- It remains to be seen if the Rays will ever again play at Tropicana Field, but for at least the 2025 season, the club will play at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. The move will impact the Rays’ roster construction plans, as some adjustment is naturally necessary simply by dint of the fact that the Rays will now be playing outdoors during the Florida summer rather than within the confines of a domed stadium. With multiple rainouts now a likelihood, president of baseball operations Erik Neander is looking to add multi-inning pitching depth at both the Major and minor league levels. As Neander told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, “it’s…making sure that we can protect our arms and maneuver the roster in a way where if a game gets disrupted and delayed after two innings and you lose a starter, and then you’ve got to cover four or five [innings] as it comes back before you can go to the bullpen, that you have the ability to maneuver day to day as needed, to cover that and do it in a way that’s responsible for the well-being of the group.” More pitching will also be needed since the Stein is expected to be a much more hitter-friendly environment than the Trop, though the Rays’ own hitters can also benefit from the situation.
Rays Rumors
Latest On Rays’ Stadium Situation
The Rays are in a precarious situation regarding both their long- and short-term future in the Tampa Bay area. Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field, leaving the club’s home ballpark unusable for at least the 2025 season. They’ve solved that obstacle by moving to nearby Steinbrenner Field, the Spring Training stadium of the Yankees, but that move helped to spur local officials to postpone the approval of bonds that would finance the development plan the Rays and Pinellas County had previously agreed upon that would construct a new stadium near the Trop in time for the 2028 season.
With the bond approval now postponed, the Rays’ long-term future in Tampa seems to be up in the air, with club owner Stu Sternberg having gone so far as to put the possibility of relocation back on the table. In addition to that renewed long-term instability, it now seems as though the club’s short-term future is even more up in the air than it was previously. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reported recently that while the city council of St. Pete initially voted to approve spending $24MM on repairs to the Trop, they reversed course shortly thereafter. The reversal from local officials in St. Pete comes in part thanks to the uncertainty surrounding around the previously agreed-upon stadium deal, with city councilwoman Brandi Gabbard telling Topkin that she wasn’t prepared to put tens of millions toward funding a project for “an entity we may never have a deal with again.”
That change in plans seems to have created uncertainty regarding whether the Rays would ever play at the Trop again, as Topkin adds that club president Brian Auld suggested that the Rays may be better off negotiating a settlement with the city of St. Pete regarding the final years of their lease than having the city repair the stadium because of uncertainty regarding whether the Trop would be repaired in time for Opening Day 2026. Per Auld, creating a contingency plan for the 2026 season that would only be used in the event that the Trop isn’t ready would cause more trouble for the Rays than simply ruling out a return to their home ballpark entirely.
Whether repairs for Tropicana Field will ultimately be approved and set into motion or if the sides will instead pursue a settlement remains to be seen, but the latest setback casts further doubt on the city’s ability to repair the Trop in time for the 2026 season. As Auld alludes to, reaching a settlement with the city could ultimately behoove the Rays in more ways than one. In addition to avoiding the costs associated with balancing contingency plans based on the Trop’s 2026 availability, Topkin notes that Auld added that receiving a settlement check from the city would “obviously” provide the club a financial boost amid the loss of revenue associated with the club’s temporary displacement.
While the city deciding to abandon the Trop could come with some advantages for the Rays, Topkin notes it could further jeopardize the team’s long- and short-term future in the greater Tampa area. The club’s current deal with the Yankees allowing them to use Steinbrenner Field in 2025 is expected to last for only the upcoming season, and Topkin suggests that if the club has to find a new home for the 2026 campaign as well that destination will “almost certainly” be outside of Florida as MLB looks to avoid scheduling complications caused by rainouts. A temporary move outside of Florida for the 2026 and ’27 seasons would seemingly make the threat of relocation all the more real as the club’s lease in St. Pete expires ahead of the 2028 season, though Auld suggested that the club’s “preference” would still be to remain in the greater Tampa area in a new stadium rather than explore relocation even if they were to temporarily move out of market.
American League Non-Tenders: 11/22/24
The deadline to tender a contract to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7pm CT. Here’s a rundown of the players on American League teams that have been non-tendered today. This post will be updated as more decisions are revealed. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for all players eligible for arbitration last month. All players who are non-tendered before this evening’s deadline go directly into free agency, where they’re eligible to sign with any of MLB’s 30 clubs.
Onto the transactions…
- The Angels announced that they have non-tendered left-hander Patrick Sandoval, infielder Eric Wagaman, as well as outfielders Jordyn Adams and Bryce Teodosio. You can read more about those moves here.
- The Astros tendered contracts to their entire arbitration class.
- The Athletics announced that they did not tender a contract to right-hander Dany Jiménez, who was projected for a $1MM salary. He posted a 4.91 in 25 appearances for the A’s in 2024. He struck out 21.4% of opponents but gave out walks at a 16.2% clip.
- The Blue Jays are planning to non-tender righty Dillon Tate, per Ben Nicholson Smith and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (X link). Tate was just claimed off waivers at the start of September and had a projected salary of $1.9MM. He’s a former fourth overall pick with some good numbers in his career but he missed most of 2023 due to injury and then posted a 4.66 ERA in 2024. The Jays are also non-tendering righty Jordan Romano, which you can read more about here.
- The Guardians have non-tendered outfielder George Valera and right-hander Connor Gillispie, per Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com (X link). Both players were designated for assignment earlier this week.
- The Mariners are going to non-tender outfielder Sam Haggerty, per Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 (X link). He was limited to just eight games in 2024 due to a torn achilles. He was only projected for a salary of $900K but the M’s have decided to move on. They also non-tendered infielder Josh Rojas and righties Austin Voth and JT Chargois, moves that are covered with more depth here.
- The Orioles plan to non-tender right-hander Jacob Webb, per Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner (X link). Webb was projected for a salary of $1.7MM next year. The righty tossed 56 2/3 innings for the O’s in 2024 with a 3.02 ERA and 24.5% strikeout rate, but an 11.4% walk rate.
- The Rays announced they have non-tendered outfielder Dylan Carlson as well as left-handers Tyler Alexander, Colin Poche and Richard Lovelady. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relayed the news (X link) prior to the official announcement. Carlson once seemed like a building block in St. Louis but his offense has declined for three straight years now and he was projected for a $2.7MM salary. Alexander was projected for $2.8MM and had a 5.10 ERA this year. Poche had a solid 3.86 ERA but was projected for $3.4MM. Lovelady was designated for assignment a few days ago.
- The Rangers tendered contracts to their entire arbitration class.
- The Red Sox announced that right-handers Bryan Mata and Isaiah Campbell were both non-tendered. Those two had been designated for assignment earlier this week.
- The Royals tendered contracts to their entire arbitration class.
- The Tigers announced that they have non-tendered infielder Eddys Leonard as well as right-handers Ricky Vanasco, Brendan White and Wilmer Flores. Three of those four were designated for assignment earlier this week. Flores, the lone exception, is the younger brother of the same-named Wilmer Flores of the Giants. The younger Flores was once a notable pitching prospect but was injured for most of 2024.
- The Twins tendered contracts to their entire arbitration class.
- The Yankees have non-tendered infielder Jon Berti, per Robert Murray of FanSided (X link). He was projected for a salary of $3.8MM. He was injured for much of the year and only got into 25 games. The Yankees also announced that they have non-tendered left-hander Tim Mayza, who was projected for a $4MM salary but had a 6.33 ERA in 2024.
- The White Sox will non-tender first baseman/outfielder Gavin Sheets, which MLBTR covered earlier today. The Sox later announced Sheets and also that they non-tendered right-hander Enyel De Los Santos as well. De Los Santos was projected for a salary of $1.7MM but posted a 5.20 ERA this year.
Latest On Rays’ Stadium Situation
The Rays’ plans for 2028 and beyond are back up in the air. Over the weekend, owner Stuart Sternberg criticized local officials for postponing bond votes to approve the public financing to construct a new stadium in St. Petersburg’s Gas Plant district. Sternberg alluded to the possibility of relocation when discussing the situation with John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred addressed it at this week’s owners meetings. Asked about the possibility of relocation, Manfred said MLB remains “committed to the fans in Tampa Bay” (link via Mark Feinsand of MLB.com). “I think given all that’s happened in that market, we’re focused on our franchise in Tampa Bay right now,” he added.
That partially walks back Sternberg’s relocation threat, though the team continues to agitate for a quick resolution. Pinellas County officials met on Tuesday afternoon, a few days after Sternberg’s comments. Leading up to the meeting, Rays presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman wrote a letter to the county saying that the delays have already “ended an ability for the delivery of the 2028 ballpark” (link via Colleen Wright of the Tampa Bay Times). Auld and Silverman wrote that moving forward with the plan in ’29 “would result in significantly higher costs,” though they concluded by saying they “stand ready to work on a new solution with any and all willing partners to preserve the future of baseball in Tampa Bay.”
That didn’t spur any kind of movement from the county. Officials voted for another postponement on the bonds, pushing that back until at least December 17, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Sam Blum of the Athletic wrote yesterday that some county officials have taken issue with Sternberg’s tactics.
“To be clear, we did not vote to kill the deal, nor should a three-week delay in a 30-plus year commitment be a deal killer to begin with,” the board’s vice chair Brian Scott said at the meeting (per Blum). “That’s just a totally ridiculous statement. The delay was not because of a lack of support for the Rays or our partnership. But it was a necessary due diligence to ensure the best interest of our residents and our taxpayers were met.”
In July, St. Petersburg and Pinellas County each approved the stadium deal that would’ve committed upwards of $300MM in public funding to a $1.3 billion project. They didn’t officially vote on the bonds at that time, however, and the deal was thrown into flux in recent weeks. Hurricanes Helene and Milton have hit the area incredibly hard. Hurricane Milton destroyed the Tropicana Field roof, rendering it unplayable for at least the 2025 season. The city has yet to announce whether it’ll approve the approximate $55.7MM in repair costs necessary to get the Trop into playing condition by ’26. Elections in November also changed the makeup of the county council.
The Rays will play next season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Manfred suggested the end of 2025 could serve as an unofficial deadline for having a long-term plan in place. “It’s one thing to make an interim arrangement for 2025, which we’ve done,” the commissioner stated. “When you get into another year, there’s obviously going to be another interim arrangement unless they get the Trop fixed. I think that second year of an interim arrangement, you need a plan as to how you’re going to get into a permanent facility.”
MLBTR Podcast: The Rays’ Stadium Plans, Diamond Sports, And Some Offseason Rumors
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Rays’ stadium plans for the short term and the uncertainty in the long term (1:45)
- Diamond Sports Group getting out of bankruptcy (8:40)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- If the Red Sox acquire Garrett Crochet from the White Sox, will they still go after top free agents? (13:15)
- Could the Reds and Royals line up on a trade involving Jonathan India and Brady Singer or some other Kansas City pitching? (17:25)
- On the Top 50, none of the writers predicted the Orioles to sign top free agents. Are you underestimating David Rubenstein’s intention to speed up the timeline? (26:05)
Check out our past episodes!
- Roki Sasaki, Gerrit Cole’s Non-Opt-Out, And Cardinals Rumors – listen here
- Breaking Down The Top 50 Free Agents List – listen here
- The Mets’ Spending Power, Juan Soto Suitors, And The Rangers’ Payroll Limits – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Jonny DeLuca To Be Rays’ Primary Center Fielder In 2025
After trading Jose Siri to the Mets earlier today, the Rays have revealed that Jonny DeLuca will be their primary center fielder next season (per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Siri had been Tampa Bay’s primary center fielder since the club acquired him from the Astros ahead of the trade deadline in 2022.
DeLuca, 26, was the secondary piece the Rays acquired in the trade that sent Tyler Glasnow to the Dodgers last offseason; Ryan Pepiot was the centerpiece of the return. That said, the Rays clearly viewed DeLuca as more than a mere throw-in. A broken hand kept him from making the Opening Day roster this past season, but after his return in early May, he appeared in 107 of Tampa Bay’s remaining 130 games. His bat was feeble, producing a .609 OPS and 77 wRC+, but he stole 16 bases and played strong defense while splitting his time between all three outfield positions. He earned 5 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), 8 Outs Above Average (OAA), and 5.1 Deserved Runs Prevented (DRP), helping him rack up positive value according to every version of Wins Above Replacement. He already has elite speed and a strong throwing arm, so if he can learn to tap into a bit more of the plus power and plate discipline he displayed throughout the minor leagues, it might be enough for him to become a productive big league center fielder.
Now, that’s a big if, but the Rays seem to have a good amount of faith in DeLuca. President of baseball operations Erik Neander cited the young outfielder’s improvement over the last few months of the 2024 season, telling Topkin, “You look at the progress, you look at the improvement, you look how he’s made up, and his history of just what he’s been able to do with more reps given what a good athlete he is, he’s just continued to get better.”
It’s true that DeLuca hit significantly better in the second half of the 2024 season than the first. But much of that improvement came from a strong September (116 wRC+) in which the righty batter outperformed his .269 xwOBA by more than 50 points. That’s not a lot to go on, especially for a team that aims to contend once again in 2025. Most clubs would certainly be looking for an upgrade on the free agent market. But of course, this is the Rays we’re talking about, a team that loves to turn unheralded trade pickups into productive major leaguers.
Topkin notes that lefty batters Josh Lowe and Richie Palacios could also see some time in center field next year. Neither one has much big league experience at the position, but both are young and athletic outfielders who played a good deal of center in the minors. More to the point, if either of them ends up playing center, it will only be because manager Kevin Cash is looking to get more offense in the lineup, especially against a tough right-handed pitcher. Both players were roughly league-average at the plate in 2024, but they were significantly more dangerous in 2023. Even if neither returns to the heights of his 2023 campaign, a league-average bat would still be a whole lot more productive than DeLuca was this past season.
However, any time Lowe or Palacios spends in center field would take them away from the outfielder corners. That would most likely leave either Dylan Carlson or Christopher Morel covering a corner spot. The only other outfielders on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster are Kameron Misner, who appeared in eight games for the big league club this past season, and Jake Mangum, who was recently added to the 40-man to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Neither is necessarily anything more than depth for the bench. Thus, even if the Rays are planning to give DeLuca the bulk of the playing time in center field, it would make sense for them to add at least one more outfielder this offseason.
Mariners Trade For Austin Shenton, DFA JT Chargois
As announced by both teams, the Mariners have acquired infielder Austin Shenton in a trade with the Rays. Seattle will send cash considerations to Tampa Bay in return. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mariners designated right-handed pitcher JT Chargois for assignment.
Shenton began his professional career with the Mariners, who selected him in the 2019 draft. Though he was never a highly-ranked prospect, the flexible defender quickly worked his way up the minor league ladder, hitting well at every step along the way. In 120 games across four levels in Seattle’s system, he hit .299 with 46 doubles and 19 home runs, good for a .940 OPS. While he spent most of his time at third base, he also took reps at first base, second base, and both outfield corners.
Ahead of the 2021 trade deadline, the M’s dealt Shenton to the Rays in exchange for right-handed reliever Diego Castillo. Funnily enough, the other player Seattle sent to Tampa Bay in that trade was none other than Chargois. (After brief stints with the Rays and Marlins, Chargois made his way back to the Mariners at the trade deadline this past summer. But more on him in a moment.) Injuries cut into Shenton’s playing time in the Rays system in 2021 and ’22, but after his strong 2023 season (1.006 OPS in 134 games between Double and Triple-A) the team added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Shenton wasn’t as dominant with the stick in 2024, but he provided above-average offense for both Triple-A Durham and the Rays over a handful of games with the big league club. In his first MLB season, he slashed .214/.340/.405 across 50 plate appearances, good for a 120 wRC+. Those are decent numbers for a lefty bench bat, but nonetheless, Shenton was the casualty when the Rays needed to free up an extra roster spot to protect a pair of promising pitchers from this year’s Rule 5 reaping. He was DFA’d yesterday evening.
Despite his solid offensive production, it’s not hard to guess what the Rays might have been thinking. While his bat has real promise, Shenton will be 27 years old next season, and he comes with his fair share of flaws. Although he has played several positions, he might not be capable of regular MLB playing time anywhere other than first base. As for his offense, he has enticing power and a good eye, but strikeouts could be his downfall against the highest level of competition. He has also had dreadful splits against same-handed pitching in two of the last three seasons. On top of all that, he has often had trouble staying on the field; he spent time on the IL in each of his first four professional campaigns.
Regardless, the Mariners must have liked what they saw (and what they remembered) of Shenton, and there’s little risk for Seattle in taking him on. He still has two minor league option years remaining, so he won’t get any playing with the big league club unless he earns it. Moreover, it’s not as if Chargois was going to be a key player in the M’s bullpen next season. Rather, he seemed to be a likely non-tender candidate ahead of this week’s deadline.
Chargois, 34 in December, is a journeyman low-leverage reliever who has bounced between the Twins, Dodgers, Mariners, Rays, and Marlins throughout his big league tenure. He also spent a season with the Rakuten Eagles in Japan. The veteran righty has never been a flashy name, but his career 3.35 ERA and 3.84 SIERA over 231 1/3 innings are impressive numbers. Durability and injury concerns (he has never pitched more than 53 2/3 innings in a season) could prevent him from signing anything more than a minor league contract this winter, but his sparkling 2.23 ERA and solid 4.18 SIERA from this past season should help him find a new place to pitch in 2025.
Mets Acquire Jose Siri
The Mets and Rays announced a one-for-one trade sending outfielder Jose Siri to New York for reliever Eric Orze. Both players were on their teams’ 40-man roster, so the trade doesn’t have any impact on tonight’s Rule 5 protection deadline.
Siri, 29, spent two and a half seasons in Tampa Bay. The Rays acquired him from the Astros in a three-team trade at the 2022 deadline. Siri has been Kevin Cash’s primary center fielder going back to the start of the ’23 season. He connected on 25 home runs in only 364 plate appearances that year. While the power was enough to make Siri a productive player, he hit .222 with a .267 on-base percentage.
Those already poor marks fell even further in 2024. Siri hit .187/.255/.366 in a career-high 448 plate appearances. He popped another 18 homers but ranked last in OBP among the 207 hitters with at least 400 trips to the plate. Only Mitch Garver had a lower batting average. Since the start of the ’23 season, Siri owns a .203/.260/.424 batting line.
An extreme free swinger, Siri has issues making contact against pitches both within and outside the zone. He went down on strikes at a massive 37.9% rate this year and has fanned in nearly 36% of his career plate appearances. Siri strikes out far too often to be a consistently effective hitter, but he has 20+ homer potential at the bottom of a lineup.
More importantly, Siri has elite athleticism that makes him one of the best defensive players in baseball. He’s a top-of-the-scale runner with elite arm strength. Siri has posted excellent numbers for his glovework in center field. Defensive Runs Saved credited him as 12 runs above average in a little over 1000 innings this past season. Statcast was even more bullish, rating him 15 runs above par. By measure of Statcast’s Outs Above Average, Siri was tied for second with Cardinals rookie Michael Siani among outfielders in defensive value. Only Washington’s Jacob Young narrowly surpassed him. Brenton Doyle and Daulton Varsho are the only outfielders with more Outs Above Average since the start of 2023.
Siri probably slots behind Tyrone Taylor on New York’s center field depth chart. Both players are right-handed hitters, so they don’t make for a natural platoon. Taylor has much better contact skills than Siri brings to the table. He’s coming off a solid .248/.299/.401 showing in his first year as a Met.
There are clear parallels between Siri and Harrison Bader, to whom the Mets gave 437 plate appearances this year. They’re each fantastic defensive outfielders with some power but subpar on-base skills. Bader is again a free agent after playing on a $10.5MM deal. Siri is much more affordable. He’s in his first of three arbitration seasons and is projected for a $2.3MM salary (courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz). If the Mets again find themselves in the top tier of luxury tax penalization, they’ll pay roughly $2.53MM in taxes on top of that salary. They control him through the 2027 campaign.
While Siri remained affordable, the Rays were evidently prepared to move on because of his lackluster offense. Their only other player who got an extended look in center field this year was Jonny DeLuca. Acquired from the Dodgers in the Tyler Glasnow trade, DeLuca hit just .217/.278/.331 in his first extended MLB look. He’s nearly as fast as Siri and could be a plus defensive center fielder in his own right, but he doesn’t bring much offensive juice.
While Dylan Carlson once looked like a potential everyday center fielder in St. Louis, his bat has never developed as hoped. Josh Lowe is probably better suited in a corner, though he could theoretically move back to center if the Rays add another bat or want to play Christopher Morel and Richie Palacios in the corner outfield on a regular basis.
As they look to sort out center field, the Rays add to their bullpen depth. Orze, 27, was a fifth-round pick in the shortened 2020 draft. His only big league experience consists of two games for the Mets in July. He was blown up in that limited look, surrendering four runs in 1 2/3 innings.
The 6’4″ righty had a solid year at Triple-A Syracuse. He tossed 61 2/3 innings of 2.92 ERA ball, striking out nearly a third of opponents behind an excellent 15.4% swinging strike rate. Orze walked more than 12% of batters faced and has struggled with his command throughout his pro career. That could relegate him to a middle relief role. Orze uses his changeup as his primary pitch and sits in the 93-94 MPH range with his fastball. He barely has any major league service and can be optioned for another two seasons, so he’ll likely bounce between Tampa Bay and Triple-A Durham on multiple occasions over the next couple years.
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com first reported the terms of the trade. Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Rays Designate Richard Lovelady For Assignment
The Rays announced Tuesday that they’ve designated left-hander Richard Lovelady for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to outfielder Jake Mangum, whose contract has been selected. Mangum’s selection to the roster protects him from next month’s Rule 5 Draft.
Lovelady, 29, split the 2024 season between the Cubs and Rays, struggling with the former but pitching pretty well for the latter. The southpaw gave Tampa Bay 28 2/3 innings of 3.77 ERA ball, albeit with a sub-par 16.8% strikeout rate. Lovelady’s 7.6% walk rate and 53.5% ground-ball rate were both strong marks, however, and the lefty has long shown an interesting blend of missed bats and grounders to go along with solid command. In 99 1/3 big league innings, Lovelady has a 21.1% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and 50.9% grounder rate. He’s still been tagged for a 4.98 earned run average, thanks in large part to a 66% strand rate, but metrics like xFIP (4.27) and SIERA (4.02) have been more bullish than ERA.
The Rays will have a week to trade Lovelady or attempt to pass him through waivers. They can also non-tender him before Friday and cut him right from the roster without first exposing him to any form of waivers — the only time of year clubs are able to do so. He’s out of minor league options, so any club that acquires Lovelady would need to carry him on the 40-man roster to open the season. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Lovelady for a $900K salary in 2025. He’s controllable through the 2027 season.
Mangum, 28, came to the Rays as the player to be named later in the deal that sent utilityman Vidal Brujan and righty Calvin Faucher to the Marlins. He spent the 2024 season in Triple-A, where he slashed .317/.357/.442 with six homers and 20 steals in 428 turns at the plate. Mangum is a switch-hitter with good speed, strong bat-to-ball skills and the ability to play all three outfield spots. He’ll likely get an opportunity to make his MLB debut in a fourth-outfielder role with the Rays in 2025.
Rays Designate Austin Shenton For Assignment
The Rays have added left-handers Joe Rock and Ian Seymour to their 40-man roster, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (X links), protecting them from being selected in the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Tomorrow at 5pm Central is the deadline for players eligible for that draft to be protected by being selected to a club’s roster. The Rays had one 40-man vacancy and opened another by designating infielder Austin Shenton for assignment. The club also avoided arbitration with right-hander Cole Sulser by signing him to a deal for 2025, though the terms of his deal haven’t yet been publicly reported.
Rock, 24, was a competitive balance round pick of the Rockies in 2021 but came to the Rays as part of the March 2024 trade that sent infielder/outfielder Greg Jones to Colorado. Rock’s first season in his new organization went fairly well, as he tossed 139 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 4.58 earned run average, 21.6% strikeout rate, 5.7% walk rate and 45.3% ground ball rate.
Seymour, 26 next month, was a second-round pick of the Rays in 2020 with generally strong results since then. He has a 2.50 ERA in 259 1/3 innings over the past four years, pairing a 31% strikeout rate with an 8.6% walk rate. That includes 145 1/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024, with Seymour posting a 2.35 ERA this year while striking out 28.1% of opponents and only giving out free passes at a 7.1% clip.
Given the strong results from both pitchers, the Rays decided they didn’t want any rival clubs plucking them away, so both southpaws get roster spots today. While that’s surely exciting for both of them, the flip side is that it’s bad news for Shenton.
Turning 27 in January, Shenton was drafted by the Mariners in 2019 but came to the Rays in the July 2021 trade that sent Diego Castillo the other way. In the upper minors and the majors, Shenton has generally shown a “three true outcomes” approach. He has taken 1,168 plate appearances in the minors over the past three years with 57 home runs, a 14.6% walk rate and a 28.6% strikeout rate. All that has led to a .276/.387/.522 line and 135 wRC+. In a small sample of 50 big league plate appearances, he has a 16% walk rate, 28% strikeout rate, .214/.340/.405 line and 120 wRC+.
There are some intriguing numbers in there but Shenton also has some flags. For one, health has been an issue, with 2023 being the only year of his career in which he played more than 102 games. His defense is also not a standout tool. While he can play both infield corners, his work at third isn’t well regarded. If he’s more of a first base only guy in the long term, that will put more pressure on his bat. While he has often been able to perform offensively, it will be challenging to keep it up in the majors with his strikeout tendencies.
Those flags have nudged him off the Rays’ roster but his positive qualities could get him a chance somewhere else. He still has a couple of option seasons and just a few days of service time, meaning he could be a cheap depth option for some other club willing to give him a roster spot, either via a trade or a waiver claim. DFA limbo can last a week but the waiver process lasts 48 hours, meaning the Rays will have five days to explore trades.
As mentioned, all clubs will be adding players to their rosters between now and tomorrow evening for Rule 5 protection, so perhaps roster spots will be at a premium and make it harder for one of the 29 other teams to take a shot on Shenton.
As for Sulser, 35 in March, he was acquired from the Mets in a July cash deal. He went on to toss 11 2/3 scoreless innings for the Rays after that deal despite subpar strikeout and walk rates of 18.6% and 14% respectively. He now has 149 career innings with a 3.74 ERA, 25.3% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a $1MM salary next year, not much above the $760K league minimum. It’s unclear how much he will make in 2025 but more information will likely be forthcoming as the offseason progresses.
