The Rays missed on Tarik Skubal, and now the focus has to shift fast.
Tampa Bay was viewed as one of the favorites to land the Detroit Tigers ace if he became available, but the Los Angeles Dodgers ended up getting the deal done. The reigning World Series champs added the reigning two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, while the Tigers received outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handers River Ryan and Brady Smith. Those three rank Nos. 5, 7 and 17 in the Dodgers’ system.
For the Rays, the loss means the search for rotation help continues. They’ve already been tied to other starters, including Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes of the New York Mets. Both would help, especially with Shane McClanahan now on the injured list because of a back ailment.
But if Tampa Bay is going to pivot to one name, it should be Joe Ryan.
Ryan is a familiar face in a very specific way: he was the player sent to Minnesota when the Rays brought in Nelson Cruz before the 2021 trade deadline. The Twins are in buyer mode right now, but the Rays have the kind of farm system that could make this conversation real. If they want to chase a top-end starter, they should make the call.
Ryan doesn’t carry Skubal’s ceiling, but he does bring exactly what this rotation needs: stability. He’d fit alongside Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez, Griffin Jax and McClanahan once he’s healthy again.
There’s another reason Ryan makes sense for Tampa Bay: he’s not a rental. He’s under team control through 2027, which makes a trade easier to justify if it means giving up a better prospect for more than just a couple months of help.
The Rays’ No. 1 prospect, Theo Gillen, was never going to be part of the Skubal discussions, and he should be off limits in any deal. Even so, Tampa Bay has enough talent in the system to put together a strong offer if Minnesota is willing to listen.
These two clubs have already done business together. Last year at the deadline, Taj Bradley went from Tampa Bay to Minnesota for Jax, who was considered a high-leverage reliever then and has since moved into a starting role.
In Other News...
Rays Linked To An All-Star Bat Who Could Change Everything
A familiar trade-market name is starting to surface again, and it makes sense for a Rays club always looking for ways to squeeze more offense out of its roster. According to USA Todays Bob Nightengale, Tampa Bay is viewed as the heavy favorite to land a three-time batting champion from San Francisco, with the Giants expected to sell and several contenders monitoring the situation.
The appeal is obvious for a Rays team that values contact, versatility and run creation in the margins. Philadelphia, Boston and Texas are also said to be in the mix, so Tampa Bay is not alone here, but any move that adds that kind of bat would reshape the conversation around the lineup in a hurry. For now, it is a matter of whether the Rays can turn a strong position into an actual deal. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Catching Picture Just Got A Lot More Interesting
The Rays have been busy reshaping the roster, and their latest move adds another layer to a catching mix that already had some intrigue. According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, Tampa Bay has landed Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins, continuing a stretch of aggression that also brought in starter Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets.
Hicks is expected to give the Rays more flexibility behind the plate and in the defensive alignment, while also adding some offense to a lineup that can always use another productive bat. For a club that has spent the week making clear it wants more depth and more options, this is the kind of move that could matter in more ways than one, especially once the full catching picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Just Missed On A Deadline Target That Could Sting
The trade deadline brought another aggressive move in Philadelphia, where the Phillies continued adding to their roster by landing second baseman Luis Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian from the Giants for starting pitcher Ramon Marquez and reliever Marty Gair. They also separately added pitcher Brooks Raley from the Mets, underscoring how active they were in the final stretch before the deadline and how quickly the market can move when contenders start picking off available talent.
For the Rays, the larger takeaway may be less about what the Phillies gained than where this particular player ended up. Arraez had been a name on Tampa Bays radar, and for a while the club looked like it had a real shot to bring him in before the deal swung in another direction. In a deadline market built on thin margins and fast decisions, missing on a target like that can linger, especially when the player fits so neatly into the kind of lineup the Rays like to build. [Read more 🡒]