Rays acquire O'Grady from Reds, DFA Aguilar
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ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays are going to look for ways to improve their overall depth and offense over the winter, and they seemed to think highly enough of first baseman/outfielder Brian O'Grady, who they acquired from the Reds on Wednesday.
Highly enough, in fact, that in order to make room on the team’s 40-man roster, Tampa Bay decided to designate first baseman Jesús Aguilar for assignment just four months after acquiring him via trade from the Brewers.
In exchange for O’Grady, the Rays will send a player to be named and cash considerations to the Reds.
O’Grady, 27, made his Major League debut in 2019 and hit two home runs in 42 at-bats over 28 games with the Reds. While he doesn’t have much experience in the Majors, the Rays were drawn to the power the left-handed-hitting first baseman displayed in the Minors.
In 112 games with Triple-A Louisville, O’Grady slashed .280/.359/.550 and hit a career-high 28 home runs. Along with the power surge, O’Grady also stole 20 bases, displaying his athleticism at his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame.
By adding O’Grady, Tampa Bay adds another player who can fill in at first base. The Rays currently have Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Díaz and Nathaniel Lowe as options, but adding O’Grady gives them added depth at the position, even with Aguilar being designated for assignment.
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O’Grady also gives the Rays another option in the outfield. While he played 64 games at first base last season, he also projects as a solid corner outfielder, adding more depth behind Tommy Pham and Austin Meadows. He has also played a considerable number of games in center field, which creates depth behind Kevin Kiermaier and Guillermo Heredia.
With O’Grady, the Rays now have five outfielders on the 40-man roster, which makes it increasingly likely that they will not re-sign outfielder Avisaíl García, who hit a career-high 20 home runs in his lone season with Tampa Bay.
The decision to designate Aguilar for assignment came as a bit of a surprise, but the 29-year old was a candidate to get non-tendered at the Dec. 2 deadline. Aguilar, who was acquired from Milwaukee in exchange for RHP Jake Faria during the July 31 Trade Deadline, played in just 37 games with Tampa Bay, hitting four home runs in 92 at-bats.