Pitching Could Highlight Rays Offer to Giants for Luis Arraez
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The Tampa Bay Rays are expected to aggressively pursue upgrades ahead of the MLB trade deadline, which is set for Aug. 3.
Their priorities could certainly be changing given injuries that have occurred. With Shane McClanahan and Cole Sulser both going to the injured list, a pitching staff that already needed reinforcements now needs even more help.
However, the No. 1 priority for this team is still adding another bat to the lineup. Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez, Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour have contributed to one of the strongest rotations in baseball, and the bullpen could get help soon with Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodriguez working their way back from injury.
No such in-house help is on the way for the lineup, but some targets could be available that would help. One of them is Luis Arraez of the San Francisco Giants.
Rays could build trade package around pitching prospects
What could it cost the Rays to acquire the All-Star? Some pitching prospects who will soon be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft and need to be placed on the 40-man roster could do the trick.
“There’s a lot of upper-level depth in the Minors, with a number of prospects nearing eligibility for the Rule 5 Draft. That includes right-handers Brody Hopkins (the organization’s No. 5 prospect) and Michael Forret (No. 7), among others. Maybe Tampa Bay packages a few together for Arraez, who will be a free agent at year’s end,” wrote Jared Greenspan of MLB.com.
Controllable pitching is certainly something that could intrigue the Giants. Normally, Tampa Bay is the one seeking out controllable assets when making trades, but given how wide open the American League is, moving some players to bring in a clear upgrade such as Arraez makes a ton of sense.
The Rays have a need at second base, which just so happens to be the position he plays and is now excelling at, defensively. A team that puts as much of an emphasis on defense as Tampa Bay loves the career season he is putting together with the glove, producing a +10 outs above average.
Luis Arraez is the quintessential Rays player
Arraez is also the perfect fit for how the team approaches at-bats. The Rays have the lowest strikeout rate in the Big Leagues. An already annoyingly difficult lineup to navigate for opposing pitchers would become even more difficult with Arraez in it.
He currently has the lowest strikeout rate (4.4%) and whiff rate (7.9%) in baseball. Adding him to the top of the lineup as another table setter for Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Diaz would give opposing pitchers fits.
And given how well-stocked their farm system is, parting ways with a few top 200 prospects wouldn’t put much of a dent in their warchest of assets.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.