Tuesday marks the next important day in the off-season calendar, representing an important inflection point for all MLB rosters:
Tuesday, Nov. 18: Rule 5 Deadline
Eligible minor leaguers must be added to 40-man rosters by 6 PM EST on Nov. 18 or else teams will risk losing some minor league players in the Rule 5 Draft.
Players 19 or older drafted or signed no later than 2022 and players 18 or older drafted no later than 2021 are Rule 5 Draft eligible this year, as well as players signed internationally no later than 2021.
This deadline is, practically, to protect the Rays from losing prospects in the eventual Rule 5 draft on Dec. 10 by putting them on the 40-man roster. Currently the Rays roster is full, which means any additions will require subtractions, and that other MLB teams will be going through the same process, including pursuing trades.
Last year the Rays eventually added two pitchers through the Rule 5 draft; they later traded one to the White Sox, and the other never made it off the injured list — Nate Lavender was returned to the Mets this off-season. They also lost one pitcher RHP Evan Reifert to the Nationals, but he was returned during Spring Training.
Here are several players whom the Rays may be considering adding to the 40-man roster ahead of tomorrow’s deadline.
Acquired in return for Danny Jansen at the 2025 trade deadline from the Brewers and immediately took a place as one of the Rays top position player prospects. Prior to be acquired by the Rays, Areinamo had compiled over 800 plate appearances in High-A so he was promoted to Double-A Montgomery once activated by his new organization. Over the final two months of the season, Areinamo hit .255/.316/.697 with 4 HR, registering a 111 wRC+ across 159 plate appearances. The soon to be 22-year old Arienamo is currently torching the ball in Venezueala, hitting .337/.400/.685 with 8 HR over 105 PA for the Tiburones de La Guaira; those 8 HR currently lead the league, as does his .685 SLG%.
At the trade deadline, the Rays made a choice to overhaul their catching situation and added a Hunter Feduccia from the Los Angeles Dodgers instead of addressing their need internally. That could either indicate that they believed Keegan wasn’t ready or that they just really wanted Feduccia or possibly both. A 4th round draft pick in 2022, Keegan will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason and is coming off his worst season as a professional, which still wasn’t all that bad as he hit .241/.306/.429 with 10 HR over 297 plate appearances in Triple-A, registering a 89 wRC+ and catching in 56 games this season.
The Blake Snell has one last branch remaining in the Rays system as the team acquired Tatem Levins from the Seattle Mariners for Blake Hunt following the 2023 season. Levins has been much older than his competition at each rung of the minor league ladder, already being 22-years old when drafted in 2022. He reached Double-A in 2025 and had a career year thanks to an inflated walk rate. Overall, Levins hit .244/.405/.383, registering a 142 wRC+ which was 12th most among Double-A hitters with at least 300 PA.
When healthy, Alex Cook has been phenomenal. A 12th round pick in 2022, Cook made his debut in 2023 as a reliever and carved through opposing hitters. The Rays moved him into a starting role in 2024 but he suffered an injury after 8 outings. Cook made his return in 2025 and was moved back to the bullpen where he enjoyed success once again. Since making his debut in 2023, Cook has the 2nd highest K%, 3rd lowest opponent AVG, 7th highest WHIFF%, 4th lowest ERA, 2nd lowest FIP, and 4th lowest WHIP in the Rays system among hurlers with at least 100 IP. Cook ended the season in Double-A, compiling a 2.30 ERA | 2.29 FIP over 15.2 IP across 13 outings.
Martin looked like a breakout prospect early on in 2024 but a midseason promotion Double-A led to abrupt half of his prospect status. He would be moved to the bullpen and enjoyed more success in 2025, even making four appearances in Triple-A towards the end of the year. Martin’s future still seems to be in the bullpen where a plus fastball and slider combo could make him a solid reliever. Overall in 2025, Martin compiled a 3.21 ERA | 3.74 FIP with a 24.9 K% & 8.6 BB% over 53.1 IP between Montgomery and Durham.
The former Savanana Banana has performed well for Tampa Bay since being drafted in 2021. A true workhorse, Workman has accumulated 492.1 IP for the organization, more than 120 innings than the next closest player since 2021. Workman climbed the ladder to Triple-A in 2025 where he registered a 4.02 ERA | 4.73 FIP with a 24.4 K% & 7.2 BB% over 152.1 IP; Workman was one out shy of tying for the minor league league in innings pitched this past season.
During the early weeks of the 2025 season, Murray was making waves with eye popping exit velocities but his production never took off and he turned in the worst season of his career since being selected in the 4th round of the 2020 draft by Tampa Bay. The versatile infielder was coming off a year in which he registered a 122 wRC+ in Double-A. To his credit, Murray did blast 18 HR in Triple-A this season for the Durham Bulls, but overall hit .241/.299/.400 with those 18 HR, registering a 81 wRC+ across 572 plate appearances. The 26-year old played all over the diamond though, enhancing his value to the team as he spent time at 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, and RF in 2025.
Entering the year, it was just a matter of staying healthy for Kinney as he had performed well at each level in the Rays system since being taken as the 34th overall pick in the 2021 draft. Early on, Kinney was among the hottest player in the minor league. Kinney had a 206 wRC+ after play on May 4th. His production would dip signiciantly with each passing month until enduring a prolonged slump as he registered just a 60 wRC+ over his final 211 PA of the season. Overall, Kinney hit .242/.299/.386 with 13 HR as a 22-year old in Double-A.
Again, the roster is currently filled to the brim so any additions would have to come at the cost of those already on the Rays 40-man roster. Who do you see the Rays protecting by tomorrow’s deadline?
