This offseason, perhaps more than any other over the past few years, there is speculation of whether or not the Rays will (or should) begin a rebuilding phase.
This has been a baseball team that refuses to rebuild, but as a small market team in an unbalanced baseball economy, the Rays have traded away major players near the ends of their contracts with an eye both toward the future and the present, trying to reload with prospects and compete with younger contracts at the same time.
This week, the Rays have two star players on long-term contracts who have trade rumors swirling around them.