The Rays have designated outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Brian O’Grady for assignment, per a club announcement. The moves help to clear a path for the addition of infielder Taylor Walls, outfielder Josh Lowe and righty Drew Strotman to be selected to the 40-man roster.
Renfroe, 28, was Tampa Bay’s primary right fielder this season and a relatively high-profile addition via trade last winter. However, the former Padres slugger hit just .156/.252/.393 this season and was projected to earn more than $3.5MM in arbitration, making him an obvious non-tender candidate for the low-payroll Rays. There’s little reason not to free up a 40-man spot early if Tampa Bay were planning to let Renfroe go in a few weeks anyhow.
Miserable 2020 season aside, Renfroe’s not far removed from being a solid performer with the Padres. He has long run high strikeout rates and hasn’t drawn many walks, contributing to generally low on-base percentages. But Renfroe slugged 85 homers between 2017-19 and has typically rated as a strong defender in the corner outfield. That may not be enough for another team to acquire Renfroe via trade or waivers, but some teams figure to look into bringing him in despite his difficult most recent season. Renfroe is controllable through 2023 via arbitration, so any acquiring club would have the luxury of keeping him around for a while should he figure things out offensively.
O’Grady, also 28, was acquired in a trade with the Reds last offseason. The first baseman/corner outfielder only picked up five plate appearances in 2020 but has a robust track record at the plate in the minors.
The Cardinals might sign him.
yup
I’d be perfectly fine with that
I wouldn’t mind that!!
Im going to hope for that, but they’ve already committed to Dexter Fowler and Harrison Bader as well as other players they Think will perform better than Randy Arozerena did.
What Hunter Renfroe was a good player for them!!
what hole do you live in ?
what
Strikeouts hit .150
Maybe Dumpster Divin’ Theo will hire him to run errands during Theo’s off-year.
You’re an idiot.
He said he was taking a year off from baseball, not Dumpster Divin’.
You’re need for attention is pathetic.
Your.
that’s kinda funny actually
Damn no respect
I’d bet money on the Indians signing him. He’s a good fit for them if he bounces back, and even if he doesn’t, this is the type of player they usually take a chance on. He also can’t be any worse than who’s in their outfield already.
An Indians signing would also reunite him with the Franimal. They were a good tandem in San Diego for a while.
Hunter’s moonshots are the stuff of legend, but his production these last few years has just fallen off a cliff. I hope he gets it worked out.
@DrDan
That’s a clown comment bro.
I second this. He has more upside than pretty much any of our current crop of OFers and generally plays good defense.
More upside than Mercado? Naquin?
I’d say at least the same upside. Worth a shot.
Cardinals, Astros, Rangers.
Seems like an obvious bounce back candidate for some team to sign on a 1 or 2 year prove it deal. The guy has a lot of pop, and should be in his prime. This year’s short season isn’t a good barometer of anyone.
Bounce back to what? His career OBP is .290, he’s not a very good hitter.
111 OPS+ in 2018-2019 (108 career before 2020) is the definition of a good hitter. Having a bad third of a season doesn’t suddenly make him bad.
Had an OPS+ of 120 in ‘18, I think. That boosts the total. Generally sits at or below league average. That’s not a good enough bat for an everyday COF. .290 career OBP is very bad, basically unplayable. The bad third of a season is much closer to what he’s been as a hitter. Pencil him in as your starting RF and you’ll be disappointed.
Using him as an everyday corner OF isn’t the right approach. He needs to be teamed up with a lefty who can handle the RHP. Renfroe has a career OPS of .912 against LHP and even this year when he was at his worst he had an OPS of .806 against lefties. That plays. He has defensive value too and is not a bad bench bat.
I can’t think of a team that would be an exact fit, but if you have a left handed hitting RF who has platoon splits and is a little defensively challenged then Renfroe is like the perfect 4th OF.
I can see Bloom going and picking him up to increase depth options for the Sox.
Atlanta trade for this man!
But why? He’s terrible and really hasn’t been good at all. We already pay too much money to a bad outfielder in Ender. Plus we have Pache, Duvall, Acuna, Waters is pretty much ready in the minors. I’m sure worse case, waters can be just as bad as hunter. I mean, I see no reason to get him unless he camps in the minors.
He’s a plus defender, with power bat who could be had for roughly half the price of Duvall. Yes he was terrible last year but so was a lot of players. Allowing the braves more money to throw at pitching. That’s why. Just a thought. Plus if I’m not mistaken he could be controlled for an extra year over Duvall. Not 100 percent sure bout that though
Good glove, bad bat for a COF. Even with 33 HRs in ‘19 his OPS+ was only 103. You’ll get sick of him in a hurry.
Cosmodeus:
Not disagreeing about getting tired of him, but I think the rest is just the opposite. His glove isn’t good enough for CF, though his bat is. And his glove is good for a corner, but his bat isn’t. Maybe not bad as a 4th or 5th OF though.
Yea that’s what I mean to say. Glove is good for RF but bat won’t play there. Glove won’t play in CF.
so were a lot of players.
@bravesfan
Ender is not a “bad outfielder”, he has just had a rough last two seasons due to injuries. The other thing is that in the last two years when he had injuries he didn’t have consistent playing time, and of course then he’s going to struggle when he’s playing now and then.
No, Ender sucks. His speed and defense have dropped off and he has multiple years of poor offense. He is essentially useless.
I hate to say it because I like ender and he’s a good dude but he has lost a step and isn’t as great in centerfield anymore. Time to let pache start in centerfield
Hunter Renfroe isn’t that different from Adam Duvall. They both have career OBPs in the .290s. Renfroe actually has a higher career OPS than Duvall does. Last year Adam Duvall was much better than Renfroe but essentially they have the same career numbers.
The zGiants were interested in him when he was with the Padres.
Kind of surprised they selected Walls, whose ceiling is a utility guy, and they have the free world supply of utility types and middle infielders (and that’s not counting Wonder Wander and Edwards, who aren’t eligible yet).
Renfroe? O’Grady? Ya that was easy. O’Grady’s AAAA, and Hunter, besides some power and good defense, just isn’t worth 3.5M.
Surprised they didn’t add Paul Campbell, a pitcher with some upside.
Renfroe just got Dickersoned
You watch your mouth!
That’s an insult to Dickerson.
It’s interesting as people have the perception that he played well for the rays. Maybe because he hit a home win in the WS? He is a good pickup for a team with more money to risk but not worth it to a very low payroll team like tb
yeah, Dickerson was a much better player at the time
I’m not surprised that the Rays DFA’d Renfroe instead of paying him $3.5 million. However, he’s still a great defensive corner outfielder who hits for a ton of power. I think he’s going to be picked up pretty quickly by another team.
I’d welcome him back on a Minors contract and ST invite. Slap Myers back in LF if Hunter shows he can stick.
I’d bet he gets a guaranteed deal somewhere
Brutal trade for the rays. Didn’t they give up that guy who was a rookie of the year candidate?
bravesfan:
Who knows? Pham was no great loss. And the loss of Cronenworth looks bad now, but Tampa got a young (just turned 21 in August) good hitting 2B/SS, who’s a top 100 prospect. We won’t really know how the trade worked out until we see how Edwards develops.
Edwards was the bigger piece coming back to the rays in that deal. Pham was worse than renfroe this year and cost a lot more so if he doesn’t bounce back then I like the trade for tb going forward
Lol the trade was not about Renfroe. And TB has three guys in front of Croenenworth…not even in mlb yet. Check out Xavier Edwards: do you prefer him or Jake for the long term? Answer: the former.
Cronenworth ezpz.
Xavier Edwards is a slapdick prospect. Just ask blake Snell
Edward’s can only hit singles
He was 19 during the last season he played..
Crone is turns 27 in a few months
Edwards is a baby in terms of prospect status… who knows what he’ll become?
If you get 3000 singles you can still make the hall
Give the guy a break, he’s a two sport athlete. The Raiders are doing pretty well this year and he has to focus on playing receiver for them.
Yes! In fact, Hunter just signed an endorsement deal with Nike. Gonna be in commercials with the slogan “Just Do It”!
And it’s interesting how he identifies where he is playing with the spelling of his name. Renfrow(est) and Renfroe(ast).
Taylor Walls would’ve been the for sure Rule5 position player taken in next months draft if they decided not to protect him.
The Rays are Lowe-ded up now that they have both Lowe brothers + Brandon Lowe on their 40-man.
More free agents. I don’t think we need even more free agents.
Edward’s can only hit singles
And hasn’t made an out since Bush was in office
3000 singles is a good career?
terribly overrated player
The Mets should pick up for a backup who starts against righties
Does this mean that only a team with space on their 40-man roster can claim Hunter Renfroe? I don’t know the rules but I think this is how it works:
Renfroe must be traded within seven days,
If not traded in 7 days, he must be put on waivers.
If he is claimed within three days by another team, he must be added to their 40-man roster (15 teams with space).
If he clears waivers, he can be sent outright to MiLB.
He may refuse the outright and become a free agent.
Right hand hitter…Excellent defensive outfielder…Proven ability to hit postseason(aka good)pitching with power….Has played in a pitcher-friendly park….
Yo, Farhan!