Rays Should Have a Clear Gameplan Heading Toward MLB Trade Deadline

The Tampa Bay Rays should have a clear gameplan as the MLB trade deadline gets closer.

Oct 7, 2021; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays general manager Erik Neander before game one of the 2021 ALDS at Tropicana Field. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays are heading into the summer months playing well, but there is still a long season to go and work to do. 

Coming off a bit of a bad stretch for a couple of weeks, the Rays were able to bounce back a bit last week with a sweep of the Boston Red Sox. This was certainly needed, and with a big series to start the week against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay will be hoping to compete with the defending champions and prove they are a real contender. 

While the Rays have played very well this year and for a good chunk of the campaign have been in the lead in the American League, there are still some concerns about whether or not they are for real. With the trade deadline quickly approaching, it will present Tampa Bay with an opportunity to get better. 

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN recently wrote about the biggest need for the Rays at the trade deadline being to be a buyer at the deadline. 

Rays Have Multiple Needs 

Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

As the summer months approach and Tampa Bay continues to be a contender, they have to think about how to push their chips in and try to improve this roster. While the hot start for the team has been great and the AL appears to be fairly weak right now, there is still a lot of season to be played, and the Rays have some areas of weakness. 

In the starting rotation, while the top three of Shane McClanahan, Nick Martinez, and Drew Rasmussen have been good, the backend of the unit has become a major concern. Steven Matz has recently been moved to the bullpen due to his struggles, and the team is trying to piece things together for the other two spots now. 

Adding a veteran arm to this unit makes a lot of sense, and the team could use an innings eater. Furthermore, while the rotation has become a need, so too is adding another bat to the lineup. This is a group that wasn’t expected to be a strength for the team, but has overachieved a bit. However, if they want to be a true contender, another impact bat would be beneficial. 

Overall, if the Rays keep playing well and are a playoff contender this year, they certainly should be aggressive. This is a team that could cause some problems for opponents with their starting pitching in a series, but they will likely need some help along the way.