For starters, yes, it’s now officially “The Randy Arozarena Trade.”
Arozarena has been the star of the Rays’ postseason run, hitting an incredible .382/.433/.855 with seven home runs over 60 plate appearances in these playoffs. The 25-year-old outfielder’s performance earned him ALCS MVP honors, making him the first rookie position player in baseball history to ever be named MVP of a league championship series or World Series.
It’s pretty on-brand for the Rays’ style of roster-building that their October hero is someone a lot of fans probably had never heard of as recently as September. For a team that is rightly credited for a strong minor league system, it’s a little surprising that so few members of Tampa Bay’s World Series roster are actually homegrown players — only seven of the 28 players came up entirely through the Rays’ pipeline, with the other 21 all acquired via signings or trades.
Case in point, Arozarena. Back in January, the Rays and Cardinals completed a multi-player deal that, at the time, was best known as “the Jose Martinez trade” or even “the Matthew Liberatore trade.” Tampa Bay sent top pitching prospect Liberatore, catching prospect Edgardo Rodriguez, and their draft pick in Competitive Balance Round B (which ended up 63rd overall) to St. Louis in exchange for Martinez, the Cards’ pick in Competitive Balance Round A (or the 37th overall pick) and a certain future ALCS MVP.
At the time, Martinez was easily the best-known quantity, having hit .298/.363/.458 with 41 homers over 1288 PA for the Cardinals in 2016-19. If you had predicted in January that a player from this trade would help lead the Rays to the AL pennant, the assumption would have been that Martinez continued (or improved upon) the offensive production he delivered in St. Louis. A move to the American League was long seen as a way to possibly fully unlock his potential, as the defensively-challenged Martinez would no longer have to worry about playing the field in a league with a designated hitter position.
As it turned out, Martinez didn’t even finish the season in Tampa. After missing much of Summer Camp due to a positive COVID-19 test, Martinez hit .239/.329/.388 over 76 PA for the Rays and was traded to the Cubs in a deadline deal for two players to be named later. Martinez then didn’t collect a single hit over 22 PA for Chicago, and now looks like he could be a non-tender candidate this winter.
It’s worth noting that Martinez didn’t hit as well in 2019 as he did in 2017-18, leading some Tampa fans to wonder why a 31-year-old DH type was the apparent headliner of a trade package for one of the Rays’ (and baseball’s) top prospects. Liberatore was the 16th overall pick of the 2018 draft and a consensus top-65 prospect, and even accounting for the lost 2020 minor league season, there’s no reason to believe Liberatore couldn’t still become a quality MLB starter. Liberatore could even factor into the Cardinals’ pitching plans for 2021, as president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Liberatore impressed the team while working out at the alternate training site this summer.
Arozarena was a well-regarded prospect in his own right, but hardly a top-100 type or even one of the top-tier names in the Cardinals’ system alone; MLB Pipeline ranked Arozarena as the tenth-best St. Louis minor leaguer at the time of the trade. Since the Cards were already overloaded with outfield candidates, it was more than understandable that Mozeliak and company jumped to unload some of that surplus while bringing back a promising minor league arm. Granted, St. Louis fans might not agree with this logic based on immediate returns, as several Cards outfielders (such as Tyler O’Neill, Lane Thomas, and even top prospect Dylan Carlson) badly struggled at the plate in 2020 while Arozarena thrived in Tampa Bay.
As valuable of an asset as Liberatore was and still is, however, the Rays felt okay with moving a piece of their future for the win-now addition of some outfield bats. This is where the Rays’ outstanding player development system really comes into play — Tampa Bay is comfortable in taking the risk in trading such prospects because the front office has confidence they can always draft, acquire, and develop more good players to fill that void.
In a baseball world that holds top-100 prospects in higher regard than ever before, the Rays have dealt three such players (Liberatore, Jesus Sanchez, and Nick Solak) since July 2019, bringing back the likes of Arozarena, Nick Anderson, Peter Fairbanks, and Trevor Richards in return. All are controllable young players in their own right, and all have been able to contribute at the big league level more immediately, with Arozarena, Anderson, and Fairbanks in particular all being major components of Tampa’s push to the World Series.
The Rays/Cardinals trade is also perhaps instructional in considering just how much teams value draft position. The concept of trading draft picks is still unusual in baseball terms (the Competitive Balance Round selections are the only picks that can be traded), though fans of the NFL, NBA, or NHL are very familiar with how much teams in those sports often have to surrender in order to trade up in those respective drafts. A 26-spot jump in the draft was a big leap upwards for the Rays, who used that 37th overall pick on Arizona State shortstop Alika Williams. St. Louis, meanwhile, took Arkansas high school pitcher Tink Hence with the 63rd overall pick.
Perhaps in a decade’s time, we’ll look back on this deal as “The Alika Williams Trade” or “The Tink Hence Trade,” or even “The Edgardo Rodriguez Trade.” Since the swap has already led to at least an AL pennant, the Rays likely won’t be too upset if Hence, Rodriguez, or Liberatore end up being staples of the Cardinals’ roster. While fans take stock of which teams “win” or “lose” trades, most front offices hope all their deals are win-win moves — it won’t help future trade negotiations, naturally, if other teams are too wary of a club who only trades away future underachievers.
The Rays do tend to come out on the better end of trades more often than not, however, which is why the low-payroll franchise is currently playing for a World Series title. Every playoff champion seems to have at least one unheralded acquisition leading the way, and while Arozarena is but one of several such players on Tampa Bay’s roster, his immediate impact and long-term potential make him a particular success story for the Rays’ front office.
We dont know what Liberatore will be, but this is a long line of former cardinals that have thrived since being moved. Not to mention the other blunders Mo has made (passing on Tatis Jr, carp extension, fowler etc). Hopefully Liberatore becomes what hes projected to be but the Cards havent been able to develop top talent lately (sans Flaherty).
Everybody besides the White Sox passed on Tatis Jr. He was barely a top 30 international prospect in his class and signed for only $700,000. That’s no different than being mad at ~20 teams passing on Trout. If ANYBODY thought either player would turn into anything close to what they are today, they would’ve clearly been at the top of their respective draft/class. If I were a Cardinals fan, I’d be much more upset with them coming up short on Luis Robert; at least everyone had a good idea of what they would be getting with him.
Then the white Sox traded him so…
Mo’s gotta go
“Then the white Sox traded him so…”
Yeah… That kinda adds to my point… Literally nobody in baseball thought he’d become anything close to this.
I know Priggs…I was agreeing with you…
Tatis sr wanted the Cards to sign his son since he liked playing here. They couldn’t agree over pennies (in a baseball perspective). Equally groaning at the Robert signing too, trust me. Most Cards fans have had it with Mo who hasn’t really had much success in trades or FA since Lunhow left.
I thought Robert picked the Sox because he thought they were the best fit for his skillset? They have done well with identifying talent but either acquiring or developing has proved more difficult. I think Gomber, Reyes, Hudson and Flaherty point to their ability to develop quality pitching. Position players are a different story altogether. Why did they give at bats to Austin Dean instead of Justin Williams? I still don’t understand why they signed him with a log jam of outfielders to choose from.
I thought Robert picked the Sox because he thought they were the best fit for his skillset? They have done well with identifying talent but either acquiring or developing has proven more difficult. I think Gomber, Reyes, Hudson and Flaherty point to their ability to develop quality pitching. Position players are a different story altogether. Why did they give at bats to Austin Dean instead of Justin Williams? I still don’t understand why they signed him with a log jam of outfielders to choose from.
The cardinals front office inability to get off their wallets sometimes is frustrating, but then they will give/offer the contracts to Leake, Fowler, Price, ect that make no sense for the team.
Are you sure Tatis Sr. wanted him in St. Louis? He had one good year and then an injured year and traded. Rumors were always he was traded because LaRussa didn’t like the way he played. Lack of effort, not coachable, and such. And they traded him for Kline, who I loved and he was great before injuries, but also a pain in LaRussa rear.
“Why did they give at bats to Austin Dean instead of Justin Williams? I still don’t understand why they signed him with a log jam of outfielders to choose from.”
Because Dean is better. Williams is a 5th OF at best, like Dean, but Dean is more polished. Watch him play. Watch him run, it’s almost comical. Plus Williams put himself in the doghouse to begin with “punching a TV” in a “domestic dispute” and costing himself a lot of 2019 and then not outplaying ANY of the OF’s on the roster in either training setting this season.
Luis Robert will become another Willie Mays, he is that talented.. Power,speed, arm, fielding y0u name it.
Correct. The MLB draft is a crap shoot. Players drafted are far from ready to contribute for the teams that draft them. This isn’t the NFL where first year players can make or break a team. It’s a long developmental process with many intangibles. Props to scouts that can identify players that may succeed after years of development. Baseball players aren’t born, they’re made. Unless you’re the Fishman. Someone needs to draft his offspring now.
This trade never happens and Liberatore is a Cy Young candidate this year for the Rays while Arozarena is not even a member of the 60 player pool in St. Louis. I want to have the magic wand they have in Tampa.
Libertore wouldnt have been up, and is overrated.
“Liberatore overrated”? Based on what? You do realize that he’s a ’18 1st rd pick out of HIGH SCHOOL, right? He’s far from being a finished product, but calling him overrated at this point is absurd?
You are absolutely correct. Liberatore isn’t making the majors as a starter. Maybe not even a reliever. If so—— the baseball talent Fairy better whip up a good spell fast!!! Ha!
Arozarena was a fringe top 100 guy on Fangraphs. Liberatore was somewhere in the 80 range I believe.
Not everybody thought the two had vastly different value. I was puzzled why the Rays traded for 2 CF’s with KK around. They’ve somehow managed to make an OF of 3 CF’s work out very well. Good on them.
TB typically gets the better end of whatever trade they’re making.
Definitely – Fangraphs was high on Arozarena and even pointed out that he could be the real gem of the trade. Another feather in their talent evaluation cap.
I can’t cute any specifics, but during the time that Arozarena was in the bigs in 2019 I thought he showed tremendous spark and talent…in contrast to the other OFs that Mo hung onto….
Can’t cite…. (dang morning fingers!)
Yeah, Cam. MLBTR often sites MLB.com’s prospect rankings which are pretty bad outside of the top 100. FG is better with top 100 guys as well but the difference isn’t as noticeable. If anyone is truly looking for info on their prospects—FG is the way to go.
Arozonea never gat a chance in St. Louis. Their evaluation of him was that he didn’t fit in the Clubhouse!!! Ha!
Developing story.
Luis Campusano arrested in Georgia for Mary Jane. 79 grams.
Nvm. Guess my 1st comment went through. Sorry for double post.
That’s a shame. Shouldn’t even be illegal
You could have phrased this as 8 ozs. Makes it sound a lot more tame
Lol what is that math? It’s less than 3 oz
Developing Story.
Luis Campusano was released on bail for possession in Georgia.
Other comment didn’t go through.
Ha, just after me posting on another thread that the Padres should sign Yadier Molina to tutor and share time with Campusano. So maybe just sign Molina because he’s a logical step in molding a pitching staff.
What about Austin Nola who you just traded for?
Not a Pods fan. Nola would be a tradeable commodity if they got Molina, though they now might have to keep him since this charge against Campusano is a felony. Nola/Mejia is a weak duo compared to Molina/Campusano.
People in St. Louis knew the trade had nothing to do with Martinez, he was trending down at the time…Arozarena was a great hitter and the cardinals should have known that but MO likes his pitching prospects…plus the mentioned fact that the cardinals had plenty of outfield prospects and Carlson being so close to MLB ready…speaking of Carlson, he might have started out slow but he turned it on in the end and helped get the cardinals to the playoffs…and this just proves the top 100 prospect list is mostly BS
I wanted to know then, and I really want to know now, if the Rays would’ve taken O’Neil. It’s entirely possible that Arozarena was the guy they wanted all along and the answer is no, in which case I’ll reserve judgment until we see Liberatore. But I thought Arozarena showed more promise in his cup of coffee with the Cards than O’Neil (or any of the Cards’ outfield prospects besides Carlson) had ever shown, and it stung when Randy was the one shipped out.
I think they wanted Randy because they saw the talent…did you see his minor league numbers, he had power, hit for average, and stole bases…what people might not k ow or was mentioned is that Randy got on the cardinals bad side when he videotaped the cardinals skipper giving a speech in the locker room and putting it on social media…every one knows if you get on MOs bad side you are as good as gone
Bingo. IMHO that video is exactly why Arozarena was traded. The cardinals brass didn’t appreciate that one bit. It was a young kids mistake but they are not very forgiving.
I’m in total agreement with baseballpun. If that video was the turning point, then this team is clueless about player development, since this was a teachable moment. And if errors in judgment are deal killers for the Cards, then how is it that Carlos Martinez is still with them??
Martinez signed a big contract with them before he started making stupid mistakes…Plus Martinez’s problems were off the field and he never butted heads with management too much…but i do think they should have traded Martinez a long time ago if they could have…Randy was never considered a higher prospect than Bader, Oneill or Carlson, unlike Martinez who was considered almost an elite talent at the time of his arrival…big difference..so maybe they put up with him a little more
You hit the nail on the head, The social media issue was what made him expendable.
Apparently trading top prospects for spare parts is the new market inefficiency.
Its a bold strategy for the Cardinals. Hope it works out for them.
Dodgers traded spare parts for Josiah Gray and Jeter Downs. There is a reason these two teams are playing in the World Series.
Ha, fans wanted “Fraudman” run out of town over that one. Gotta know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. AF is a master. Held onto Verdugo when fans wanted him swapped for Kluber, then used him as a centerpiece to get you-know-who. Win or lose this week, it’ll be interesting to see what he has up his sleeve this winter.
Ha, fans wanted “Fraudman” run out of town over that one.
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Anyone that wanted Friedman run out of town over that one, needs to go back to elementary school BB101. Puig would’ve been the #5 outfielder after Verdugo, Wood would’ve been the #7 SP. And Kemp would’ve been cut.
That might’ve been the best trade of the decade, and one of the few that didn’t anyone to add ‘in retrospect’.
Dodgers traded spare parts for Josiah Gray and Jeter Downs
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They weren’t even spare parts. In sum, they were negative value parts. Puig had some excess value, but Kemp had negative value, and Wood was a real question mark.
IMO, this was like the RS salary dump to LA with Gonzo. You dump salary and get a couple of fringy prospects back just for show purposes. But Gray and Downs were way above ‘show purposes’. Gray and Downs are close in value to what LAD gave up for Betts.
I remember everyone leaving comments on here thinking the Rays got owned on this trade. We all should know better by now
I thought the Pham trade was good. Pagan trade was ok. Liberatore trade was bad. Lesson is don’t judge the Rays.
Guy has a hot month and all of a sudden it’s a complete disaster for the team that got one of the top pitching prospects in baseball back. Of course the Rays “win” when you decided to evaluate the trade before either of the pieces that were shipped out have made it to the majors. Crazy how many people have completely given up on Liberatore returning any value already.
Yup. It could take years to properly evaluate that trade. And it’s not always about one team winning and the other losing. Both teams can win the trade (or lose, as often happens).
which will probably happen. Arozarena could be useless after the WS but the Rays still are winners if they take the title. If that’s the case the Cards still probably woulnt have won, but instead get a good player for the following years.
All true. And maybe Liberatore becomes a Wacha-like flash-in-the-pan who helps the Cards get to a World Series before fizzling. We see this all the time in sports. It is hard to be great, yet people like to reach for that word after watching a player for a month. These people need to check the Hall of Fame site. Not too many players enshrined when you consider how long the game has been around.
Exactly. If they win it all, it was a great trade. Kind of like the Eaton trade. Gave up some prime prospects, but Washington doesn’t win without Eaton, last year. Everything else doesn’t matter.
The Rays most definitely are winners of a trade if it results in a title. That’s the main goal for every franchise. Even if Liberatore succeeds or becomes a HOFer the title, in the event Tampa Bay wins, will go down as one of the most successful trades in franchise history.
“guy has a hot month”. Yeah so hot that hes about to tie barry bonds, carlos beltran, and nelson cruz for most hrs in a postseason and tie Derek Jeter for most hits by a rookie (with the all time record well within reach). Probably pretty flukey. Liberatore will prob be pretty good, but he needs to be very good at this rate.
Don’t forget the extra games played this postseason.
No we won’t forget the 2 extra games potentially that Tampa played this season. So we add one more asterisk to the season of the asterisk…. smh….
Won’t matter if he mashes 10 more 😉
If pitchers figure him out and then he’s not able to make the adjustment next year and becomes a below-average outfielder for the rest of his career, Liberatore really doesn’t. A solid 4 would result in more overall value. “One postseason does not a star make”, isn’t that how that quote goes?
People live in the now, so is it really that surprising that a rookie player who didn’t even play this year is being overshadowed by a rookie player that just recently earned ALCS MVP honors?
That being said, I don’t think it should matter that people are or have given up on a player unless they are the ones running the team.
Exactly. I’ve liked Randy for a while and always thought he was the key piece the Rays wanted.
But the guy’s had 2 decent weeks…..that’s it. Let’s not bury the Cards side for a little while.
Actually he had 76 great AB’s during the season, then 60 great AB’s in the postseason.
Actually he had 76 great AB’s (7 HR’s) during the season, then 60 great AB’s (7 HR’s) in the postseason. Not a whole season but more than a “decent” (extraordinary or amazing, more like) weeks.
But the guy’s had 2 decent weeks…..
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Spot on correct. Aro is the obvious choice now, but my RS have at least one rookie every year with a good 64 AB start to their career.
But Aro had a .46.7 HR/FB ratio, very unlikely to sustain. He reminds me of Pham a little. Buy low, anticipate upward regression, and then trade him.
I’d rather have him than not have him, but he is hardly a lock.
Rays absolutely got a good player in Randy, but i wouldnt jump and say he’s cecertainly going to be better then Liberatore. if Liberatore is a study top pitcher, perhaps even a 3, Cards probably win unless Randy becomes a full in superstar. great, sturdy pitching is hard to fine. that said, Tampa does this trade 100/100 times in hindsight, and I’d favor them so far given the known is worth much more then the unknown.
Teams are desperate for starting pitching. We see it every winter. We’ll see it again this winter despite COVID economics. With the expanded playoffs, teams will be looking for that one sturdy arm to help them squeeze in and make a run. And they’ll do it by spending on guys they only hope will be sturdy. A great time to be Taijuan Walker or his agent.
The problem isn’t that Liberatore might suck or be just an average pitcher. The real problem is that the Cardinals don’t know their needs. You don’t trade a guy like Randy when you have so many pitching options and are lacking offense. Not just lacking offense, it’s literally non existent. So if Cards had a good offense this trade makes more sense but we don’t need more pitching.
Easier said than done. When the happened it was very easy to see who the Rays were trading for. Both teams were trading from a position of strength at the time.
i mean Randy would have helped STL this year for sure, but it wasnt exactly a given that he’d get a chance to factor in given how STL thought about their OF at the start of the season. in hindsight it would have helped to keep him for this year, but was it realistic to expect all of their OF to flop like they did?
Does any team lack confidence that they will be able to draft, trade, and develop players to fill voids?
Depends on how patient they are. Some GMs don’t have the time to do it the right way. It’ll be interesting to see who fills the current GM openings. With some of these owners, draft-and-develop doesn’t sound as good in a job interview as “I can have you winning immediately.” That’s why the Mets hired Van Wagenen instead of Bloom.
My question was really related to how the statement was made in the article. Whether any given team has a history of doing it well or not, I doubt any one of them lacks confidence in their abilities to make roster moves. This just didn’t seem like a very useful point of distinction.
Look at the teams that consistently pick top 10. Those teams
Was not a big fan of this trade, always liked Arozarena’s skill set. But let’s face it, if the trade didn’t happen, the Astros would likely be facing LA in game one tonight. Suddenly I am just fine with this trade…..
Actually, if the trade doesn’t happen, probably the Yankees facing L.A.
He’s on a hot streak, a VERY impressive hot streak. If he can do this in a full season, I will concede it should be called the “Randy Arozarena”. Players simply get hot at the right time and millions of people jumped on his bandwagon, especially today where the average fan only sees what is written on the Internet and calls it gospel. Billy Martin was a mid-level infielder, but in the World Series, he played like a Hall of Famer. Bobby Richardson, a mid-level infielder, did the same. Gene Tenace was a bad catcher who hit with decent power and walked a lot, but in 1972, he got hot at the right time. Let Arozarena get a chance to prove he isn’t a flash in the pan, who is riding a hot streak and maybe he can go into the Hall of Fame in a couple of years. Enjoy the ride on the band wagon because this time next year, all of you will have jumped off and onto another one. Remember the Don Larsen trade? What a steal that was (not).
To say nothing of Bob “Hurricane” Hazle of the ’57 Braves, who from August 9-25, batted .473 with 5 home runs and 19 runs batted in during 14 games, helping Milwaukee to the pennant. (He finished .403 in 41 games, with 7 home runs and 27 RBI and fourth in the 1957 NL Rookie of the Year voting.) Then flamed out.
That’s the classic case. Kevin Maas. Joe Charboneau. So many. Then there are guys like Nolan Ryan who start slow and get dumped before they blossom. We know how many fans are. They want their team to win now and have no patience. But baseball is a game of patience. You can’t live and die with every pitch because your team will lose 60 games even if they have a great season. Nature of the game. I get a kick out of people who want slumping players benched. But if you bench them, they never get out of the slump. Plus, there would be nobody left to play in the games because every player goes through slumps. As fans, we need to deal with it, root for our guys, and look for signs that they are snapping out of it.
I’m not a Rays fan, but you have to give them credit year-after-year when they’re competing against bloated pockets like the Yankees and Dodgers,
I just hope LA stops throwing him pitches up in the zone… seems like every one of his bombs has been pitches up and away
You can bet he’ll cool off. The key for Tampa Bay will be someone like Lowe or Meadows picking him up by getting hot themselves.
Actually they’d do better just pitching around him. Take the Rays biggest weapon right out of their hand.
Great article. It’s crazy how a trade that was definitely an L for the Rays in July, when they dealt the main but struggling MLB piece they got for Liberatore in Martinez for 2 PTBNLs, ended up being a W for them because of the other piece they got, who was a total afterthought until recently.
He will be badly overdrafted in fantasy leagues next year and hit .247 with 11 HRs
…and then traded to another fantasy owner who thinks he’s due to turn it around. That other owner used to be me, which is why I stopped doing fantasy leagues in the ’90s.
New rule: don’t trade with the rays unless you want to get fleeced
I feel like so many teams do not know their own players. They don’t scout themselves enough to know if player A or player B is the more impactful 3rd piece in a package to give up. That’s the first step in not getting fleeced
I’d argue both the Rays and LA are in the position they are in largely because they very rarely get negative value for their player. It can happen of course, but they both seem to win “the entire trade” very regularly.
Dude reminds me of Ron Gant
Not too sure if the Cardinals know what they are doing at least part of the time. They also traded away Luke Voit who didn’t turn out too badly in a Yankees uniform this year despite playing with plantar fasciitis for a lot of the season and postseason and still hitting the most home runs this year for the Yanks. Maybe St Louis evaluators need to be evaluated, just sayin’
That Voit trade wasn’t so lopsided. Gallegos has been very good. And I really don’t believe Voit would be capable of putting up those numbers in the Cardinals lineup.
Props to the writer of the article. Enjoyable read. Very well written.
In a vacuum obviously the Cardinals look foolish for including Arozarena in the trade but it may be a while to definitively proclaim Tampa Bay the winner. Martinez was they to the trade and was a two team bust this year and Liberatore hasn’t gotten a chance yet.
It will be interesting to see Arozarena’ numbers over a full season and 500 PA’s
Could be the reverse of the Lou Brock deal. Time will tell
Just curious if any steroid tests have been done on Tampa players since playoffs started? If I had to guess it’s a no! Also maybe concentrate on the middle of the batting order.
It’s a really small sample size. Give it some time. Arozarena has been spectacular, but let it all play out. Cardinals knew he could hit, but his defense isn’t always the best, but improving too. Last off season you knew at least 1 OF was going and Arozarena live streaming the post game sure didn’t sit well with the brass. The cardinals have a way of going about business, like it or not. Goes back a long way. I remember Mark Whiten getting sent down because of it. Ray King gone after speaking out. Rolen butted heads with LaRussa and was gone. Tommy Pham spoke out against the Cardinals and they never liked the way he handled himself either, but put up with it longer than they should have because of the on field potential, gone. And speaking of the Pham trade, based on talent that is one very lopsided. But shows the demand for his personality was low, he’s a clubhouse cancer. Cabrera has potential, but quit the Justin Williams comments all over the place people. He’s a 5th OF, at best. Bader is better, period. Stop the Bader hate. He’s not bad, the problem is he was the best they had, when he should be 3rd best in an OF.
My leash with the front is gone, which starts with the ownership group. I don’t speak out against the brass until time has proven it’s on them over the players. The recent trade and free agency decisions are atrocious, and they have got to right the ship now, time is running out and that Goldschmidt contract is going to be a big hindrance soon too as he ages.
You never know with prospects. My Phillies traded away Ryne Sandberg and Ferguson Jenkins. Sandberg was a throw-in (ouch!) to even out the Larry Bowa for Ivan DeJesus trade. And Gene Mauch, our manager at the time, didn’t trust Jenkins at all.
Go figure?
There was a point during the ALDS when Arozarena was standing on first base chatting with AL HR champ Luke Voit. I suspect some Cardinals fans may have switched channels in disgust at that point.
If the Rays win the WS, I hope Arozarena remembers to thank SARMs for his post-COVID evolution when hoisting the trophy.
Competitive Balance picks are worth more than a lot of people give them credit for. Especially to a smart team like the Rays. I’m fine with an extreme low payroll team like the Rays getting those picks. But the Cards getting those free picks is laughable.
Arozarena deserved a shot in St Louis and didn’t get it. Then deserved a shot in Tampa and wasn’t getting it early on, thanks to two trades the Rays made with the Padres to acquire Margot and Renfroe. Arguably at least one of the trades was a loss for the Rays. The Rays aren’t where they are without the play of Arozarena.