Teams interested in the bullpen’s lefty have been calling the Rays about it Garrett CleavingerThe Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal writes. There is no indication that a deal is imminent, and Rosenthal did not specify which clubs are pursuing Cleavinger’s services.
Cleavinger (who turns 32 in April) is entering his seventh MLB season, and his fourth full season in a Rays uniform. Tampa Bay acquired the southpaw from the Dodgers at the 2022 trade deadline, and while Cleavinger showed promise early in his big league career, he became one of many pitchers to hit another level of production after joining the Rays. Cleavinger has a 2.96 ERA over 152 relief innings since arriving in Tampa.
In 2025, Cleavinger enjoyed his best season yet, posting a 2.35 ERA, a 33.7% strikeout rate, and a 7.4% walk rate over 61 1/3 innings. Almost all of his Statcast metrics were solidly above average or (in the case of his hitting and strikeout rates) exceptional, and Cleavinger enjoyed some luck in the form of a .244 BABIP and a career-high 91.6% strikeout rate. Cleavinger has produced solid results against both left-handed and right-handed hitters in his career, and 2025 was no exception – righty-swingers had a .602 OPS against Cleavinger, while left-handed hitters fared slightly better with a .620 OPS.
There wasn’t much that seemed to soften Cleavinger’s performance in 2025, so even if the Rays feel like they’re going to trade the lefty, there’s no reason to believe that Cleavinger won’t be able to release relief in 2026 or beyond. Speaking of which, the Rays are always open to trade talks for any player, so it wouldn’t be a complete shock if Cleavinger were dealt before Opening Day. However, there doesn’t seem to be a real compelling reason for Tampa to move on from Cleavinger right now, given his importance to the Rays’ bullpen and his low salary status.
Cleavinger makes $2.4MM in 2026 and has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining before he is eligible for free agency following the 2027 campaign. Even if Tampa Bay is always looking to limit its budget, Cleavinger is a $2.4MM gain if he repeats anything close to last year’s numbers, and the upside of the argument next winter may be limited by the lack of reserves.
The Rays don’t have a closer set for the 2026 season, like Cleavinger, Edwin Uceta, Griffin Jaxagain Bryan Baker all are expected to find opportunities to save. It’s possible that one of these pitchers came up by committee to be a full-time closer, but Cleavinger’s status as the only left-handed reliever considered to be part of Tampa’s bullpen would make him more suited to situational work than save situations. The relative lack of depth in lefty relief is another reason the Rays are hesitant to deal Cleavinger for anything less than an impressive offering.
Speaking of the Rays’ bullpen mix, Uceta is dealing with shoulder pain, manager Kevin Cash told MLB.com’s Adam Berry and other reporters. “We don’t care at all and we have every intention of having him ready for Opening Day,” Cash said, although as a precaution, Uceta will not play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Cleavinger and Jax are both slated for WBC duty as part of the United States team’s bullpen.
