The Tampa Bay Devil Rays had just finished up its inaugural season in 1998 by finishing 51 games out of first place. Their 63 wins was the worst in the American League.
By December of 1998, Canseco had just finished a season with the Blue Jays in which he slashed .237/.318/.518 and led the league in strikeouts. However, he did manage to hit 46 homers, drive in 107 runs, and steal 29 bases.
The market wasn’t in a frenzy for the 34-year-old free agent. the decreasing batting average and OPS and his inability to stay healthy had many teams hesitant to committing money to an aging injury risk.