The Tampa Bay Rays are on the hunt for a new closer after Pete Fairbanks' departure. Fairbanks, who had been the team's full-time closer for the past three seasons, signed a one-year, $13MM deal with the Miami Marlins on Christmas Eve, leaving a void that the Rays must fill. With a history of shuffling through closers, the Rays now face the challenge of finding a reliable replacement. Here's a look at the potential candidates and their strengths and weaknesses.
Edwin Uceta
Uceta, a high-leverage right-hander, led the bullpen with 76 innings and tied for the team lead with 21 holds last season. While he only had one save in 2025, he previously served as the closer when Fairbanks missed time in 2024, recording the first five saves of his MLB career. Uceta's fastball, changeup, and cutter all had whiff rates above 31% last season, and he has a 15.5% swinging-strike rate for his career. However, the main issue is the long ball; he gave up 11 home runs in 2025, which ranked in the top 10 among relievers.
Griffin Jax
Jax, acquired at the trade deadline, was set to be the closer in waiting. He had been the setup man in Minnesota behind Jhoan Duran, though he had forced somewhat of a timeshare in 2024. Jax earned a career-high 10 saves that season. However, the change of scenery didn't help Jax, as he allowed seven earned runs in his first 7 1/3 innings with Tampa Bay. He closed the season with 10 scoreless appearances, though they mostly came in low-leverage spots.
Garrett Cleavinger (Honorable Mention)
FanGraphs' bullpen depth chart lists each of Uceta, Jax, and Cleavinger as closers. Cleavinger, a high-leverage left-hander, matched Uceta with 21 holds as the preferred lefty setup man. However, Cleavinger's candidacy has a clear flaw: he's the only left-handed reliever on the 40-man roster, making it virtually impossible for him to get the closer job without another lefty in the bullpen.
Bryan Baker
Baker, an unheralded reliever, spiked a 32.5% strikeout rate through three months last season with the Orioles. The Rays traded for him in early July. Baker made a significant pitch mix tweak in 2025, doubling his changeup usage and prioritizing it ahead of his slider. The changeup was Baker's best whiff pitch by far, holding opponents to a .128 batting average. However, he still got hit incredibly hard, giving up barrels at a 12.6% clip, which ranked in the 1st percentile.
Hunter Bigge
Bigge, a potential closer of the future, was acquired at the 2024 trade deadline in the deal that sent Isaac Paredes to the Cubs. He dominated at Triple-A that season, earning his first big-league promotion. However, Bigge's 2025 season was wrecked by two injuries: a lat strain in early May and a facial fracture after being hit by a foul ball in June. Bigge has the premium velocity and putaway pitch (a wipeout slider) to succeed as a closer, but his recovery timeline isn't clear, making him more of a 2027 closer candidate.
