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Despite a modest payroll and an even smaller market, the Tampa Bays Rays always exceed expectations every year. This season is no different. Tampa Bay owns own the best record in baseball, ranking second in Major League Baseball in runs scored per game, and tied for first in runs allowed.
Not only have the Rays been unstoppable on the field, but they also have the #6 farm system in all of baseball — with five players in the MLB top 100 prospect rankings. This puts the club in an ideal position to improve before the trade deadline.
Among the Rays’ most significant needs is starting pitching. Jeffrey Springs is out for the remainder of the season and Drew Rasmussen is slated to stay on the injured list until August. The bullpen could also use reinforcements. The Rays traditionally have one of the best relief corps in the majors, but this year they rank 15th in bullpen ERA and have converted just 22 of 37 possible save opportunities.
With these needs, here are some players the Rays will be looking to use as trade bait ahead of the 2023 MLB trade deadline.
Isaac Paredes
Isaac Paredes has been one of the Rays’ best hitters in 2023. He has also been the luckiest. Paredes is hitting .254 while his expected batting average is .210 — putting him in the bottom five percent of the league. He also has 11 home runs despite also ranking in the bottom five percent in hard-hit percentage. The time to sell high is now — the Rays must trade Paredes.
Jonathan Aranda
In 155 games at Triple-A Durham since the start of 2022, Jonathan Aranda is batting .316 with 25 home runs and 124 RBI. A 32-game, late-season cameo with the Rays late last season was less successful (.192 batting average and .596 OPS) but Aranda is a hitter through and through.
He joined the Rays as an 18-year-old rookie from Mexico in 2016 and has produced at every level. Despite Aranda’s flexibility to play first, second, and third base, there is no real pathway for Aranda to become a contributor for the Rays. But the 25-year-old is ready to produce at the Major League level.
Curtis Mead
Another talented infielder at the Triple-A level, Curtis Mead would have broken through at the Major League level for most teams already, but not the Rays. Mead batted .298 with 13 homers and 50 RBI in just 76 minor league games in AA and AAA last year and is the number two prospect in the Rays organization and is currently ranked 25th overall among all minor leaguers.
Mason Auer
A former 39th-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2019, Mason Auer is pure speed. The young outfielder stole 48 bases while batting .290 in 115 games at Single-A last year. In Double-A, Auer is not getting on base at the same clip (batting just .167), but he still has 24 stolen bases. That’s a steal nearly half the time he reaches first. Auer will make a great leadoff man for a Major League club someday.
Carson Williams
The #55 prospect in baseball, Williams had scouts salivating with his performances at Low-Single A Charleston last season. Williams hit 19 homers and had 28 stolen bases to go with 10 triples. The shortstop needs to improve on his 168 strikeouts in 110 games, but he has all the tools to be a star shortstop down the road. Plus, as long as Wander Franco is on the Rays (and that figures to be a while) there is no real path for Carson Williams to be the Rays’ shortstop.
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Courtesy : https://clutchpoints.com/rays-trade-deadline-2023