OPINION: Tampa Bay Rays Should Target Abreu, Rizzo After Ji-Man Choi Trade
As has become almost expected of the Tampa Bay Rays, the club traded a fan favorite, Thursday afternoon.
The Rays dealt first baseman Ji-Man Choi to the Pittsburgh Pirates for 24-year-old, right-handed pitching prospect Jack Hartman.
A lifetime .203 hitter against lefties, Choi had become a platoon player that mostly started against right-handed pitchers. Trading Choi opens up a plethora of options at first base for the Rays, including the opportunity to add an everyday first baseman through free agency.
A year ago, the Rays reportedly inquired about the availability of Oakland Athletics' corner infielders Matt Olson and Matt Chapman, before both were traded to other clubs. The Rays also reportedly made a five-year offer to free agent Freddie Freeman worth $150 million, according to Jon Heyman.
A potential Freeman signing would have been the most expensive contract the Rays had given out in franchise history. Though they failed to sign Freeman, the Rays have shown interest in upgrading at the first base position, at the right price.
This winter, there are a handful of intriguing free agent first basemen that the Rays could pursue.
The Rays could pry Anthony Rizzo away from the New York Yankees, weakening their divisional foe and adding a veteran leader to their clubhouse.
Josh Bell put together an All-Star-caliber season in the first half of 2022, but saw a significant drop-off in production after being traded to the San Diego Padres, slashing just .192/.316/.587 with three home runs and 14 RBI over 53 games. Bell became a platoon player for the Padres in the postseason, splitting time with Wil Myers and Brandon Drury.
If Bell wants to bet on himself, in order to secure a bigger contract than what he command this winter, he could sign a one-year deal, and the Rays would have an opportunity to potentially buy-low on a premier player.
The strongest bat at the position on the open market however, in my opinion, is Jose Abreu. Abreu, 35, won American League MVP honors just two years ago, and slashed .304/.378/.825 in 2022. Abreu's power numbers were inexplicably down in 2022, hitting just 15 home runs, the lowest total in his nine-year big league career.
Even if Abreu's power begins to fade with age, he's still an extremely productive player, and was one of the best contact hitters in baseball in 2022. His defense leaves more to be desired, though. He might split time between first base and designated hitter.
Rizzo would be the strongest fielding option among the three, and has made good use of the hitter-friendly ballparks in the American League East, tying his career-high for home runs in a season in 2022 with 32 long balls.
Adding Abreu, Rizzo or Bell would be an upgrade over Choi, and each player would command a significantly cheaper price than what the club offered Freeman last year.
Other first base options on the free agent market include Yuli Gurriel, Brandon Drury, Carlos Santana and Brandon Belt.
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