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Rays Release Danny Farquhar

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The Rays have released righty Danny Farquhar, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). He had previously been outrighted off of the 40-man roster and was pitching at Triple-A Durham.

Farquhar, 30, turned in a strong 2016 season with Tampa Bay, although he was quite prone to the long ball. But he stumbled in his first 35 frames in the current campaign. While Farquhar reversed the dinger problems, he allowed 5.7 free passes per nine while recording only 8.5 K/9 after topping eleven per nine in the prior year.

That said, there were reasons to hope for improvement. In particular, Farquhar was still getting swings and misses on over 14% of his pitches. But he went on to allow three earned runs and three walks over his four appearances at Durham.

The Rays are looking for relief options, but evidently felt Farquhar wasn’t a possible solution. In a move that likely holds at least some connection to today’s decision, the team just picked up Chaz Roe — who carries a generally similar profile — to stash at Triple-A. Other organizations, though, may still see the potential in Farquhar, who has at times been quite effective at the game’s highest level.

Rays Interested In AJ Ramos, May Not Have Upper Hand In Justin Wilson Market

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With David Phelps now officially a Seattle Mariner, the Marlins could look to make AJ Ramos the next piece they deal. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that while the Fish had about 10 teams express interest in Phelps, they currently have three teams expressing serious interest in Ramos. One of those clubs appears to be the Rays, as FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that Tampa Bay is among the clubs with interest in the Miami closer. Ramos has also been linked to the Rockies, and was previously linked to the Yankees and Nationals before each of those clubs acquired two relievers in a single trade. (Though the New York Post’s Joel Sherman tweets that the Yankees never had any interest in him.)

  • While the Nationals are in on Tigers left-hander Justin Wilson, they won’t part with top prospects Victor Robles, Juan Soto or Erick Fedde in a trade to acquire him, tweets MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal. Per Rosenthal, the Red Sox, Dodgers and Astros are all still in the mix for Wilson. Heyman tweets that the Rays are still looking at Wilson, to whom they were linked earlier this week, but at this point it seems that other teams are likelier to land him. MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, meanwhile, adds the Brewers to the substantial group of teams looking into Wilson (Twitter link).

Rays To Acquire Chaz Roe

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The Rays have struck a deal to acquire righty Chaz Roe from the Braves, per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Cash considerations will go to Atlanta in return, per Tommy Stokke of Fan Rag (Twitter link).

This move likely won’t satisfy Tampa Bay’s desire for a bullpen upgrade. But the 30-year-old will add another option to the relief corps. He’ll presumably head to Triple-A Durham; the Braves had previously outrighted Roe off the 40-man roster after activating him from a lengthy DL stint.

Roe made only three appearances before he was felled by a lat strain. He has seen action in each of the last five seasons, typically delivering appealing strikeout rates but also too many free passes. Over his 97 1/3 career MLB innings, Roe owns a 4.16 ERA.

Rays Interested In Pat Neshek

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  • There’s still a wide market for Phillies reliever Pat Neshek, per Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (Twitter link). Among the teams in pursuit are the Brewers, Rays, and Yankees, but it seems there’s no favorite at the moment. While Tampa Bay has been tied mostly to southpaws, the team is also interested in righties such as Neshek, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick noted today on Twitter.

Rays Discussing Justin Wilson, Tony Watson

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11:44am: Rosenthal tweets that Tampa Bay is also discussing Pirates lefty Tony Watson. The 32-year-old Watson is earning a bit more than twice Wilson’s salary ($5.6MM) and is a free agent at season’s end. He’s also having a down year, with a diminished strikeout rate (6.3 K/9) and ground-ball rate (41.6 percent) to go along with an increased home-run rate (1.51 HR/9). Watson has a 3.67 ERA through 41 2/3 innings overall, though FIP, xFIP and SIERA all peg him for a mark more in the mid- to upper-4.00 range. Of course, given all of those factors, the cost of acquiring Watson, in terms of prospects, would be considerably lesser than the cost of acquiring Wilson.

More generally speaking, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that the Rays have shown interest in virtually every reliever that has a chance of being made available, although certainly it seems that Wilson is higher up on their list than many, given the wording of Topkin’s initial report.

11:19am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that while the Rays do indeed have interest in Wilson, the prospect price is currently a bit high for them. Tampa Bay is expressing interest in a number of relievers, though, he adds. MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets that the two sides are not yet close to a deal.

11:10am: The Rays have legitimate interest in Tigers lefty Justin Wilson, and talks between the two sides have gained some traction, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The Rays are known to be on the hunt for a left-handed upgrade in their bullpen, which is further underscored by a new report from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and MLB Network revealing that Tampa Bay was in on Sean Doolittle before he headed to the Nationals (Twitter link).

Wilson’s excellent production, modest salary ($2.7MM in 2017) and remaining club control (through the 2018 season via arbitration) all figure to appeal to the Tampa Bay front office. Set to turn 30 next month, Wilson opened the season as Detroit’s primary setup reliever, but a combination of his brilliant performance and a nightmarish season for closer Francisco Rodriguez thrust the southpaw into the ninth inning spotlight.

Wilson has picked up 10 saves since taking the closer reins from K-Rod, and more importantly has dominated opponents all season long, regardless of role. Through 35 1/3 innings, Wilson has averaged 12.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 to complement a 35.1 percent ground-ball rate. He’s posted a career-best 96.1 mph average fastball and a career-high 14.7 percent swinging-strike rate on the season as well. The end result is a 2.29 ERA on the season, with ERA alternatives like FIP (2.89), xFIP (3.29) and SIERA (2.67) all largely supporting his excellent season.

Rays Eyeing Left-Handed Relievers

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  • The Padres seem intent on getting the best return possible on lefty Brad Hand at some point in the next two weeks rather than waiting for the offseason, Olney writes. While the 27-year-old is controlled through the 2019 season, there’s an argument to be made that his value is near its peak right now, especially with so many clubs seeking bullpen help. Olney notes that the Rays are one such team that is looking specifically for left-handed relief pitching.

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Rays Designate Jumbo Diaz

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The Rays have designated reliever Jumbo Diaz for assignment, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). To take Diaz’s place, they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Andrew Kittredge from Triple-A.

In booting Diaz from their 25- and 40-man rosters, the Rays are moving on from a pitcher they’ve relied on somewhat heavily this year. The same went for Danny Farquhar, whom the Rays designated in late June and outrighted earlier this month after he racked up 35 innings from their bullpen.

Diaz tossed 30 innings before his designation, though he struggled mightily over that span. The 33-year-old flamethrower has registered a bloated ERA (5.70) and a minuscule ground-ball rate (30.7 percent), and his 4.51 FIP isn’t particularly appealing. The righty’s strikeout and walk rates aren’t horrible (8.4 K/9, 4.5 BB/9), though, and he ranks third among relievers in infield fly rate (22.5 percent). Diaz also carries a cheap salary and comes with three years of arbitration eligibility, so he could be a waiver target for another club. That’s how Diaz joined the Rays, who claimed him from Cincinnati back in March.

Regardless of where Diaz goes next, his designation seems to further increase the odds of the Rays acquiring bullpen help before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. There have been multiple reports this month connecting the team to relievers, including the Giants’ Hunter Strickland. For now, they’ll turn to the 27-year-old Kittredge, a 45th-round pick of the Mariners in 2008 who hasn’t yet pitched in the majors. The Rays acquired Kittredge from the Mariners over the winter, and he has since posted a 1.90 ERA, 9.35 K/9, 2.08 BB/9 and a 52.2 percent grounder rate through 52 innings and 30 appearances (two starts) with Durham.

Rays Interested In Hunter Strickland

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The Rays are showing interest in Giants reliever Hunter Strickland, having sent a scout to San Diego to watch the right-hander pitch this weekend, reports Chris Haft of MLB.com.

At 49-43, a half-game up on the Yankees for the American League’s top wild-card spot and two games above the sixth-place Twins, the Rays are setting up as deadline buyers. Acquiring bullpen help by July 31 seems to be a priority for Tampa Bay, whose relievers rank 19th in the majors in fWAR (1.5) and 20th in ERA (4.37). With Alex Colome, Brad Boxberger, Chase Whitley, Tommy Hunter and Erasmo Ramirez, the majority of the Rays’ bullpen is in good shape, though they’ve struggled to find reliable options to fill out the group. Jumbo Diaz, Danny Farquhar and Austin Pruitt have combined for 93 1/3 innings among them, but no one from that trio has prevented runs at a particularly appealing clip this year.

The 28-year-old Strickland has limited damage throughout his career, evidenced by a 2.48 ERA over 152 1/3 innings, and has pitched to a sparkling 1.91 ERA across 33 frames this season. Additionally, Strickland’s 9.82 K/9 and 19.4 percent infield fly rate make him look like a shutdown option. However, there are some troubling signs – including a dip in velocity and a skyrocketing BB/9 that has climbed to 5.18 after sitting at 1.75 in 2015, Strickland’s first full season, and 2.8 last year.

While Strickland does come with concerns, his track record and team control suggest he’d warrant a solid haul in a trade. Strickland is making a near-minimum salary this season and brings four years of arbitration eligibility to the table. It’s unclear, then, how open the Giants are to moving him, especially considering they’re aiming to put a rough 2017 behind them next year and return to contention. If the Giants do make any deals in the coming weeks, they’d like to acquire major league-ready talent in return, notes Haft.

Rays Notes: Marlins, Bullpen, Archer

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  • The Rays asked the Marlins about relief pitching when the two sides were negotiating the Adeiny Hechavarria trade last month, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  With the Rays looking for bullpen help and Miami seemingly open to moving any veteran player, it seems that the two sides are likely to re-open talks as we approach the deadline.
  • Also from Topkin, he reports that one team (not necessarily the Marlins) asked the Rays for both Brent Honeywell and Willy Adames in exploratory discussions about relievers.  Needless to say, it would be a big surprise if either top prospect was actually dealt, though it gives an example of the high price tag that teams are placing on top-shelf relief pitching at the deadline.
  • The Cubs checked in on Chris Archer and Marcus Stroman during their wide-ranging search for young and controllable pitching, Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com writes.  Archer has long been linked to Chicago in trade rumors, though the most recent talks unsurprisingly went nowhere since the Rays want to keep their ace to make a playoff run.  As for Stroman, the Blue Jays informed the Cubs that the 26-year-old righty would cost Chicago a player from its big league roster.  As MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently observed in his “Taking Inventory” analysis on the Jays, Stroman probably isn’t a likely trade candidate unless Toronto decides to embark on a total rebuild.  The Cubs, of course, acquired Jose Quintana earlier this week and are reportedly still on the lookout to add another controllable arm to their rotation.

Rays Place Colby Rasmus On Restricted List

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3:53pm: Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that there are no new issues with Rasmus, adding that the outfielder may simply wish to spend more time with his family. Rasmus is married and has children and has previously gone on record to state that he likely wouldn’t play even into his mid-30s because of a strong desire to be with them.

2:53pm: Rays outfielder Colby Rasmus has been placed on the restricted list as he has decided to “step away from baseball,” per a club announcement. Rasmus is not expected to return to the organization this year; he had been under contract only for the 2017 season.

Details of the matter are not apparent, with the club stating that it wishes to “respect[] the privacy of Colby and his family.” He had been on the DL already with what was described as a sore hip but had been extremely productive when healthy. Through 129 plate appearances with Tampa Bay, Rasmus hit .281/.318/.579 with nine homers, seven doubles and a triple. Rasmus inked a one-year deal with the Rays this offseason that guaranteed him $5MM on the heels of an injury-plagued second season in an Astros uniform. He will not be compensated for time spent on the restricted list.

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