The Rays have already made one big pre-deadline splash in acquiring Nelson Cruz, and more major names seem to be on Tampa’s radar. According to ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan, the Rays “have had preliminary discussions about” Max Scherzer and Kris Bryant, while FanSided’s Robert Murray reports that the Rays are also one of the teams who have spoken to the Rangers about right-hander Kyle Gibson.
As always with Tampa Bay, payroll will be a critical factor in any acquisition, particularly since all of these players represent larger financial commitments than the Rays are usually willing to make. As Passan notes, however, the Rays’ deep farm system can act as a counterweight to those salaries — the Nationals, Cubs, or Rangers could possibly cover most or all of the remaining salaries for their trade chips if the Rays were willing to include some of their higher-tier minor leaguers. It can be reasonably assumed that Wander Franco is untouchable in trade talks, but beyond that, the Rays could be willing to budge on other noteworthy prospects if it meant landing a player that could help them win a World Series.
Scherzer presents a particularly interesting case, since the Nationals are solely responsible for the final $7.5MM installment of Scherzer’s original signing bonus, and the roughly $11.8MM remaining of his $35MM salary for 2021 is entirely deferred until 2028. Beyond just kicking the financial can down the road for much of the decade, the Rays might very well even be in a new city (and have new revenue streams) available by that point, since the Rays’ lease at Tropicana Field is up in 2027.
Scherzer would have to okay the move to Tampa by waiving his no-trade clause, and recent reports suggest that he would be more open to playing for a team on the west coast. This doesn’t necessarily mean Scherzer would veto a proposed move to Tampa Bay, but it is possible the Rays might not get the nod if Scherzer was presented with multiple trade options, such as a potential move to one of the NL West powers.
As one executive recently described matters to Murray, Gibson is maybe the “most unpredictable element” of deadline season. While someone like Scherzer obviously has a more proven track record, Gibson has been very good in 2021 but has been much more up-and-down over the course of his eight MLB seasons. Whereas Scherzer and Bryant are free agents after the season, Gibson is controlled through 2022, at the cost of a $7MM salary. The Rays could see acquiring Gibson as a way of checking off one box for their offseason shopping needs….or, given how Tampa operates, they could flip Gibson themselves this winter to save payroll space.
The Cubs have already moved Joc Pederson and Andrew Chafin in trades, and several other players figure to be departing Wrigleyville prior to Friday’s 3pm CT deadline. Bryant is widely expected to be dealt, though the shape of the Cubs’ other trades might contribute to what exactly Chicago does in moving the former NL MVP. Should the Cubs move a significant amount of money off their books in other deals, the team could be more open to absorbing more of Bryant’s salary (around $6.8MM remaining) in order to obtain better prospects from the Rays.
Adding both Cruz and Bryant would represent a major boost to an already-solid Tampa Bay lineup, and Bryant also brings the versatility that a DH-only player like Cruz lacks. The Rays’ penchant for defensive flexibility could see Bryant used at either corner infield position or anywhere in the outfield, depending on matchups and situations. Any potential positional logjam could be alleviated by the trade itself, if the Rays sent a position player off their Major League roster back to the Cubs.
Not going to happen. Maybe Gibson
Thanks for the inside info. Now I don’t have to look again until July 31.
Listen I hate to agree with Mets22 but he’s right. Scherzer isn’t going to the rays. You don’t need any insider info. You just need to live on planet earth in reality.
Scherzer probably won’t being that he reportedly prefers a west coast destination, but Bryant could go anywhere. The Rays have the prospects to get Chicago to foot some of the bill.
I agree. Bryant makes perfect sense for the Rays. Prospects and dollars should be easy to align.
terrific analysis yet again. Please tell us more?
No need to ask for more info, metsfan22 is the best analyst on this site, time and time again he comes up with genius takes that no one else would ever be able to understand. A true revolutionary
I agree, 14 year old kid who is so cool that he skipped his chores to comment on a site for true baseball fans (which he is not). A true legend
He is awesome…just ask him
Thank you, since you’re the all knowing, what other trades are not going to happen
Typical Mets fan. Just a clown with zero baseball insight.
Rays have amazing prospects and any team would love to get ahold of them
BrewersMVP08, excuse me but dont put all of us Mets fans in the same box please!! MF22 loves to troll you guys and most of you still fall for it…smh
I don’t recall the Mets being referred to in the piece. The Mets who are benefitting from the Acuna injury and the terrible Nats year yet hanging on in spite of their own injuries…could surely benefit from Scherzer.
Dont worry Jr High starts soon, hopefully metsfan22 is to busy to post
Cubs would likely have to eat all of Bryant’s salary – same with Nationals with Scherzer. I think a big reason they moved Rich Hill was due to the $ they absorbed in the Nelson Cruz deal. Sad that a team is that financially constricted during a playoff run.
The acquiring team in a max trade doesn’t owe any money this year… His remaining 21 salary is deferred through 28..
The only thing a team financially immediate needs to cover is willingness to add around 10M of lux tax
False. Of his remaining salary, not all of it is deferred
For 21.. it is.
That’s not how deferrals work. He’s still owed whatever he’s owed for this year, and on top of that money in future years after his contract expires.
twitter.com/spotrac/status/1420027150565003265?s=2…
The Rich Hill money was offset by Tommy Hunter’s salary. Money didn’t play a part in the trade.
Eating Bryant’s salary and upping the quality of prospect is best case scenario for the cubs.
The Rays absolutely can fund Scherzer’s contract for two months. Bryant’s too as they can offset some salary with higher-level prospects. A deep playoff run will pay the Rays handsomely.
Tampa has averaged 86 wins since 2010 and roughly 15k attendance per game. I don’t know what extra $$ is given for playoffs from TV but I don’t think handsomely is correct in their case. however, they deserve a real stadium and fan base.
Nope. They really can’t. At least not with current ownership. I mean, the guy probably does have the money in his account, but he’s not gonna spend it.
They do not need to pay a single cent to acquire Max this year, the deferred money is due in 2028 and that is a fact. You really need to stop posting falsehoods and attempting to portray them as facts.
I think Wendle, Lowe or Diaz likely would be part of any package for Bryant, which would offset some of the salary concerns. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the Rays try to offload Keirmaier as part of a deal, though that would leave a pretty big hole in the lineup in CF against LHP since Phillips is strictly a platoon player.
Lol cubs don’t want a 31 year old Wendle. Cubs want prospects. Bryant starts with a 5-7 prospect, then down from there. I’m guessing a 3-1 deal.
You’re not getting a Rays #5-7 guy for a rental. Maybe another team’s farm, but not the Rays.
You’re right, why would a team want a cost-controlled all-star who can play all over the field with three seasons left on his contract for the end of his prime years when they can get some lottery tickets instead?
Point being, the Rays don’t have space for Bryant without getting rid of one of them.
They loved Ben Zobrist…they’d love Wendle too. But yea, he wouldn’t be the piece going over..
Manny Margot kills lefties and is a very good defender in centerfield. If anybody will take Kiermaier the Rays will happily deal him.
False on the Hill thing. The Rays only “saved” about $500k in that deal as Hunter was added to nearly fully offset Hill’s salary.
They got rid of Hill bc his stunk up the mound and we have better options coming off the IL soon. Not to mention any pitchers we acquire. Sad is the oblivious comments about TB I have to read all the time.
CHAMPA BAY!!!!
Rays can afford just about any rental, as can any other team, particularly if they are contending again, which they are. The real question is which guy fits into their style/plans for a WS run the best?
As far as prospects, they have more prospects ranked at one position (ss) than many teams do altogether. Rays are stacked with talent.
Biggest reason to move Hill…McClanahan, Yarbrough, Fleming were all rotation pieces, 3 had similar stuff, one of the 3 had the biggest salary. Then you have Patino, McKay and Archer starting rehab…you know Tampa is 1 game back with 12 pitchers on the IR.
Problem with Scherzer is all of the deferred money owed to him. Highly doubt TB pays that.
TB wouldn’t be responsible for that money account to resenthal
The only deferred money a team owes is what’s left on max 21 salary… like 15M over 7 years.. any team could afford that
Nationals would pay most of the Scherzer money for a greater prospect haul. Also Scherzer wants to be on the west coast, but I guess Tampa qualifies in a sense.
No. That $15m, or whatever he has left this year, is owed THIS YEAR.
Not according to multiple sources
Stop posting incorrect information and trying to pass it off as a fact. The deferral is not due to be paid by any acquiring team until 2028. #Facts.
Incorrect, the only money due comes in 2028 (all other deferrals are technically his prior seasons salary which WSH is on the hook for). Please educate yourself on how this works. There is a $10M luxury tax that would be absorbed, but it is literally an accounting matter, not actual money to be paid.
By the time that money needs to be paid, the team will be in Montréal and it will be some other owner’s problem.
You all need to brush up on how salary deferrals work. That’s … not it.
Actually, you seem to be the one that doesn’t understand any of this. @seamaholic
“Scherzer presents a particularly interesting case, since the Nationals are solely responsible for the final $7.5MM installment of Scherzer’s original signing bonus, and the roughly $11.8MM remaining of his $35MM salary for 2021 is entirely deferred until 2028. ”
Deferrals can be structured however you want to structure them as long as MLBPA and the league are willing to approve them. They’re basically loans. Of course the $11.8M will be much more than that by the time he actually gets paid, but the lease on the Trop ends in 2028 and I think there’s a fat chance Sternberg still owns the team by the time the lease is up. This is just a purchase price adjustment, and if the team is actually operating at a loss as they claim, it would be much smarter to pay less taxes on the sale of the club than to pay out salary now when you can’t use the tax deduction (assuming payroll is housed in a corporate subsidiary).
Potential deal with the Devil (Rays)
Rays have been a one piece away a few times. Despite being a jays fan, I love them being aggressive this year.
Either Rick Hahn works quietly or is not working at all.
Where are the latest “hot” White Sox rumors?
Hahn’s been a great deal maker. question is what does he give up?
Especially when Rick fleeced the Cubs (Quintana trade)!!
Cough, cough, Tatis, cough, Jr., cough, cough, James Shields, cough, cough.
Whoo sorry. What are we talking about? A fleecing involving Rick Hahn? Oh yeah.
No one knew Tatis existed before the trade, but whatever genius.
That is my favorite response by a Sox fan that nobody knew how good he was so that shouldn’t count. That makes it worse! That is by far the worst trade of the decade by any team in baseball. Keep telling yourself it doesn’t matter that’s fine. Hope you enjoy your 3 days of Eloy before he heads back to the IR after Larussa stupidly lets him play the field tonight.
Worse than the Meadows/Glasnow/Baz for Archer trade?
Look up “worst mlb trades of all time” is any sport almanac/blog/forum and you’ll see it’s largely dominated by the Chicago Cubs. And that’s just trades. Players lost to free agency because of the cheapskate ownership the last 60+ years is an embarrassment.
You don’t see any Sox fans crying about Tatis, do you. The kid can play, but $340MM+ to miss a 3rd of the season every year? Yeah, no.
Ask Dave Nightingale?
It’s going to be hard for the white Sox to win a prospect bidding war for the top guys.
Sox have MLB ready prospects- several with MLB experience already (besides Mercedes).
The reality is if a team wants the same player as the Sox they can offer a better prospect. I doubt the Sox will trade off the mlb roster where all their studs are currently residing. Mercedes has little value
Nobody questions the nobodies other teams gave moved so far. Why are people suddenly such experts on the White Sox roster and farm system?
The reality is, the Sox have a ton of players that every team would love to have. Hahn will have to decide who to move to make the team stronger overall. They really need to do something about the offense on that team, because it’s non-existent against decent pitching. Too many close games lost in late innings. More run production would take pressure off the bullpen, thus winning more games in the playoffs. If they stand pat and do nothing bold to improve, they may as well make their offseason travel plans now. They got no shot against TB, Hou, Oak, or Bos in a playoff series. And don’t give me this crap about “anything can happen” in the post season. Teams like the White Sox cannot afford to hang their hat on a miracle. The opportunities to win championships come few and far between. It’s a loser mentality to boot.
I am not claiming to be an expert but the actual experts almost all agree their farm system sucks. They can surely add depth but I doubt they are going to go out a get a Scherzer or story if other teams want them.
It doesn’t matter which team can offer the better prospect. What matters is which team WILL offer the better prospect. If Hahn offers the best prospect, it won’t matter that the Dodgers have better prospects that they weren’t willing to trade.
I think it’s obvious at this point that to make the team better in one area he’d have to make it worse in another.. No thanks.
Why? The White Sox system, both at the MLB level and on the farm seems to be loaded at certain positions while lacking at others. Right-handed power arms and corner OF’s/INF’s who can hit are plusses. LHP, left-handed hitters, middle infielders and catching is lacking. Hahn should be trading from his excess in order to achieve a better balance, especially since the White Sox can use an upgrade at 2B, a lefty hitter and maybe another southpaw in the bullpen (with Aaron Bummer struggling) down the stretch and into the postseason. It wouldn’t hurt to add an experienced MLB backup catcher either with Yasmani Grandal still on the mend and and with Zack Collins and Seby Zavala as their only current MLB insurance policy.
Rays have plenty to offer… anybody know why Greg Jones is still in high A with great numbers? He’s 23 why not move him up
I just spent a week near Tampa. No way I would waive my NTC if I were Max to go to that humid, bug infested dumpster.
Which humid, bug infested dumpster do you think he’d prefer?
San Francisco qualifies as a bug infested dumpster, without the humidity.
Then Max would be in luck because the Rays play their games in St. Petersburg more than a half hour away from Tampa
For two months and a shot at a World Series? I think he’d be fine. He can sign with the Dodgers or Angels or Giants in the off-season.
Doesn’t he live in Florida during the offseason? Seems like he’s used to the heat. As for being a dumpster, tell that to the millions that come “near” here on vacation.
We have 5 months of that. The other 7 months are about as damn good as it gets. The Rays play inside so I doubt that part matters to him. As far as bugs go, I’d heard how bad they were before I moved here, but honestly they were worse up north.
Ha, they cost money, ain’t happening lol
The Rays are ‘desperate’ for a championship to match those of Tampa’s NFL and NHL franchises. Who among us would have ever considered Tampa as the sports capital of North America? lol
Tampa is featured heavily in the second installment of Gray’s Sports Almanac
That’s a funny way to spell Mets.
Hard pass on Bryant. Too inconsistent, and I much prefer Wendle (even agst LHP). Need starters!!! Max would be great, but seems like a stretch. Gibson is also inconsistent (in the past). Was hoping for a Berrios…but RH starter is needed. Badly.
Bryant plays OF mostly now.
But he’ll be playing 3rd for many of the teams rumored to be after him. The Rays would just play him at 3rd, 1st, and occasionally in the OF.
Seems Neander is big game hunting? Probably just practicing for when he is in charge of the a more lucrative-larger payroll ballclub? (Was a childhood Mets fan and his contract is up soon) Anyhow as a Rays fan, Love-Respect Neander ,but the team only needs a starter (Morton-Marquez?)that is much less expensive to win now!
Damn, Rays not f****ing around.
I’m sure loads of teams are on all three guys. Not all talk to the media.
Rays are not getting mad Max with all the deferment money owed to him these are the Rays we are talking about which the only way that happens if Washington kicks in most of the deferred money to cover in order to get higher package from the Rays.
As for Bryant money is the issue again they will have to give up some from their Roster to offset the money they will be absorbing now Kyle Gibson is someone up their ally that they can get.
I feel they are kicking the tires to drive up the price in case Boston or any team fighting for a playoff spot in the AL are interested.
I think the Rays can handle 11M deferred over 7 years.. that’s what’s they’d be on the hook for
I may be wrong but isnt it $15 million installments per year from 2022 thru 2028?
Which isn’t involved in a trade
No way tampa pays that for a guy who wont be playing for them longer than 2 or 3 months. Just look at some of the guys they’ve traded away the last few years who were on really good contracts but still made too much for tampa to pay.
Reading the articles isn’t his strong suit.
I hope it doesnt happen, I dont want to hear anymore about “champa bay” lol
Max to Astros. Verlander 2.0
Ooooooh we are going all in! Rays are trying not to get made fun of by those guys across the bay. They are feeling the pressure. #Raysup
I think the only way Max to TB doesn’t happen is Max says no. Going to be difficult for other teams to match a propect return that could include one of Lowe or Walls or Jones or Patino,etc. Plus ownership gets a 7 year payment plan on his remaining salary. This might be the best playing roster they’ve ever had. Just think if Glasnow was available and taking him and Max into the playoffs.
Lowe is untouchable. Walls is an option, though I hope we keep his elite defense. Patino is a no.. It’s a less than half a season rental. They;ll get someone in the 15-20 range most likely, if they eat some salary.
Please, Scherzer deal NOT going to happen, If it was up to me I try to get the one who got away… Trea Turner, but that is just me, Berrios price could pry Shane Baz away and that would be a crime. We truly need a #1 since Glasnow is hurt and Scherzer it’s just not happening… NOW Charlie Morton could be the one, but again, Baz could be the chip the braves could try and get for Morton and that could suck.
Trea Turner?? He’s a SS last I checked. Have you looked at our depth at SS? Yea, no.
We have walls who is not hitting like trea… we have Franco hitting .223 but he’s at third most of the time, Vidal Brujan and Greg Jones arent ready now… Trea is hitting close to .320 awesome OBP knows a thing or two about being a champion… tell me WHO in the Rays roster has won it all? Trea knows… this is the problem with guys who wants to troll people, READ and know ur stuff before writting so you don’t look like fools… I’ve said at the other post, IF it was up to me I try and get Trea… but I guess some people love to say stuff and not try to think why Trea makes sense…it’s about being awesome in postseason play and Trea has done it; Franco, walls , brujan and Jones are not ready right now to face the pressure of the spotlight, but again, that’s IF were up to me… Morton and Trea, but probably is going to be Morton or maybe no one, as the price of giving up Baz is way too deep.
Who’s trolling? We have 3 or 4 prospects that Trea would literally block were he here.. On top of that, he’s making like $13mill…so let’s trade for him instead of letting the kids making minimum get ABs in the majors.. As for playoff performance, in their WS winning season, he slashed .161/.235/.194….not exactly setting the world on fire.
@rayforever
When Trea did it, he had never done it before, because he was young, and hadn’t had opportunity. Your example shows that having done it before, is not a requirement for being able to do it. Just ask Arozarena!
How many rookies have ever done what Arozarena did? Have you seen walls, franco and brujan hitting lately? Franco just got owned with 3 straight curve balls by Jordan Montgomery, he looked so bad… They arent ready… but whatever… if it was up to me I get trea, but it is not up to me.
He can play CF for sure
But he poor rays don’t have the resources to take on salary. Thats why they had to trade declining snell for that haul of prospects.
I don’t see Bryant in the Rays plans. That said, Nats have had a thing for him for awhile now but don’t have much to offer. Maybe a little three way action forthcoming?
I could see Tampa renting Bryant for the stretch run. Chicago needs a CF, 2B, a 3B and future pitching. The Rays need salary relief and homes for 12 disabled pitchers once the season ends. McKay, Chirinos, Brujan, with Kiermaier and Brousseau as throwins (both are NW Indiana natives and likely Cub fans KKs brother is even a Wrigley groundskeeper) Cubs might even throw a “prospect” or two in…something like that could happen. Tampa is 4 deep in CF.