Already without burgeoning ace Tyler Glasnow since May, the Rays’ rotation was dealt another serious blow Thursday with the news that reigning AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell will undergo elbow surgery. The arthroscopic procedure will keep the left-hander out for at least four weeks, and it could prove to be a fatal shot to Tampa Bay’s postseason hopes. For now, though, the team remains very much in the wild-card hunt. The Rays trail the Athletics by one game for the AL’s final playoff spot, so they’re still hoping to buy before Wednesday’s trade deadline, general manager Erik Neander told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times after losing Snell.
“The belief we have in this group extends well beyond Blake,’’ Neander said. “As long as they’re able to take care of their business and play to their potential between now and the end of the month, I think we want to do everything we can not to take this season for granted and see if there is a way to help this team in a responsible fashion.’’
Taking care of business has been a struggle of late for the Rays, who have gone 6-8 since the All-Star break. They’ll next head north to face the non-contending Blue Jays three times before trekking to Boston for a crucial series that coincides with the deadline.
Should the Rays play well enough against their two division rivals to convince management to add pieces, the rotation is one obvious place the team could upgrade. Even before Snell went down, the Rays were connected to Tigers left-hander Matthew Boyd and Mets righty Zack Wheeler in the rumor mill (links here). However, they’re not particularly likely to address their starting staff from outside, according to Topkin. If they don’t, Topkin writes that the Rays figure to ride it out with two traditional rotation arms – current Cy Young candidate Charlie Morton and Yonny Chirinos – with Brendan McKay probably returning from the minors in August and openers set to make the other starts.
Elsewhere, the Rays have reportedly shown interest in a few right-handed hitters (the Rangers’ Hunter Pence, the Tigers’ Nicholas Castellanos and the Brewers’ Jesus Aguilar) and several relievers. Perhaps they’ll acquire someone from that group, but regardless, it’s clear the Rays are going to take a judicious approach over the next few days. The club’s sitting what’s likely an insurmountable 9 1/2 games behind the AL East-leading Yankees, meaning it’s vying just for the right to participate in a one-game playoff. Earning one of those two spots would have been a significant challenge with Snell around for the rest of the year. The task now looks much more difficult, but with Tampa Bay still in striking distance, it’s not ready to wave the white flag.
First, they are prospect collectors
Second, that’s where they will end up. If they are lucky.
I don’t believe the Rays are making a serious move
I can c maybe a Castellanos acquisition. Just based on him still being on the younger side. But I don’t c them paying the huge price for Boyd.
Castellanos is a FA at the end of the season though. So his age really doesn’t have anything to do with whether or not they acquire him — it would be as a rental anyway (unless they also intend to resign him… but that’s kind of separate from trading for him anyway)
They should have made a move 6 weeks ago. Winning is not an objective for them. Perceived future value & trolling their own fan base are priority number one.
B.S.
Rays cannot buy FA talent & the most of the league has also put a better emphasis on better farm systems.
This year has not gone the way the team has hoped but they have at least 4 legitimate top prospects (Franco, Hernandez, McKay who has gotten a few cups of coffee & Sanchez) who are a few years off not to mention other solid prospects underneath them.
Acquire H. Pence (who is hitting better than Castellanos), add a bullpen piece (or 2) & make a run at Wheeler if the price is not exorbitant.
Running a AAAA organization is priority #1, being competitive is just a bonus. The league needs a salary cap with a floor for teams like this.
Since 2008, here are the top 5 win totals in MLB.
Yankees – 1076
Dodgers – 1059
Cardinals – 1040
Red Sox – 1035
Rays – 1003
If the Rays are a AAAA organization that doesn’t care about being competitive, what does that say for the other 25 teams in baseball?
Competitive enough to generate interest but will never win anything and are content with that. Their payroll is an insult to the game and the band box they play in is a joke.
You left out the part where they opened up the 2000 season with a $64 million payroll and $52 million this year. Really? In 19 years with inflation and spending they’ve gone backwards $12+ million? And in the past 5 years they finished 19, 13, 25, 13 and 18 games out says a lot. That every year they break camp with a AAAA payroll and hope to finish 3rd ought to make all of their diehard fans ecstatic.
Agreed if we would have addressed the bullpen in June we would be 3 GB of Yanks not 8.5 GB
Anderson, Riley & Fried for Snell ????
Morton is a better fit for them and might not cost the entire farm.
But I doubt the rays are going to sell anyway so none of this matters
Rays don’t go for gusto and spend money or send best prospects.
They have the most under rated farm in majors. It should be first, head and shoulders above. But go get winners and make run? Nope! Never have. Never will.
Shut down a Florida team. My vote is Marlins but they have rings so that is hard sell. Plus they have legit stadium so even harder.
Rays should say, hey, this is my year. Go get Greinke. Send low prospects. Eat contract. Go get Shin Soo Choo. Eat contract. Send low prospects. Same for Samardzija.
Use Ray baseball method. Only pitch starter five innings. Make him look super. Like Morton or Snell. Pad up ERA stat. Also win win win. Now!
Hey the Trop is in south St Pete away from I4/I275 & I75 so that is the biggest reason for the low attendance.
Rays farm is not “low” as what you have stated since here are the Rays top prospects-
W. Franco
R. Hernandez
B. McKay
J. Sanchez
V. Braun
You also have N. Lowe currently up in the majors
& M. Brosseau is hitting well for a rookie currently in the show (plus they have a handful of other prospects that I can list).
I am Rays season ticket holder so I actually support the team & go to games.
rays are the perfect team to do a blockbuster with detroit for boyd, castellanos and greene. they have the prospects to do it.
Typical Tampa Bay… If they do well these next 6 days then they feel “why add to what we have? We are doing well”. If they don’t do well, then, ” it will take more than a couple deadline deals to right this ship.”
They will regroup for next year. That’s another reason no one goes to their games. Last series with Boston in town… under 17,000 people per game. When they were in Boston, they averaged over 35,000 per game.
When Yankees were in Tampa, 21,000 per game. In Yankee stadium over 40,000 per game.
These are teams battling for the playoffs?
Terrible
You do realize that Boston and NY benefit from huge corporate and business support for their ticket sales. That’s the model that creates ticket sales; not a bunch of individual season ticket holders. Rays have almost zero business support. It’s super low. If it the stadium was in Tampa proper or Orlando it would be different.
Peeps don’t buy in because ownership never has- nobody here believes ownership will ever make winning over money a priority.
According to you, ownership doesn’t care about winning and it’s not a priority. Yet over the past 12 seasons, the Rays have won the 5th most games in all of MLB. The Rays are on pace for their 2nd straight 90 win season and also have the best farm system in the game. Maybe fans of poorly run teams like the Mets should be ecstatic that the Rays don’t try, or else they might have a run like the pre free agency Yankees did.
Sounds great and will look even better when they finish 3rd in the division.
Boyd and Wheeler keep being mentioned by this site like they’re surefire TOR arms, when neither of them are having THAT good of a season.
Where has anyone said they were TOR arms? They are usually mentioned as a 4 after JV, Cole and Miley. Or as a 3 in Tampa. Or added depth on yanks and dodgers.
I said Boyd could be the ace of the Yankees only because everyone was dogging Boyd. He could be a 4 on that team.
Pirates fan here. You can have Chris Archer back.
Maybe the Rays could quit jacking Brendan McKay around and put him in the rotation. Duh!!
The rays have confussed me. Our payroll is 10-15 million less than last year, we are paying Encarncion more than anyone on our team execpt Morton and Snell to launch bombs against us, and our owner is complaining and wants to move to Montreal. Want Tampas support Stu? Show that you derserve it. Tell the FO to get off their asses pick up some relivers, eat some of their payroll and throw in Castellanos.