This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ST. PETERSBURG -- The Trade Deadline is nearly two months away, so there is still much we don’t know about what the Rays could do. But there are two things that seem safe to say even this far in advance.
One, they will do something. These are the Rays we’re talking about. Even when they don’t expect to be busy, they find a way.
Two, they could do something big. President of baseball operations Erik Neander has shown a willingness to be aggressive when they’re in position to win the American League East and get a bye during the Wild Card Series.
They took a big swing for veteran slugger Nelson Cruz in 2021. They gave up a highly regarded prospect, Kyle Manzardo, for starter Aaron Civale in ’23. They made big plays during their run of five consecutive postseason appearances for everyone from Craig Kimbrel to Shohei Ohtani.
The Rays have a deep enough Minor League system to do just about anything, and the big league team has played well enough to put the front office in a position where it can afford to think big.
With that in mind, let’s assess the three most obvious areas where they could make a splash leading up to the Deadline.
An impact starter
Sandy Alcantara? Joe Ryan? Freddy Peralta? Dare we say … Tarik Skubal?
If you’re wondering why we started with this spot, imagine how different you’d feel about the Rays in a short series with another front-line starter joining some combination of Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan, Nick Martinez and Griffin Jax. Think about how short they make a game for the bullpen. Consider how safe an early two-run lead might feel.
This wouldn’t necessarily be about addressing a weakness. Aside from a recent rough patch, the Rays’ rotation has been excellent. The idea here is to enhance what they do best.
Tampa Bay will always be built on the foundation of run prevention, and that begins with having an elite starting rotation. A top-five rotation in the Majors has gotten the Rays this far. If they further fortify that group, who knows how far it might take them?
The Rays also must be mindful over the final two months of the regular season about the workload limitations facing McClanahan, Jax and Rasmussen, among others. So even if they don’t add an ace, acquiring someone who can provide steady innings would go a long way.
Another bat
It’s hardly a secret that the Rays’ batting order is top-heavy. They have three of the best overall hitters in the game in Yandy Díaz, Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda. But the group gets a little thin after that.
Entering play on Monday, only four Rays had an OPS+ above the league-average mark of 100: Díaz, Caminero, Aranda and Ryan Vilade. Nobody in the Triple-A lineup is banging down the door. There’s room for another threat -- or at least someone to lengthen the lineup a bit.
They’ll get some help whenever Jonny DeLuca and Jake Fraley return from the injured list. It’s been a tough stretch for Chandler Simpson, but he’s obviously a game-changer when he’s hitting and wreaking havoc on the bases. Their run prevention up the middle -- in the form of center fielder Cedric Mullins, shortstop Taylor Walls and their second basemen, Richie Palacios and Ben Williamson -- is obviously important.
At full strength, the Rays were finding enough ways to score to sustain a lengthy hot streak. Maybe they can do that again. But adding another proven hitter behind their “big three” would only help.
Bullpen help
The Rays’ bullpen has arguably been their most consistent issue to this point, but we’re listing this one last for one reason: They have options within the organization who could help.
Kimbrel and versatile righty Jesse Scholtens should return soon. Right-hander Michael Grove has made a couple two-inning appearances for Triple-A Durham. Right-hander Manuel Rodríguez is working his way back, although he hasn’t progressed to facing hitters yet, and offseason acquisition Steven Wilson should help at some point.
In Triple-A, the Rays have used hard-throwing Joe Boyle in shorter relief stints in each of his last two appearances. They could take a look later in the season at right-hander Ty Johnson (their No. 18 prospect) or perhaps top pitching prospect Brody Hopkins, who has been dominant in a pair of five-inning outings out of the bullpen.
Plus, the Rays could move a starter into a relief role if they add to their rotation prior to the Trade Deadline. Steven Matz is back in the bullpen for the time being, and everyone in the current rotation has experience coming out of the ‘pen.
Still, this feels like an area where the Rays could continue to seek incremental upgrades, either internally or elsewhere. The team entered Monday with a 4.61 bullpen ERA that ranked 22nd in the Majors, and two of their top high-leverage options entering Spring Training are off the board: Jax is starting, and Edwin Uceta still isn’t throwing following a setback in his recovery from a shoulder injury.