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Rays Release Adrian Sampson

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The Rays released right-hander Adrian Sampson last week, as reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. He’s now a free agent.

Tampa Bay acquired Sampson from the Cubs on the afternoon of the trade deadline. Clearly, his inclusion in that deal was financially motivated. The Rays picked up the roughly $633K remaining on Sampson’s $1.9MM arbitration contract. In exchange, Tampa Bay acquired some international signing bonus space and upgraded their bullpen depth by swapping Triple-A relievers Josh Roberson for Manuel Rodríguez.

Sampson hasn’t made a big league appearance this season. The well-traveled hurler threw 104 1/3 innings for the Cubs a season ago, pitching to a 3.11 ERA. A below-average 17.1% strikeout rate made it seem questionable he’d be able to replicate that kind of run prevention, but the Cubs felt comfortable enough with him as a depth arm to sign him for just under $2MM rather than non-tender him.

Hayden Wesneski beat out Sampson for the fifth starter job in Spring Training. After being optioned to the minors, he suffered a right knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery. Rather than reinstate him from the 60-day injured list, Chicago ran him through outright waivers when he returned to health a couple weeks ago. The 31-year-old has struggled when healthy enough to pitch for Triple-A Iowa, allowing a 10.17 ERA across 23 frames.

While it’s been more or less a lost season, Sampson could find some minor league interest elsewhere. The Rays are paying what remains of his salary. If he cracks the majors with another team this year, that club would only pay him the prorated portion of the $720K league minimum. He owns a 4.43 ERA through parts of five years at the major league level and is only a season removed from the best production of his MLB career.

Cash: “Highly Unlikely” Shane McClanahan Returns This Season

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The Rays placed left-hander Shane McClanahan on the 15-day injured list last week due to left forearm tightness. It seems he may be out well beyond those 15 days as manager Kevin Cash tells Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that surgery is possible and it is “highly unlikely” the southpaw will pitch again this year, though he will see another specialist before that’s confirmed. Cash adds that’s “everything is on the table,” including Tommy John surgery, flexor tendon surgery or the removal of loose bodies, per Topkin.

It’s yet another brutal blow to the Tampa rotation, which has received many this year. The club is already without Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs, each of whom has undergone season-ending surgery already. Josh Fleming is also on the 60-day injured list alongside those two, having been out since late May.

But the loss of McClanahan would be the most devastating of all, given that he’s been one of the best pitchers in the game in recent years. Dating back to his 2021 debut, he’s tossed 404 2/3 innings, allowing just 3.02 earned runs per nine innings. He’s struck out 28% of batters faced, walked just 7.1% and kept the ball on the ground at a 46.8% clip. He finished seventh in American League Rookie of the Year voting two years ago and then was sixth in Cy Young voting last year.

The mounting pitching injuries have undoubtedly played a role in the club’s slide in the standings. They started out the season with a 13-game winning streak and were in first place in the AL East for much of the season, but have since faded to second. Their 68-46 record has them three games behind the Orioles and four games ahead of the Blue Jays. Now they will seemingly have to navigate the final weeks of the season without their best pitcher.

The current rotation consists of Tyler Glasnow, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale and Zack Littell, which is a talented group but one with concerns. Glasnow has frequently dealt with injuries in his career, having never reached 112 innings in a major league season. He was scratched from his Sunday start due to back spasms and now will be shut down for two days after receiving an injection, per Topkin. Eflin recently had a knee scare that resulted in him avoiding the injured list, but he’s had knee issues his entire career and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see something flare up again. Civale also has a spotty health history, which has prevented him from ever hitting 125 innings in a big league campaign. Littell has primarily been a reliever and has only recently begun stretching out to a starter’s workload.

With the trade deadline now in the rear-view mirror, the Rays will have limited options to supplement this group. Fleming is on a rehab assignment and could come back shortly, though he has a career ERA of 4.86 around multiple IL stints of his own. Prospect Taj Bradley could be recalled from the minors, though his first 16 major league starts resulted in a 5.67 ERA. The Rays could also try to acquire players from outside the organization, though those will naturally be flawed options in one way or another.

The concerns with McClanahan will seemingly extend beyond the current playoff race, given the serious options that are on the table. If Tommy John surgery is ultimately required, that would likely wipe out his entire 2024 season as well, given that recovery usually takes at least 14 months after that procedure. That would be his second such surgery, as he underwent TJS back in 2015, prior to being drafted. The time off after flexor tendon surgery tends to be a little lighter but can still run close to a year.

McClanahan is currently 26 years old and will finish this season with his service time count at two years and 158 days. He’ll be a lock to qualify for arbitration as a Super Two player this winter, the first of four arb seasons before he’s slated for free agency after 2027. It’s possible that he ends up missing the entirety of his age-27 season, though he and the Rays will obviously be hoping that’s not the case.

AL East Notes: Rizzo, Story, Glasnow

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Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo went on the injured list last week with post-concussion syndrome following a collision with Padres start Fernando Tatis Jr. at first base back in May. Given Rizzo went from a clear All Star candidate (146 wRC+) to the worst hitter in the majors (43 wRC+) following the collision, the revelation that Rizzo has been dealing with concussion symptoms has sparked confusion regarding him continuing to play over the past two months. To that end, The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner interviewed Rizzo regarding the situation, and in an article today discussed Rizzo’s slump over the past few months, his injury, how it was handled, and if he wishes anything had been done differently.

Throughout the interview, Rizzo emphasized that he didn’t believe anything was wrong despite other people suggesting the collision may have impacted him: “You know yourself as a hitter and you know what your strike zone is,” Rizzo told Kirschner, “When it all disappeared, you’re like what is going on? You don’t think it’s because of a collision. My agent said something about the collision. My parents said something… Every time someone said something like that, I would get mad at them because I don’t need excuses in this game… everyone struggles in baseball.”

With Rizzo on the shelf without a timetable for return, the Yankees will look to salvage a season in which they sit 3.5 games out of a wild card spot despite a solid 58-53 record without their everyday first baseman and most reliable left-handed bat. Jake Bauers, who has hit well (122 wRC+) in a part time role with New York this season, has taken over at first base since Rizzo hit the IL.

More from around the AL East…

  • Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story will remain in the minor leagues until his rehab assignment reaches the maximum of 20 days later this week, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. Smith adds that manager Alex Cora says Story will be reevaluated after playing on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the shortstop has struggled to bounce back following back-to-back games played. Story is in year two of his six-year, $140MM contract with Boston and has yet to play in the majors this season as he works his way back from elbow surgery. With Story on the shelf, the Red Sox are currently relying on Yu Chang and deadline acquisition Luis Urias up the middle.
  • Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow was scratched from his start against the Tigers today due to back spasms, as noted by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Right-hander Erasmo Ramirez took Glasnow’s place as the starter for this afternoon’s game. Topkin also relayed that manager Kevin Cash doesn’t believe the issue will require a trip to the injured list, with Glasnow potentially being able to return to the mound as soon as later this week against the Cardinals, though Glasnow won’t see a doctor regarding the issue until tomorrow. With Taj Bradley back in the minor leagues and Shane McClanahan having gone on the injured list last week, an IL stint for Glasnow would leave the Rays with only Zach Eflin and Aaron Civale as traditional starters in their rotation.

Rays Claim Cole Sulser

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The Rays announced this afternoon that they had claimed right-hander Cole Sulser off waivers from the Diamondbacks. The Rays had an open space on their 40-man roster following the cash deal that sent right-hander Luis Patino to the White Sox prior to the trade deadline earlier this week. Sulser was designated for assignment as part of a series of roster moves on the day of the deadline.

The move reunites Sulser with Tampa Bay, where he made his major league debut back in 2019 with 7 1/3 scoreless innings of work during which he struck out 9 and walked 3 while surrendering five hits. That solid debut didn’t stop the Rays from designating Sulser for assignment at the end of the 2019 campaign, at which point he was claimed off waivers by the Orioles. He struggled in Baltimore during the shortened 2020 campaign but broke out in a big way in 2021 with a 2.70 ERA (166 ERA+) and 2.98 FIP in 63 1/3 innings of work. Those strong ratios were backed up by a excellent 28.4% strikeout rate against a walk rate of 8.9%.

Since his 2021 breakout, however, Sulser has struggled during his time in the majors. In 39 1/3 innings of work split between the Marlins and Diamondbacks the last two seasons, the righty has managed just a 5.49 ERA, with a 5.09 FIP that offers little optimism regarding his underlying performance. Meanwhile, his once-strong strikeout rate has dipped to a more pedestrian 24.4% while his walk rate has spiked to 11%. When those issues are combined with a whopping 20.5% of his fly balls leaving the yard for home runs the past two seasons, it’s easy to see why the Diamondbacks made the decision to move on from Sulser.

That being said, Susler fits the mold of an optionable relief arm that the Rays frequently covet, and has had previous big league success, including during his previous time with the organization. What’s more, Sulser’s downturn in production in recent seasons has coincided with lat and shoulder injuries that have sidelined him for much of the past two seasons. If the Sulser is fully healthy again, it would hardly be a surprise to see him return to being a quality relief arm as a member of the Rays down the stretch. Should he join the big league bullpen immediately, he figures to cover the middle innings for the Rays alongside the likes of Robert Stephenson and Kevin Kelly.

Rays Sign Raimel Tapia To Minor League Contract

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The Rays announced they’ve signed outfielder Raimel Tapia to a minor league deal. He’ll join his third organization of the season after being waived by the Brewers a few weeks back.

Tapia began the season on a non-roster pact with the Red Sox. The lefty-swinging outfielder broke camp with Boston and wound up appearing in 39 games. Tapia had slightly below-average offensive numbers, hitting .264/.333/.368 through 97 trips to the plate. He lost his roster spot in early June but signed directly onto the Brewers’ MLB roster after going unclaimed on waivers.

His stint in Milwaukee wasn’t as productive. Over 20 games, Tapia hit just .173/.267/.288 while striking out in 20 of his 61 plate appearances. The Brewers designated him for assignment and called up top prospect Sal Frelick. Tapia elected free agency and will now have to play his way back to the big leagues.

It’ll be Tapia’s first stint in Triple-A (aside from four rehab games) since 2018. The speedy outfielder has been a fixture on MLB rosters for the past half-decade, though he’s bounced from the Rockies to the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Brewers within the past two years. Tapia has quality contact skills and is a plus baserunner, but he has below-average power and doesn’t draw many walks. He’s hitting .230/.308/.338 in 158 plate appearances this season and owns a .256/.296/.369 slash since the start of 2022.

Despite his speed, Tapia has spent the majority of his career in the corner outfield. He can cover center field if necessary but has generally rated as a slightly below-average defender in a corner.

Rays To Promote Curtis Mead

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The Rays are planning to call up top infield prospect Curtis Mead for his Major League debut today, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He’ll take the roster spot that was vacated when ace Shane McClanahan was placed on the injured list yesterday. Mead is already on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster.

Mead, 22, came to the Rays in what originally looked like a minor swap with the Phillies but could end proving impactful for both clubs. Tampa Bay sent lefty Cristopher Sanchez to Philadelphia back in November of 2019, and while he’s has reached the Majors and contributed quite nicely this season (2.66 ERA in nine starts), Mead is widely regarded as one of the game’s most advanced hitting prospects. He checks in at No. 31 on MLB.com’s ranking of the sport’s top 100 prospects and also checks in at No. 67 over at Baseball America and No. 20 at FanGraphs. The Australian-born infielder has spent time at third base, second base and first base throughout his time in the minors, with many scouting reports on him pegging him as a long-term second baseman due to questions about his arm strength at third base.

There’s little questioning Mead’s hit tool, however. He’s punched out in just 12.8% of his plate appearances at Triple-A and just 15.7% of his minor league plate appearances overall. He’s hitting .291/.379/.453 this season, albeit with just three home runs on the year. He’s tacked on 16 doubles and a pair of triples as well, and his impressive 12.8% walk rate couples with that high-end hit tool to drive that strong on-base percentage.

Despite the meager power output in 2023, scouts still give Mead anywhere from above-average (55) to plus (60) raw power on the 20-80 scale. He missed the second half of the 2022 season with an elbow strain and he also missed time earlier this year after being plunked on the wrist. It’s quite possible those injuries have tamped down his power somewhat this year; he swatted 13 home runs in 331 plate appearances last season before hitting the injured list.

FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen calls Mead “one of the more dangerous hitters in the minor leagues,” touting his simple swing, his all-fields power and a rapidly improving approach at the plate that makes him a more complete hitter. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com credit him with a hefty 65-grade hit tool on the 20-80 scale and peg him for an eventual 20 to 25 home runs on an annual basis. Baseball America is even higher on the offensive profile, tabbing him with a 70 hit tool and projecting 25-plus homers per year. All three outlets raise concerns about his throwing strength and his eventual position, but there’s a strong consensus that Mead’s bat will make him a productive everyday player regardless.

As with just about any Rays prospect, Mead’s exact role with the big league team probably will be difficult to peg. Tampa Bay has Yandy Diaz at first base, Brandon Lowe at second base and Isaac Paredes enjoying a breakout season at third base. There are certainly at-bats to be had at designated hitter, where the team has used a rotating cast of characters — Harold Ramirez chief among them. Manager Kevin Cash will probably work Mead into the mix at various positions for the time being, while Mead’s ongoing defensive development will determine where he lands on the diamond in the long-term.

As things currently stand, Mead can be controlled all the way through the 2029 season and won’t be arbitration-eligible until after the 2027 campaign, although future optional assignments can alter those timetables.

Rays Place Shane McClanahan On Injured List

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6:40pm: Tampa Bay has officially placed McClanahan on the IL, Topkin tweets. The club said they are “in the process of gathering further information” and will provide updates when they become available.

6:13pm: The Rays plan to place Shane McClanahan on the 15-day injured list, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The two-time All-Star felt some soreness on the outside of his forearm during yesterday’s start against the Yankees.

Tampa Bay sent McClanahan for imaging this morning. Topkin that the Rays still don’t have a set diagnosis from initial testing. The 6’1″ left-hander is slated for further evaluation in the coming days but will need at least two weeks on the shelf.

Until there’s more clarity on the issue, the overall timetable remains unknown. Yet even a best-case scenario for the Rays sees them lose arguably their best pitcher for a couple weeks while they battle for a division title. Tampa Bay has gone 26-27 since the start of June, a couple months of average play after their league-best performance through May. As a result, they’ve dropped two games back of the Orioles in the AL East.

They’re still in great shape to secure a playoff spot. The Rays sit three games clear of the second-best Wild Card team and 7.5 up on the top non-playoff club. They’ll need to track down Baltimore to snag a first-round bye, though, and any extended absence from McClanahan would only make that more challenging.

The 26-year-old was on a Cy Young pace last year before a late-season shoulder impingement knocked him to sixth in the voting. He hasn’t been quite as good this season but remains one of the top pitchers in the sport. Through 115 innings, McClanahan carries a 3.29 ERA with a strong 25.8% strikeout rate. He missed a couple weeks earlier in the season with back tightness but returned not long after a minimal stay on the shelf.

Pitching injuries have been an all too familiar occurrence for Tampa Bay this year. The Rays were without Tyler Glasnow early and lost Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen to season-ending surgeries midway through the season. They dealt top first base prospect Kyle Manzardo to Cleveland for Aaron Civale to fortify the starting staff. That acquisition could take on even more importance if McClanahan misses a notable chunk of time. Tampa Bay optioned rookie Taj Bradley to Triple-A after acquiring Civale; he’d seem the likeliest candidate for a recall to take McClanahan’s active roster spot.

Rays Acquire Alex Jackson

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The Rays and Brewers agreed to terms on a minor swap earlier today that sent catcher Alex Jackson to Tampa Bay in exchange for right-hander Evan McKendry. The Rays have announced the swap.

Jackson, 27, was the sixth selection overall in the 2014 draft by the Mariners and made his big league debut with the Braves in 2019. Though he’s appeared in the majors every season since then, he’s never managed to stick on a big league roster or hit in the majors, with a career slash line of just .141/.243/.227 in 185 major league plate appearances. He’s hit better in the minor leagues, with a career slash line of .244/.327/.523 in 905 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level. Between those minor league results, his previous draft pedigree, and his relative youth, Jackson is an interesting depth addition for a Rays club that needed additional catching depth after Francisco Mejia went on the injured list with a sprained knee two weeks ago.

To acquire Jackson, they’ll part with McKendry, a 25-year-old pitching prospect the club selected in the ninth round of the 2019 draft. With a career 4.00 ERA in 110 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level and a 23.6% strikeout rate during that time, McKendry figures to provide the Brewers with upper-level pitching depth going forward, a particularly valuable commodity given right-hander Julio Teheran’s recent placement on the injured list. While the Rays have dealt with plenty of pitching injuries of their own, McKendry’s loss is made up for by today’s acquisition of right-hander Adrian Sampson, to say nothing of yesterday’s blockbuster that brought back Aaron Civale.

White Sox To Acquire Luis Patiño From Rays

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The White Sox are acquiring right-hander Luis Patiño from the Rays for cash, reports James Fegan.

Patiño, now 23, came over to the Rays as part of the 2020 trade that sent Blake Snell to the Padres. At the time, he was considered one of the top 100 prospects in the sport. In 2021, he seemed like he was cementing himself as a part of Tampa’s future rotation. He made 19 appearances that year, 15 starts, throwing 77 1/3 innings with a 4.31 earned runs allowed per nine innings. That wasn’t a dominant number, but he was just 21 years old that year and so it seemed like there was plenty of room for him to grow.

Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to plan since then. He missed most of the first half of 2022 due to an oblique strain and then spent the second half as a frequently-optioned depth piece for Tampa. He posted an 8.10 ERA over six big league starts and a 4.38 ERA in 11 minor league starts.

He’s been healthy here in 2023 but hasn’t been able to get back on track. He’s only tossed four innings in the big leagues, spending most of the year in Triple-A. He made six starts at that level earlier in the year but had a 6.66 ERA before being moved into a relief role. He has a 6.86 ERA since that time, walking 13.8% of hitters while striking out just 10.6%. He is in his final option year and will  be out of options next year. For a competitive team like the Rays, it seems it was time to move on.

The White Sox are in a very different position, as they have struggled badly this year and are looking towards the future. They’ve already traded a few pitchers, including Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López and Kendall Graveman, with perhaps a few more potentially moving before the day is done. They can keep Patiño in the minors for the next couple of months, either in a starting role or a relief role, and see if they can get him back on track. He’s still quite young and was a top prospect not too long ago. He has less than three years of major league service time, meaning they can control him for four more seasons beyond this one if he gets into good form.

Rays Shopping Manuel Margot, Searching For Bat-First Outfielder

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The Rays are shopping outfielder Manuel Margot while looking for an offensive upgrade in the outfield, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). It’s unclear if they’d only move Margot if they first pull off a separate addition. The Yankees are among the teams that have been in touch with Tampa Bay, per Sherman.

Margot’s profile is built around his glove. He was a plus center fielder early in his career. Nearing his 29th birthday, his defensive marks in center have dipped a bit but he remains an above-average corner outfielder. He’s still capable of playing up the middle, logging 305 2/3 innings over 35 starts there.

The right-handed hitter is a below-average offensive player. He’s hitting .254/.306/.364 through 258 trips to the plate. It’s not disastrous output but sits roughly 10 percentage points below league average productivity. That’s the range in which Margot has hovered for the bulk of his career. He makes a decent amount of contact with modest walk totals and power.

Tampa Bay signed Margot to an extension last April. He’s making $7MM this season, around $2.3MM of which is still to be paid out. He’ll be due $10MM next year and a $2MM buyout on a mutual option covering the 2025 campaign. It seems unlikely the Rays would be able to offload the entirety of that deal, so they’d probably have to kick in cash or take back another team’s undesirable contract.

The Yankees have been quiet this deadline season so far. New York is reportedly straddling the line between buying and selling. Corner outfield help has long been a target, and Margot is one of what’s surely a number of names to come up in talks with other clubs.

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