PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The Rays went outside the box to handle Corey Dickerson's situation, but everything seemed to work out for the club and Dickerson on Thursday when the 2017 All-Star got traded to the Pirates for right-hander Daniel Hudson, Minor League infielder Tristan Gray and cash considerations.
Dickerson got designated for assignment by the Rays on Saturday night, which was an unconventional move to say the least for handling a player of Dickerson's stature. But given the slow market and the logjam of players limiting moves ahead of the season, the Rays felt as though they needed to proceed the way they did.
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"With the market, and how many guys were out there, we felt that the best way to try and accomplish something was to put a timer on it and expedite the process," Tampa Bay general manager Erik Neander said. "And it's something that, being very candid at this point, was exceptionally difficult to designate Corey given the way that that has typically been used, how historically that has been used."
Neander stressed that designating Dickerson was "certainly something that just frankly he didn't deserve."
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"But at the same time, we felt that where we were in the conversations that we were having [with other teams], that this was something we needed to try and press right now," Neander said. "And we felt that it was going to be best for us. And at the end of the day, despite the look of it, the head scratching, the things that happened up front, I believe this was something that also gave Corey the best opportunity to land the best role for him as he moves forward."
Hudson, 30, went 2-7 with a 4.38 ERA in a career-high 71 appearances in 2017, his only season with the Pirates. In 46 appearances from June 2 through the end of the season, he posted a 3.43 ERA and .211 opponents' average. Over parts of eight seasons with the White Sox, D-backs and Pirates, he is 37-30 with a 3.98 ERA in 270 appearances.
Hudson has been used almost exclusively as a reliever since returning from a second Tommy John surgery in 2015. Over that span, he is 9-12 with a 4.46 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 205 appearances (one start).

Gray, was selected by the Pirates in the 13th round of the 2017 Draft out of Rice University. In his first professional season, he hit .269/.329/.486 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs in 53 games with Class A West Virginia. He appeared in the New York-Penn League All-Star Game and was named the game's top star after going 2-for-2 with a solo homer and RBI single.
Dickerson, 28, was elected by the fans as the starting designated hitter for the American League at the 2017 All-Star Game in Miami.
In two seasons with Tampa Bay, Dickerson hit .265/.310/.480 with 51 home runs and 132 RBIs in 298 games. Over parts of five seasons with the Rockies and Rays, he has hit .280/.325/.504 with 90 homers and 256 RBIs.