Rays may be heading to arbitration with probable 2026 closer

Tampa Bay Rays v. Cleveland Guardians | Grace Hoppel/GettyImagesThe deadline for MLB arbitration came and went as the Rays were able to come to an agreement with 12 of their 13 arbitration-eligible players. These included Shane McClanahan, Josh Lowe, Richie Palacios, and trade deadline acquisition Griffin Jax. However, Edwin Uceta was the odd man out this season as his salary expectation did not match up with the Rays.

This is not a new occurrence in Tampa Bay as Rays Gold Glove caliber infielder Taylor Walls. The relationship between Walls and the Rays seemed a little shaky during the process, but both sides have relieved the tension as the 29-year-old produced career-bests in WAR and RBIs…