The Tampa Bay Rays have parted ways with catcher Bobby Wilson, clearing roster space to add prospects before the Rule 5 Draft in December.
After playing 28 games for the Rays in 2016 (75 games overall) — while slashing .237 BA/.270 OBP/.355 SLG/.625 OPS with seven homer and 33 RBI, good for 64 wRC+ — Wilson cleared outright waivers and elected free agency with the hope of signing a Major League deal with another team ahead of Spring Training. He hoped to stay with his hometown ball club:
“I’m a little disappointed in the way it worked out,” he told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) adding that “the door’s not closed” for a potential return if something doesn’t work out elsewhere.
Being born and raised in the area and coming off the year I had I felt like it was the perfect fit for the Rays to show the community that a kid could grow up and play for his hometown team, but it wasn’t in the cards again this year, Wilson said.
With Tampa Bay he hit .230 with four homers and nine RBI.
Wilson’s departure leaves the Rays with 36 players on the 40-man roster, which also includes three catchers — Curt Casali, Luke Maile, and Justin O’Conner. They have until Friday to add any Rule 5 eligible players to the roster in order to be protected from the upcoming draft in December.
Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom noted the pressing nature of the move, while also complimenting Wilson for his leadership in the clubhouse and on the field:
This week is obviously a big week for setting the 40-man roster and with that looming that certainly accelerated the timetable on some things. We think the world of who Bobby us and the leadership he provides, and that was a tough decision. The catchers we did retain have roster flexibility that is more useful to us right now. That’s a position we will continue to look to improve as we go through the off-season.
Prior to the offseason, Rays President of Baseball Operations Matt Silverman viewed the team’s current catching dilemma as “a sore point.”
#Rays Silverman: Catching has been “a sore point.” Other teams are looking too
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) October 4, 2016
Because of it, it will be particularly interesting to see if the Rays front office target a frontline catcher like Derek Norris, who has been connected with the team by DRaysBay.
#BaseballForever needs your pledge of support for the Tampa Bay Rays (in addendum)
Yesterday I wrote that if you love baseball and want to see it played here in perpetuity, then show your love, enthusiasm, and support for the Rays by pledging your support to encourage the ball club to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg.
I also encouraged you to click a link on the previous post to pledge your support for the team. A debt of gratitude is due to those of you who already have submitted your pledge. For those who haven’t, we have made it easier for you to put in your commitment.
On the right-hand side of the page you will see a yellow tab that reads “Sign the Pledge.” By clicking that tab, you will be redirected to the Baseball Forever/Tampa Bay Rays pledge of support. It will remain active as long as Baseball Forever’s pledge drive campaign stays open.
Again, our hope is to collect pledges of support from thousands of fans and businesses over the next 60-90 days. Those pledges will then be submitted to the Rays with the finalized stadium plan.
If you know of anyone who also may be interested, feel free to forward this blog post to them, or respond to X-Rays Spex directly at belowaverageraysfansite@gmail.com with a contact of who I can reach out to. You and I can make a difference, and it all starts here and now!