The Rays are staring at the Aug. 3 deadline with a narrow cushion in the AL East, and that alone is enough to put them in the market for help. Tampa Bay leads the New York Yankees by two games, so roster upgrades are very much in play as the race tightens.
One name floated as a fit is not a pitcher, but an infielder. Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller pegged the Rays’ “perfect” trade target as a Giants second baseman, and the logic starts with Tampa Bay’s own lack of production up the middle.
“The Giants' second baseman [Luis Arraez] is on pace for what would be his fourth consecutive season of at least 180 hits, while Tampa Bay has gotten a whole lot of nothing on offense from its primary middle infield trio of Richie Palacios, Ben Williamson and Taylor Walls,” Miller wrote.
That kind of contact-heavy profile would give the Rays something they have not consistently gotten from that spot in the lineup. With Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz, and Jonathan Aranda already in the mix, Tampa Bay could still use another bat that changes at-bats and keeps innings moving.
Arraez would not bring power, but that has never been the point with him. His value is built on elite contact and almost no strikeouts, a rare combination that makes him stand out from just about everyone else in the game.
If Tampa Bay were to make the move, manager Kevin Cash could drop Arraez into the leadoff spot and push Diaz into the two-hole.
In Other News...
Victor Mesa Jr Is Giving The Rays More To Think About
Victor Mesa Jr. had a different kind of return to Rogers Centre this time, one that came with a major league uniform, a lineup spot and a reminder of how far he has come since a 2015 visit to Toronto as a 14-year-old for the Pan American Games. Acquired by the Rays in a minor February deal with the Marlins, Mesa has quickly become more than a depth piece, giving Tampa Bay a left-handed bat it can use in the outfield while injuries have thinned the options around him.
Mesa added another reason for the Rays to keep watching in their recent game against the Blue Jays, when he sent a solo homer to center and kept his run of power going for a third straight game. For a player who arrived with little fanfare, the timing matters as much as the production, because Tampa Bay keeps needing answers in the corners and Mesa keeps making the case that he belongs in the conversation for more than a temporary fill-in role. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans Will Have A Strong Reaction To This AL East Twist
The Rays are still looking for help behind the plate as the trade deadline approaches, and Minnesotas Ryan Jeffers has emerged as one name worth watching. Tampa Bay has long been willing to hunt for value on the margins, and this feels like another one of those spots where the club could try to patch a present need without blocking what it believes is coming next from within its own system.
Baltimore, naturally, sits at the center of the conversation because any catcher chatter in the AL East tends to get noticed fast. The Rays and Orioles have already crossed paths in recent deals, and Tampa Bay has shown it can turn a modest move into something bigger down the line, but the more ambitious idea here appears to be fading. For now, the more realistic path may be a short-term fix while the organization keeps leaning on its minor league depth and waits to see how the market develops. [Read more 🡒]