The Tampa Bay Rays are expected to be busy ahead of the MLB trade deadline, and catcher looks like one of the spots they’re targeting.
With the American League looking wide open and Tampa Bay already sitting on the best record, the club has every reason to chase help that can tighten up the roster for the stretch run. Catcher has been one of the positions under the microscope, and Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins is one name the Rays have been watching closely. The New York Yankees have had their eyes on him too, with a scout sent to see him recently.
Another name that has come up in trade chatter is Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles, but a move to Tampa Bay never sounded likely. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote that even before Rutschman’s latest injury, a deal within the division was a long shot.
“Rutschman during All-Star week told The Athletic he was open to such a deal. But that was before he went down again.
He never was likely to be traded within the division to the Yankees or Rays. Now it appears his future with the team will remain uncertain, through the deadline and beyond,” Rosenthal wrote.
Rosenthal’s note centers on Rutschman’s openness to working toward a long-term extension with Baltimore. The Orioles recently reached one of those deals with starting pitcher Kyle Bradish, who agreed to a five-year, $90 million extension.
Still, Baltimore already has Samuel Basallo locked in on a long-term deal from last year, right after he made his MLB debut, and that makes the path to extending Rutschman even murkier. His injury only pushes the odds lower.
There’s also the matter of the Orioles and Rays having done business before. Baltimore sent relief pitcher Bryan Baker to Tampa Bay last year in exchange for a draft pick, and a few months later that draft pick plus a group of prospects went back to the Rays in a deal for starting pitcher Shane Baz, who later agreed to an extension with Baltimore.
So while there’s no rule saying the Orioles won’t trade with Tampa Bay, a Rutschman deal never seemed to have much traction. For the Rays, the more realistic answer behind the plate appears to be a short-term fix, especially with plenty of catching talent working its way up through the minor leagues.
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