didn’t get off to a smooth start, as Jax had a 4.50 ERA while being dealt to Tampa Bay, but a 2.08 SIERA and 1.79 xFIP suggested he was unlucky.
Changing location didn’t help Jax. He allowed seven earned runs in his first 7 1/3 innings against Tampa Bay. Jax allowed three home runs in that stretch, including a three-run game loss Raleigh in early August. He finished the season with 10 scoreless games, although most of them came in the lower leagues. Jax also served as an opener in two games below.
Garrett Cleavinger (respectful name)
FanGraphs’ bullpen depth chart lists Uceta, Jax, and Cleavinger as closers. It’s good to include Cleavinger, given his excellent performance last season. He matched Uceta with 21 catches as the lefty’s preferred setup man. Cleavinger’s appointment, however, has a clear point. He is the only left-hander on the 40-man roster. There is almost no chance of him getting the closer job without another lefty in the bullpen.
Bryan Baker
Baker had a knack for releasing the unspoken Tampa Bay shutout. He increased his strikeout rate by 32.5% over three months last season with the Orioles. The Rays traded him in early July. Baker made a significant pitch mix tweak in 2025, doubling his use of the changeup and putting it ahead of his slider. The changeup was Baker’s best whiff pitch. Also held opponents to a .128 batting average.
While the bounce in hitting was good, Baker still hit incredibly hard. He dropped barrels at a clip of 12.6%, which ranked in the 1st percentile. His 48.3% strikeout rate puts him in the 3rd percentile. Unless Baker can find a way to miss bats again To minimize the damage, he might have been given a middle innings ticket.
The Great Hunter
Although he won’t break camp with the team, Bigger appears to be the closer of the future. Tampa Bay acquired him at the 2024 trade deadline in a deal that posted Isaac Paredes at Manthontsho. Bidge managed in Triple-A that season, earning his first major league promotion. He pitched well in his short time in Chicago, then continued to excel with the Rays.
Bidge’s 2025 season was marred by two injuries. He came down with a lat strain in early May. In June, he was hit in the face by a 105 mph foul ball. Bidge suffered multiple facial fractures as a result of the incident. He never returned to the mound.
Bidge has premium velocity and putaway pitch to excel as a closer. His recovery time is unclear, but he should be available to contribute to the big league club at some point. Considering the long layoff, Bidge may be the 2027 closer.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
