What the Tampa Bay Rays meant to Pete Fairbanks

[Kevin Barral]

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Miami Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks is no stranger to the Citrus Series. The difference this weekend is he will be experiencing it as a Tampa Bay Rays opponent for the first time after spending the previous six and a half seasons with the organization.

"It was nice to get back, go to the house, see the family and everybody," Fairbanks told traveling media ahead of Friday's game. "Different jersey, same building and still baseball. I'm still trying to go out there and do a whatever I can do to go win games."

Originally a member of the Texas Rangers, the Rays acquired Fairbanks in a one-for-one trade in July 2019, sending infielder Nick Solak to the Rangers. From 2020-25, the tall right-hander enjoyed a run as one of the best relievers in baseball.

In his time with the Rays, Fairbanks posted a 2.98 ERA in 256 ⅔ innings pitched. He ranks third in the franchise's history in saves (90), 24th in strikeouts (317) and fourth in appearances (267). Fairbanks also saw plenty of postseason action, making 12 total appearances (3.65 ERA), with three of those coming in the 2020 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Fairbanks was asked to summarize what makes the Rays such an effective franchise despite their well-known payroll limitations.

"I don't think that I can sum it up in a couple sentences," Fairbanks said. "From instilling confidence from the pitching side of things, forging relationships and making sure that the personal always trumps the business. There's so many things I've taken that I will take with me for wherever my career goes."

Another former member of the Rays organization who has moved to Miami is Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix. Fairbanks' one-year, $13M contract is the largest guarantee that Bendix has given to any free agent since taking the position in November 2023.

The Marlins are trying to incorporate some of the Rays' best practices into their own operations, and Fairbanks is encouraged to see that.

"Obviously when you have a POBO like Bendix come over, I think that people are influenced by where they came from," Fairbanks said. "You can look back for almost two decades now to really see how things have been built here in Tampa, and I don't think that there's a better comparison for the direction that he wants to take this."

The 2026 Marlins have a couple of Fairbanks' former Tampa Bay teammates in Christopher Morel and Calvin Faucher. These teams have frequently done business with each other, making trades in six consecutive years, most recently a February exchange of Victor Mesa Jr. for minor league prospect Angel Brachi.

"I think that if they're both very easy clubhouses to mesh with," Fairbanks said. "When you're able to make it easy for everybody to gel and to feel like they've always been there, that in itself is a conduct to success. Hopefully we continue to let that take shape here, and there's a good example over there."

Fairbanks has had mixed results through 10 appearances with the Fish. He has converted five saves and posted a solid 3.33 FIP, but several ugly outings have bloated his ERA to 10.00. He was recently reinstated from the injured list on Wednesday.

The Marlins and Rays kicked off a three-game set at Tropicana Field on Friday night.

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