Tampa Bay Rays Get Good Roster News with Regards to Wander Franco

From a procedural standpoint, this is good news for Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco (5) hits a walk off home run in the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field in 2023. / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays got some good news recently with regards to their offseason. It involves star shortstop Wander Franco, who hasn't played since late in 2023 because of serious legal issues.

The following comes from MLBTradeRumors, with a link to the original Tampa Bay Times report (subscription required):

In other off-the-field news, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Timesr eported some good news for the Rays today: embattled shortstop, who last played in August of 2023 due to ongoing legal proceedings regarding allegations against him of an inappropriate relationships with minors, will not need to be reinstated from the restricted list this offseason. That means the club will not need to dedicate a 40-man roster spot to the 23-year-old this winter, a contrast from when he was on administrative leave.

That is good news for exactly the reason listed above. As the Rays work to fill out their roster this offseason, they'll have the flexibility with Franco's roster spot. They won't need to account for him at any point.

As a result of the legal allegations, and subsequent legal proceedings, there are questions about if Franco will ever play in Major League Baseball again.

Because Franco is on the restricted list, he is not being paid. He cannot travel from the Dominican Republic and therefore cannot report to the team.

Should he not be able to play again, the Rays would seem to have legal ground to go after some or all of his record-setting 11-year, $182 million contract.

Tampa Bay used a combination of guys like Taylor Walls, Amed Rosario and Jose Caballero at shortstop this year. Rosario was traded around the trade deadline. Caballero had more than 40 stolen bases this year.

The 23-year-old Franco was an All-Star in 2023. He hit .281 with 17 homers and 58 RBI prior to these allegations arising and ending his season.

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