By: Nathaniel Ascher and Harold Klapper
After an impressive 2018 MLB season, the Rays will continue to look to make big strides and contend for a potential playoff spot in 2019. With current AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell and AL coach of the year candidate Kevin Cash, the Rays should peer into the trade market/free agency pool to help these two already influential leaders in their clubhouse. The AL East is a very tough division, with two World Series caliber teams in the Yankees and Red Sox, as well as a Blue Jays team with some of the brightest upcoming talents in baseball. In 2018, the Rays finished in 3rd in their division, and are projected to do the same for 2019 if they don’t start making ambitious moves.
For their first major move of the offseason, the Rays signed Charlie Morton, 34, to a two-year $30 million contract with a $15 million option for a third year. For a 34 year old, the Rays slightly overpaid as he is notably injury prone. Morton revitalized his career with two stellar seasons in Houston where he closed the 2017 World Series and ended Houston’s World Series drought. In 2017, Morton had a 3.62 ERA, 10.0 K/9 ratio, and had an impressive 1.193 WHIP. All of these three stats greatly improved in 2018, where Morton had a 3.13 ERA, 10.8 K/9 ratio, and a 1.162 WHIP. Morton will make a solid and reputable trio with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. He will look to continue his success in 2019 with the Rays. Grade of Signing: B+
As well as signing Morton, the Rays signed OF Avisail Garcia on a 1 year deal worth up to $6 million in incentives. In 136 games in 2017, Garcia was an all-star and hit 18 HRs, with a slash line of .330/.380/.506. In an injury plagued 2018, Garcia only played 93 games, hit 19 HRs, and had a slash line of .236/.281/.438/. Even in a down year, Avisail showed power and still drew his fair share of walks. If he can put everything together in 2019, Garcia has .300 AVG and 30 HR potential. He could be an all-star and a contender for the Comeback Player of the Year award. Grade of Signing: A
The Rays weren’t just active on the free agent market this offseason as they made two big trades. In the first transaction, they traded OF’s Mallex Smith and Jake Fraley to Seattle for catcher Mike Zunino, LHP Michael Plassmeyer, and OF Guillermo Heredia. Mallex Smith is an AVG/OBP and SB guy, but the Rays are only getting back an average catcher who has decent power but has trouble hitting for average. He is a decent defensive catcher, but since catcher is such a weak position in the MLB, the Rays should’ve gone all or nothing. Grade of Trade: B
The second major trade that the Rays made sent 1B/OF Jake Bauers to Cleveland for INF Yandy Diaz. In 2018 Jake made his MLB debut, and in 96 games he batted .201 with 11 homers. Although the potential is there, it’s unlikely that he will turn into an everyday caliber player. Yandy Diaz on the other hand, hit .312 with 1 homer in 39 games for the Indians in 2018. Although these numbers don’t seem remarkable, Yandy Diaz has high exit velocity and has power to the gaps. He has potential to be a nice contributor to an already solid offense and is about to hit his prime. This trade is decent for the Rays but isn’t a big enough move to put them on the same pedestal as the Red Sox and the Yankees. Grade of Trade: B-
Overall, the Rays have had a good offseason, but they haven’t done enough yet to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East. There are still many viable options left on the trade market/free agency pool for the Rays to explore, so their team still has time to improve before opening day. This, however, could only happen if the Rays dig deep into their pockets and exceed their desired 2019 payroll.
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