Erik Neander Offers Assessment of MLB Trade Deadline for Rays
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Following the MLB trade deadline, Tampa Bay Rays officials seem to be pleased with their work and the acquisitions they made.
The moves that they made include acquiring starting pitcher Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets, adding catcher Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins and adding veteran reliever Tyler Wells from the Baltimore Orioles.
Rays’ Baseball Operations President Erik Neander recapped the days leading up to the deadline and what the experience was like for him.
“It has been a sleepless week-plus, just trying to understand this was a really difficult market because you had a lot of teams looking to get better,” Neander said Monday night on a Zoom call. “There was not that much out there. I think some of the prices themselves were an indication of that.”
Rays made most of difficult deadline market to navigate
While there was not much out there, Tampa Bay made these moves without giving up any of its top-tier prospects, only one of which was ranked in its top 15 according to MLB Pipeline rankings.
“To have those things kind of come together at costs that were uncomfortable but we felt were appropriate given where this team is in the standings, we’re really pleased to have that,” Neander said.
The addition of Peralta was a big one for the Rays to help the rotation. Shane McClanahan recently went on the injured list and will miss some time, and Tampa Bay has been using an opener in the No. 5 spot in the rotation. So acquiring Peralta, whom Neander had high praise for, was essential for the Rays at the deadline.
“Freddy is a proven major league starter with high-stakes experience and a strong track record,” Neander said. “Adding a pitcher and competitor of his caliber strengthens our team as we push forward.”
President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander discusses his thoughts on the trade deadline with @raysradio’s Chris Adams-Wall.
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Neander is also excited about the acquisition of Hicks, who is a left-handed hitting catcher and potential cleanup hitter, saying he “really fits within kind of the DNA of this club that can get on base and hit.”
Wells posted a solid 2.67 ERA with 53 strikeouts and 14 walks with a 0.963 WHIP out of the Orioles’ bullpen this season before Tampa Bay picked him up.
“[Wells] has done it in this division, has had success and does it a little bit differently than the group we have,” Neander said. “That was another part of the appeal to someone like that. It just helps the whole group play out, and I think that was, you know, just something we circled.”
Speaking of the deadline overall, in a reflection of the work that was done, Neander is satisfied with the job that the staff did.
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“All in all, feel like we recognized where our team was in the standings, the things we talked about. Our staff did a tremendous job. ... [We were] not sure we would accomplish as much as we did. I think there were times where we thought there was a real chance that we might just roll with what we have, and we were going to be OK with that, Neander said.”
The Rays’ President is aware that his team has been one of baseball’s top teams this year and has performed to a high level. He spoke about the importance of making those additions to help the Rays stay on top of the American League.
“This group itself does have the best record in the American League as is, but to be able to add to them I think the way we did, yeah, really, really satisfied with it,” Neander said. “And when you make these kind of moves, now’s the time to enjoy them.”
While there may have been several sleepless nights for Neander and the front office, it’s safe to say it was worth it considering the acquisitions Tampa Bay landed, including Peralta, Hicks and Wells. These new additions will look to help the Rays remain atop the AL East in the final two months of the regular season.
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