Rays ace Blake Snell is set to undergo arthroscopic surgery in his left elbow, as per The Athletic’s Josh Tolentino (subscription required). The procedure will remove some a loose body from Snell’s elbow and will cost the southpaw at least four weeks of action, though he and the Rays “are confident he will pitch again this season.”
While Snell hasn’t been as dominant this year as he was during his Cy Young Award-winning 2018 season, Snell was still posting good numbers. In fact, as per ERA predictors such as xFIP (3.16 in 2018, 3.23 in 2019) and SIERA (3.30 in 2018, 3.50 in 2019), Snell was pitching just as well this season as he did last year. An increase in home run rate, however, has ballooned Snell’s ERA to 4.28 this season, plus he hasn’t gotten the strand rate and BABIP benefits that he enjoyed in 2018.
Overall, the left-hander has a 4.28 ERA, 12.1 K/9, and 3.89 K/BB rate over 101 frames this year, and he has been on a particular run of good form over his last four starts. The Rays have been able to stay competitive in the wild card race even without Snell at the top of his game, so it’s a particularly tough bit of news for the team that Snell will hit the injured list just as he has been getting his season on track.
With Snell out, Charlie Morton now stands as the only full-time healthy starting pitcher on the Tampa Bay roster. Yonny Chirinos has started most of his appearances but has also worked as a bulk pitcher behind an opener, while Tyler Glasnow is on the IL himself with a forearm problem and there is at least some doubt as to whether he’ll be able to return before season’s end.
Brendan McKay is probably the likeliest candidate to replace Snell, as the two-way star was optioned back to Triple-A last week following an impressive four-start beginning to his MLB career. McKay has already pitched 86 innings between the minors and big leagues this year, however, and since his previous season-high was only 78 1/3 frames (in 2018), Tampa isn’t likely to push McKay’s arm too much as a long-term answer this year.
In theory, McKay (with some judicious innings-management and some openers picking up the slack) could fill in long enough for Snell to get healthy. As Tolentino notes, Nathan Eovaldi ended up missing three months after undergoing a similar elbow procedure earlier this season, and while situations obviously vary from player to player, Snell’s four-week recovery timeline shouldn’t be set in stone.
As the trade deadline approaches, the Rays could seek out some pitching help, at least a second-tier veteran arm simply as an innings-eater to bail out the rotation while Snell recovers. Tampa Bay has been loath, however, to acquire such pitchers over the last two years, preferring to rely on in-house answers and their opener strategy rather than an innings-eater type. Being in the heat of a postseason race could adjust the Rays’ perspective, of course, particularly if a traditional starter could be had at a relatively low price. Alternatively, the Rays could also opt to make a big splash for a front-of-the-rotation type of arm, if they’re willing to give up the big prospect package such a hurler would naturally cost.
Good luck Blake
He beat the Sox last Sunday with 109 pitches. Injury cannot be too bad.
Blake has not seemed his usual dominant self consistently this year. This makes sense that he was dealing with this issue. TB has been hit hard with SP injuries with Glasnow and Snell not to mention top SP prospects.
Or last year is the exception, and this is who he is. He was sent down once in 2017, because he was struggling.
Welcome Matthew Boyd
Boyd or Stroman would have been a nice pickup for TB before this news so it is even more now. To have one of them take Snells place for a month then when Blake comes back they will have Snell/Morton/Stro or Boyd/Chirnos which looks nice not to mention Glas when he comes back
Mike Leake could be helpful, will be able to finish the regular season for them so that Snell is 100% for the playoffs.
Tough to assume playoffs when they are behind Tribe/A’s for WC spots and RSox only 1 game behind them.
They’re a solid third place team.
The Rays have 32 games left against Detroit, Seattle, Miami, Toronto and Baltimore. If they win just 22 of those they’ll have 80 wins and it’s more likely that they win more than 22 of those games. That leaves them 25 games to win at least 10 against better competition to get to 90+ wins.
Oakland only has 15 games against the rebuilding teams, and Boston has 14.
TB is the exact team that doesn’t want Mike Leake though. He’s an innings eater. They revolutionized the opener to get away from those arms. I don’t see a match there at all. I think it’s far more likely that they’ll get a reliever who could serve as another opener before they make that move.
You say win only 22, like it’s easy to go 22-10. That’s not true, no matter who the opponent. I also don’t think 90 is getting you a spot this year.
If it’s a 32 game stretch then yeah, but this is spread out over 2 month.
Tampa went with openers out of necessity, not desire. They worked with what they had.
An innings-eater would take a load off of their ‘pen. That’s not a bad thing, and then there’s the price. Leake would be very affordable with Seattle and St. Louis covering most of the money still owed.
Maybe Kean Wong or Jake Cronenworth as the return.
Brujan, Lowe, and Mcclanahan for Boyd, Castellanos, and cash
Add Greene and Sanchez and no cash
When you add Greene for Sanchez w no cash you end trade talks.
Is not Greene for Sanchez but the other trade is to light for Boyd so this equals it out.
Sanchez, Nate Lowe, McClanahan and a throw in like a Garrett Whitley for Boyd, Green and Castellanos….I think this works for both teams. TB doesnt go wild in trading the farm, still has both great depth in pitching and position players. Detroit gets a fair return of a couple top prospects, an MLB ready player for controllable players and a rental
If they have such great depth in pitching on the farm, then why all the posting in this article about them going after pitching?
Because its pitching that’s not MLB ready….thats why
Remove Garrett and add Brujan and both teams good. Good for next year.
I saw this and shed a tear. Get well buddy
Time to trade Charlie Morton for a haul. Send him to the Braves for Ian Anderson +
Trading Morton would be a Bush league move. He and players association would definitely not be happy.
Morton only signed with TB to be close to home.
TB is a resilient organization imo. They are not going to punt on the season despite some bad injury luck.
Can you not
Ian Anderson + who? Jethro Tull?
If TB decides to sell, Morton would look good in Orange and Navy.
In fact, I have seen it
I’ll cry for him while he brings in more money this year than I will in a lifetime.
This is terrible news for our playoff chances!!!! The injuries to our pitchers this year have been devastating. First Honeywell, the Glasnow and now Snell. They Rays always bring the pitchers back very slowly as with Jose DeLeon, Anthony Banda. Are we going to see Jose DeLeon now?
This is terrible news for our playoff chances!!!! The injuries to our pitchers this year have been devastating. First Honeywell, then Glasnow and now Snell. They Rays always bring the pitchers back very slowly as with Jose DeLeon, Anthony Banda. Are we going to see Jose DeLeon now?
Tampa will not trade for a starter. They have dropped out of first. They are behind in the wild card. They aren’t going to use top prospects so they can get into a one game playoff.
No, but they will trade system depth with an eye towards next season and that should include a starter.
Next year they have Morton, McKay Chirinos, Snell and Glasnow. That’s a full 5 without accounting for the opener and the bulk guys like Beeks and Yarbrough. Not to mention Jose De Leon or possibly Brent Honeywell helping in some capacity. I don’t see them buying a long term starter unless they get a bargain.
Maybe he can play first base while he’s not pitching.
Good luck, Blake. Hey, do you guys want Chris Archer back? :)
I guess I can drop him in fantasy baseball now? I doubt he makes it back in four weeks, it took Eovaldi like 3-4 months
Eovaldi already had several surgeries on that elbow and almost certainly had a lot of scar tissue. It might not be that comparable
Guess that explains his struggles this year. Losing Snell and Glasnow for the stretch run really scotched their run for the playoffs.
See if Pirates would trade Trevor Williams or Joe Musgrove.
No, but I think it’s obvious that Jordan Lyles is the next Tyler Glasnow once the Rays work their magic on him. They should trade for him.
Maybe the Pirates can get an autographed Shane Baz Bowling Green Hot Rods jersey in return.
The Rays don’t FO won’t take any crappy back end arms. They made the opener a thing. My bet is that they go get a Robbie Ray or possibly Zack Wheeler (depending on how much they like their shot this year) type if the price is right. Either that or they add another reliever who could open. They add that reliever and they call up De Leon to be another bulk man.
Neither Ray nor Wheeler (if available) would be cheap.
This is a bummer as I would really like to see the Rays to win a wild card spot.
Time to re-sign big game James Shields!
I like Snell but their record hasn’t had a ton do do with him this year. He has a sub .500 record. Instead of blowing their prospect load on a top tier starter, why not get an innings eater and a DH type, who could play corner OF in a pinch? Would require much less in terms of prospects and with them a game back in the wild card I’d rather trade for a guy who can play several times a week and add some much needed punch to the offense. As others have stated, they are looking like a one game wild card scenario at best, which Morton would pitch anyway.
Trade with Tigers makes a ton of sense. Either Joe Jimenez or Shane Greene as the headliner (I’d be surprised if Rays got Greene) plus Blaine Hardy and/or Daniel Norris make a ton of sense as ‘Rays Types’. Norris might be more of an offseason acquisition given it could take time to implement a new approach that taps his potential. Jimenez
RP Joe Jiménez (24)- Minimum Salary 2019. Club Control through 2023.
RP Shane Greene (30)- $4.0M Salary 2019. Arbitration Eligible 2020.
RP Blaine Hardy (32)- $1.3M Salary 2019. Arbitration Eligible 2020-2021.
SP Daniel Norris (26)- $1.27M Salary 2019. Arbitration Eligible 2020-2021.
RP Trevor Rosenthal (29)- Minor League Deal.
With Snell undergoing elbow surgery and Glasnow’s return not imminent, the Rays could deal from their impressive system for Matthew Boyd. One of few teams that can assemble an enticing package for the Tigers built around either Vidal Brujan or Jesus Sanchez. Tigers will want position players, not pitching.
Who Says No?
Tigers Receive:
– IF Vidal Brujan (21)- Prospect.
– OF/1B Joe McCarthy (25)- Prospect.
– RHP Jacob Faria (25)- Minimum Salary 2019. Club Control through 2023.
– IF Taylor Walls (22)- Prospect.
Rays Receive:
– SP Matthew Boyd (28)- $2.6M Salary 2019. Arbitration Eligible 2020-2022.
The Tigers. That’s Brujan for Boyd plus filler. Not even good filler. Tigers fans have gotten some ridiculous packages in their heads but they’ll need a better secondary piece than what you’re giving them there. Lucius Fox or something would hVe to go back as well. Probably w some of that filler you proposed.
Is it possible for you to converse with fans here without being rude? You criticize everyone and everything and it invalidates any points you might have.
Not anymore! After Snell injury news, The Rays are not going to Make any big trades. Just hope for the best till the season ends.
Can’t see the love affair with Fox; he’s really never hit his weight anywhere. Decent glove and all that, but….And you’re right, the rest is just filler.
I think the Rays might say no. While they have an excellent system, there isn’t a lot of impact there, but Brujan is. If they move him to CF, you get a top of the order bat who impacts offensively, defensively and on the bases; he’s darn-near Acuna-ish. They’re hung with KK (10M), Morton (15M) and Snell (7M) next year; adding another 6-7M for a guy that’s really Chris Archer is a bit much.
Some short-term arm makes more sense, somebody they can wave good-by to at the end of the year. But they may not do anything.