Rays' Nick Fortes: Avoids arbitration

Fortes signed a one-year, $2.535 million contract with the Rays on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After being traded from Miami to Tampa Bay at the deadline, Fortes slashed .213/.307/.348 with 11 RBI and eight runs scored across 101 plate appearances. He could continue to split reps behind the plate with Hunter Feduccia in 2026, though Fortes was by far the more productive of the two backstops last year.