I have been no huge fan of the Bucs front office in recent years, but I do think they handled this years trade deadline very very well.
Getting Weaver for just Stafura - AND getting half of Weaver's contract covered - was a very good deal IMO
There wasn't much that could (reasonably) be done to give this team more than a slugger's chance at this year's post season. And what they did maybe takes them from "snowball's chance in hell" to "so you're telling me there's a chance"
The key thing they did do was to make strides towards a more promising 2027 (without sacrificing anything they might later regret) - and I think they did that very well.
They are actually positioned very well for the next year or two:
The only expiring contracts they have are Lowe (who will be missed), Soto (who has served a purpose in 2026, but also is eminently replaceable - especially with the new additions), and Ozuna (who will, obviously, have the red carpet rolled out for his exit).
Even with the likely increases in payroll due to arbitration numbers (mostly for Skenes, and a bit for Cruz and Jones and maybe a few more), the Bucs will go to spring training with a pretty well-stocked roster at a very reasonable cost - which should allow them to add a couple moderately priced FAs to fill in any weak spots (they could REALLY use a MLB quality 3B - but that is really the only black hole presenting itself for 2027 - IF there is a season)
And they still have a very solid pool of prospects in the minors.
