Rays Address Major Issues at Deadline

The Tampa Bay Rays entered the MLB trade deadline in the second AL Wild Card slot. For the most part, Tampa did well to address their major issues with an active deadline period.

Eric Sogard for Two Players to Be Named Later

Grade: B+

Two days prior to the deadline, Eric Sogard walked from the home to the away dugout when the Rays were in Toronto. For the seemingly low cost of just two players to be named, the Rays acquired the 33 year old middle infielder. Sogard immediately stepped in and produced for the Rays, playing well against Boston.

On the season, Sogard has 10 home runs, a career high; 35 RBIs; a 0.297 BA; and, a 0.832 OPS. His contract ends at the end of the season and he’s having a career year at the dish, making Sogard purely a rental for a Rays team that feels it can compete. For two players to be named, the Rays could have done much worse for themselves.

Jesus Aguilar for Jake Faria

Grade: A-

Even though the Rays have needed relief pitching this season, Aguilar adds a new element of power to the Rays lineup. He has struggled this year after a career 2018, which included an All Star game appearance. Tampa hopes that a change of scenery can keep Aguilar’s bat hot after a strong July. Thus far, Aguilar has only hit 8 homers, 34 RBIs, and a 0.225 average.

Jake Faria has experience as both a starter and reliever, both positions of need for the Rays. However, he hasn’t been on the mound much at all this year. Faria has a 2.70 ERA through only 10 innings pitched. The 26-year old still has four years of team control remaining. All in all, this trade lends itself to the Rays’ cause as Aguilar’s bat slides into the middle of the lineup well.

Trevor Richards and Nick Anderson for Ryne Stanek and Jesus Sanchez

Grade: C

I am not a huge fan of this move. I feel as though Stanek fills a role that most other relievers simply can’t. Also, both Stanek and Sanchez are under team control, long term. However, there is reason for optimism regarding this move.

Firstly, the Rays acquired two pitchers that should seriously bolster the staff once everyone is healthy. Trevor Richards owns a deceptively poor 3-12 record and 4.50 ERA. The upside is in his 103 strikeouts and 1.38 WHIP. While Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are sidelined, Richards will help pick up the slack.

Nick Anderson adds another inning eating arm to the Rays’ pen. He too has deceptively bad numbers, with a 2-4 record and 3.83 ERA. In his 44.2 innings of action, Anderson also has 71 strikeouts and a 1.28 WHIP to his name. Anderson, too, will be a big help to the Rays’ staff with the loss of Faria and the absence of Jose Alvarado.

The price set by Miami for these two pitchers was steep, though. Ryne Stanek has performed extremely well as the Rays’ opener. The new role suited his style well as he pitched to a 3.40 ERA and an impressive 1.15 WHIP. The rest of the transaction came in the form of Jesus Sanchez. Typically regarded as one of the team’s top prospects, the 21-year old outfielder has impressed at every level until this season. He has struggled at the AA and AAA levels, totaling a 0.263 average, 0.712 OPS, with 54 RBIs in 96 games.

Overall Grade: B

With all things said and done, the Rays did well for themselves. They picked up not one but two players to assist with their major deficiencies for relatively low costs. The loss of Stanek stings, but in terms of this season, the Rays made a good choice in moving him for two pitchers. Following this type of deadline day, expect the Rays to make a strong push towards the playoffs as players continue to get healthy and return to the diamond.

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