‘Unapologetically Pete' Fairbanks made his mark during time with Rays

There have been times, usually after games when he's sitting alone in his Miami-area rental home missing his wife and three kids (who are staying in their St. Petersburg house until school is out) that Pete Fairbanks wishes the Rays had picked up his $11 million option and he got to stick around for an eighth season.

"Of course," Fairbanks said Friday. "Obviously, if that had worked out it would have been great. Or if it works out again at some point down the road, we'd love to explore that. But that's not where we're at for this year, so we're going to make the most of it."

Though Fairbanks, 32, joked about having to "to pay rent and a mortgage," he came out fine financially, getting a one-year deal for a guaranteed $13 million ($12 million salary, $1 million signing bonus), plus up to another $1 million in appearance-based incentives, along with a $1 million buyout from the Rays.

So far, it's been an interesting season in Miami, with five saves (in six chances), two losses and a 10.00 ERA.

It's a very different situation, and notably without the history he had with the Rays.

"Good memories," manager Kevin Cash said. "He pitched in huge innings for us, got a lot of big outs. He was a guy that we relied heavily on and brought him into the most tense situations of some of the biggest games that we've had, or that since I've been around. Appreciate him."

For good reason, as Fairbanks' 90 career regular-season saves are third most in team history, behind Roberto Hernandez (101) and Alex Colome (95). Among Fairbanks' biggest moments was closing out Game 7 of the 2020 American League Championship Series.

Fairbanks said he is "a bad reflector" and would need time to properly context his time with the Rays, among the longest tenures for any pitcher. But given how he raised his family, became a part of the community and was a key "cog" in the team's success, it has been quite a significant part of his life. The Rays played a tribute video during Friday's game.

"I love this place, and I'd live here forever," Fairbanks said. "I don't know if that'll end up being the case, but the community, the area, has been a huge blessing for us, and nothing but fondness for that."

Shortstop Taylor Walls said there was a lot of appreciation for Fairbanks.

"He was a leader in the clubhouse, a leader on the field," Walls said. "You could always count on him in those late games to come in, especially through tough lineups, and get you outs. And he's doing the same thing over there for (Miami).

"So, Pete's awesome. Awesome guy, awesome teammate."

There were other sides to Fairbanks as well.

He participated in several charitable causes, including Pete's Sneaks, providing sneakers for underserved students to start the school year. When he and his wife, Lydia, lost a baby during the 2023-24 offseason at about 20 weeks gestation, they joined forces with the Turner Syndrome Foundation to raise funds and awareness.

He is a heavy reader, collects comic books and Pokemon cards, and loves to build complicated Lego sets.

And around the clubhouse, he was often planning or plotting something; could be sarcastic, witty, caustic and/or funny; was always accountable after tough losses; served as a team rep to the players union; and almost always brought an edge.

Friday, in saying he was looking forward to catching up with the pitchers, he jabbed by adding he also would be "seeing what bright ideas have gone through Taylor Walls' head in my absence."

Fairbanks made media sessions, depending on the topic and the interviewer, somewhat must-see, either extremely entertaining or tensely confrontational.

"Definitely miss all that," Walls said. "There's definitely not a guy in here that could replace his sense of humor, I guess, is what you would call it. Pete's Pete. I don't know how else to describe it."

Pitching coach Kyle Snyder not only worked closely with Fairbanks since he was acquired in a 2019 trade with Texas but lives in the same St. Petersburg neighborhood.

"He was certainly a presence," Snyder said. "He became a really steady presence in the bullpen for us and, despite some of the color and nature of his postgame interviews, somebody the guys in the pen looked up to."

How best would Snyder describe him?

"He's unapologetically Pete."

Draft breeze

Baseball America's latest mock draft still has the Rays using the No. 2 pick on Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson but suggests that whoever the White Sox don't take at No. 1 from the group of UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and Miami Gulliver Prep shortstop Jacob Lombard are in play. … ESPN's Kiley McDaniel has the Sox leaning slightly to Cholowsky to open the July 11-12 event, with the Rays taking Emerson.

Rays rumblings

Who won the January three-way trade between the Rays, Angels and Reds? Gavin Lux hasn't played for the Rays, Josh Lowe started Saturday with a -0.8 WAR for the Angels (hitting .167 with a .503 OPS) and reliever Brock Burke had a 0.2 WAR for the Reds (posting a 2.61 ERA over 21 relief outings). The Rays also got minor-league pitcher Chris Clark, who had a 4.10 ERA between Double A and Triple A. … Votes are expected this week by the Hillsborough County Commission (Wednesday) and Tampa City Council (Thursday) on the memorandum of understanding for funding the planned new stadium, but the much more important votes to approve the actual deal are likely still weeks away. … MLB Pipeline's updated top 100 prospects list has outfielder Theo Gillen 43rd, pitcher Brody Hopkins 85th, catcher Nathan Flewelling 90th. … The Rays.TV group is trying something different this homestand, moving the pregame and postgame set to the second floor of the Bay Republic team store near the rotunda entrance. … Jayson Stark's quarter-season review for The Athletic included a quote from an unnamed AL executive saying the Rays "always find a way to make magic out of beans. I just don't know how they're doing it right now, scoring runs with the way they're built."

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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 7:22 AM.