Tampa Bay Rays news Today, Thursday, November 5

No. 1 in the 30-second version

Rays add Alexander Alberto and Jack Suwinski to 40-man roster and trade Evan Reifert to the Astros for cash.

According to SB Nation, the Rays also activated Jacob Melton, Ryan Pepiot and Edwin Uceta from the 60-day injured list and outrighted Jonathan Heasley, leaving 39 players on the 40-man roster. Alberto, 25, posted a 3.43 ERA over 60.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2026. The Crawfish Boxes reports Houston added Reifert, Roddery Muñoz and César Salazar to its 40-man roster and outrighted Jake Meyers, who will elect free agency.

Sources: DRaysBay · The Crawfish Boxes

DRaysBay's podcast breaks down the Rays' offseason to-do list, including rotation needs, before the lockout.

The Rays Your Voice episode covers Taylor Walls' first career Gold Glove and the Rays' chances in awards season. The hosts also discuss shoring up the starting rotation, 40-man roster additions, and bolstering a roster that aims to defend its American League title.

Source: DRaysBay

From Friday

ESPN lays out Rays offseason questions after Tampa Bay fell short in the World Series.

Source: ESPN

No. 2 in the 30-second version

Albert Pujols reportedly will interview for the Houston Astros managerial job this week.

Brad Ausmus, the New York Yankees bench coach and a former Astros catcher, is also a candidate, according to the AP. Houston is replacing Joe Espada, whose contract was not renewed after the Astros went 81-81 to win the AL West and were swept by the Chicago White Sox in the Wild Card Series. Pujols managed the Dominican Republic to third place at the 2026 World Baseball Classic and has not managed in the majors. The Astros recently hired Randy Flores as general manager, and he and Pujols were teammates with the Cardinals.

Sources: NBC Sports · MLB.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports

No. 3 in the 30-second version

Mariners name Jason Kanzler manager, a former Cubs player development director with no managerial experience.

Kanzler, 36, becomes the 19th full-time manager in Mariners history and the 22nd overall since the club began in 1977, replacing Dan Wilson, who was fired this fall. General manager Justin Hollander said Kanzler's personality and analytics-forward background made him the obvious choice. Kanzler went unrecruited out of high school, became a walk-on outfielder at Buffalo, and taught high school physics and chemistry in Katy, Texas. He joined the Astros as a minor league hitting coach in 2019 and most recently was director of player development with the Cubs.

Sources: NBC Sports · MLB.com · ESPN · CBS Sports

Athletics hire Brewers executive Cam Castro as general manager under new president Taylor Smith.

Castro was the Brewers' senior vice president of player development and performance, and he rose through their pitching development system over seven years. He will work under Taylor Smith, 31, who was hired last month as president of baseball operations. The A's went 64-98 in 2026, and their pitchers allowed a franchise-record 247 home runs, according to USA TODAY. The club plays one more season in West Sacramento before moving to Las Vegas in 2028.

Sources: ESPN · USA TODAY Sports · MLB.com · Yahoo Sports

Mets hire former catcher A.J. Ellis as major-league strategy coordinator, per multiple reports.

SNY's Chelsea Janes confirmed the hire, and the New York Post's Mike Puma reported a source confirmed it. Ellis, 45, spent 11 seasons as a catcher and had been a special assistant in the Padres front office since 2019, and he is expected to contribute to pitch-calling and game-planning. The Mets have also promoted Mariano Duncan and have yet to name a replacement for hitting director Jeff Albert.

Sources: SNY · NY Post Sports · Amazin' Avenue

Reds hire Guardians assistant pitching coach Joe Torres as their new major league pitching coach.

ESPN reports Torres spent the past five seasons as Cleveland's assistant pitching coach. Torres replaces Derek Johnson, who was relieved of duties at season's end after being absent for the final three-plus months of 2026, according to SB Nation and Red Reporter, which are fan sites citing the Reds' announcement. Torres, 44, was a first-round pick of the Angels in 2000 but never reached the majors.

Sources: ESPN · Red Reporter