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Rays, Cards swap four players; Chaz Roe arbitration news

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On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays traded a pair of prospects to the St. Louis Cardinals for José Martínez and Randy Arozarena.

The Tampa Bay and St. Louis completed a four-player trade on Thursday, with the Rays acquiring first baseman/outfielder/designated hitter José Martínez, outfielder Randy Arozarena, and the Cardinals’ Competitive Balance Round A draft pick in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore, lower level catching prospect Edgardo Rodriguez, and the Rays’ pick in Competitive Balance Round B draft pick. The Rays had been searching for outfield depth, not to mention right-handed hitting, and they filled those needs with Martínez and Arozarena.

Tampa Bay had been interested in Martínez, 31, for quite a while now. Granted he does come with longstanding defensive concerns — he recorded -9 Outs Above Average (OAA) in rightfield last season according to StatCast — yet he has the makings of an ideal DH candidate. The right-handed hitting Martínez will join the southpaw hitting Nate Lowe, Ji-Man Choi, and the recently-signed Yoshitomo Tsutsugo in the first base/DH mix.

Martínez boasts a career .298 OPS/.363 OBP/.458 SLG/.821 OPS slash line with a 122 wRC+. He, however, is coming off a career-worst .269 BA/.340 OBP/.410 SLG/.750 OPS campaign with a 101 wRC+ across 373 plate appearances — just 1% better than the league average. Yet, Steamer projects a bounceback season for the right-handed hitter in 2020, closer to his career line, with the projection system expecting a .280 BA/.346 OBP/.440 SLG/.786 OPS over 243 plate appearances, and a modest 108 wRC+.

It fails to be seen how the Rays will adjust the lineup to include Martínez, although his primary role seems fairly cut and dry: he will likely be called upon to face left-handed pitching. He has slashed a beastly .331 BA/.405 OBP/.570 SLG/1.175 OPS line with 15 homers over 298 career plate appearances against southpaws.

Another reason the Rays targeted Martínez: he is known to hit the ball on the screws, owning an impressive career-average exit velocity of 90.0 mph.

With fielding no longer a concern, the Rays are hoping that Martinez can concentrate fully on being a productive force at the plate.

Arozarena looks to take over the platoon role vacated by Guillermo Heredia. He enters having collected some strong hitting numbers in Cuba, the minor leagues, and in his brief 19-game/23-plate appearance cameo with St. Louis last season (and three more plate appearances in the National League Division Series).

A 2016 international signing, Arozarena has accrued an impressive .292 BA/.377 OBP/.477 SLG/.855 OPS line across 1302 minor league plate appearances, with 38 home runs.

Dominik Vega (DRaysBay) took a look at Arozarena following news of the trade, writing:

Arozarena’s MLB exit velocity in 2019 averaged 90.7 mph, but with only 16 batted balls, that number should not be taken at face value. Instead, his 15 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019 should do the talking. While not known as a prospect with power, Arozarena has shown the ability to hit line drives and stretch them into extra-base-hits while in the minors.

When he does hit the ball in the air, Arozarena has shown some sneaky raw power to his pull side, and he hit all 12 of his home runs to left field in 2018.

MLB Pipeline

Since 2017, Arozarena has a career OPS of 1.004 against lefties in the minors, spanning over 300 PAs. The Cardinals’ outfield is full of young players and finding Arozarena time was going to be difficult for them in 2020, making him expendable.

A strong spring put Arozarena in mind with the big league staff, and the team has long viewed him as a fourth or fifth outfielder in the majors. Now they’re seeing even more.

Derrick Goold, BaseballAmerica

Even with concerns about Arozarena’s aggressiveness at the plate and on the base paths, he has the ability to make swift adjustments in the box which clearly has shown to bear fruit at every level. His plate approach, paired with an elite 29.4 feet per second speed, makes him an apt centerfield option on days when Kevin Kiermaier needs some time off his feet.

Noteworthiness

— With the arbitration deadline looming at 1:00 PM Friday afternoon, Jeff Passan (ESPN) announced a $2,185,200 agreement between RHP Chaz Roe and the team. That is in line with MLB Trade Rumors projected salary of $2.2-Million. 2020 marks the penultimate arbitration-eligible season for Roe.

The Rays have until the deadline to terms with four other players (projected salaries are in parentheses):

Oliver Drake ($1.1-Million)

Tyler Glasnow ($1.9-Million)

Hunter Renfroe ($3.4-Million)

Daniel Robertson ($1.1-Million)

Rays non-tender Guillermo Heredia

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The Tampa Bay Rays chose not to tender the contract of Guillermo Heredia Monday afternoon with just one hour left until the deadline.

The Tampa Bay Rays have non-tendered outfielder Guillermo Heredia, meaning he is now a free agent and will take his services onto the market. The team chose to tender the contracts of the five other arbitration-eligible players: Oliver Drake, Tyler Glasnow, Tommy Pham, Daniel Robertson, and Chaz Roe.

Heredia, who was projected to earn $1.1-Million by MLB Trade Rumors, came over in the deal that also brought over Mike Zunino to Tampa Bay prior to the 2019 season. In 231 plate appearances, as the fourth outfielder, Heredia slashed just a .225 BA/.306 OBP/.363 SLG/.666 OPS line with a wRC+ of 82 — in line with his career body of work. However, his splits against southpaws were much better, with Heredia slashing .281 BA/.339 OBP/.456 SLG/.795 OPS with a 114 wRC+ across 124 plate appearances.

As Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) noted, the Rays have not ruled out a reunion with Heredia in 2020, however, there is a greater likelihood that they will seek an upgrade as the hot-stove period progresses.

Meanwhile, MLB Trade Rumors estimated the salaries of the five above-mentioned arbitration-eligible players, and came up with the following approximations:

  • Oliver Drake — $1.1-Million
  • Tyler Glasnow — $1.9-Million
  • Tommy Pham — $8.6-Million
  • Daniel Robertson — $1.1-Million
  • Chaz Roe — $2.2-Million

Per Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) the five tendered players will make roughly $15-Million in 2020:

The five players tendered will earn in the neighborhood of $14.9 million in 2020. Add in the approximately $32.5 million that five players under contract are to receive (Kevin Kiermaier, Brandon Lowe, Charlie Morton, Blake Snell and Mike Zunino and that’s that’s about $47.4 million for 10 players. Several others would make near the minimum in 2020 (ie — Willy Adames, Austin Meadows, Diego Castillo etc) but there are still several areas to improve upon in order to upgrade next year’s version of the Rays from a 96-win total and a year that ended in the ALDS.

— Neil Solondz

Noteworthiness

— Could a reunion with former Ray Steven Souza Jr. be in the cards?

The not very affable Kevin Pillar, as well as Souza Jr. and CJ Cron, are among the right-handed-hitting players that were non-tendered on Monday.

Rays designate Matt Duffy; trade Jose De Leon

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On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Rays designated 3B Matt Duffy for assignment in order to clear space on the 40-man roster.

On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Rays designated third baseman Matt Duffy for assignment and traded right-hander Jose De Leon to Cincinnati in order to clear space on the 40-man roster. Tampa Bay will receive cash or a player to be named later from the Reds in exchange for De Leon. Additionally, the Rays selected the contracts of infielders Vidal Brujan, Jake Cronenworth, Kevin Padlo and Lucius Fox as well as catcher Ronaldo Hernandez.

Matt Duffy was acquired in the 2016 trade that sent Matt Moore to the San Francisco. And while he was expected to be a central point of the Rays infield, a series of injuries — Achilles, foot, hamstring, and back — sidelined Duffy for much of his tenure with Tampa Bay. He played just 199 games and totaled 809 plate appearances across three-and-one-half seasons.

Duffy appeared in 46 games after opening the 2019 season on the injured list, slashing .252 BA/.343 OBP/.327 SLG/.670 OPS/.299 wOBA with one home run, 12 RBI, and an 88 wRC+. Overall, he hit .284 with six home runs, 63 RBI, and a .708 OPS for Tampa Bay.

The Rays — who made a similar move last off-season with C.J. Cron — have seven days to trade, release, or pass Duffy through waivers. Yandy Diaz is now in line to be the primary third baseman.

De Leon missed all of the 2018 season, and the first half of 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He appeared in just four games for Tampa Bay. The right-hander was acquired in a 2017 trade with the Dodgers. De Leon never really met the high expectations set before him, spending most of 2017 with Triple-A Durham before injuring his elbow in Spring Training.

Steve Adams (MLB Trade Rumors) wrote about the five players added to the 40-man roster ahead of the 2019 Rule-5 Draft:

Brujan is the most highly regarded prospect of those protected today, ranking as a consensus top 100 prospect, and posting a combined .277/.346/.389 batting line between Class-A Advanced and Double-A as a 21-year-old. Each of Hernandez (No. 7), Cronenworth (No. 17) and Fox (No. 19) ranked inside the Rays’ top 30 at MLB.com. Fox, notably, came to the Rays in the same 2016 trade as Duffy. The 23-year-old Padlo was acquired along with Corey Dickerson in the trade that sent German Marquez to the Rockies, and he posted a robust .265/.389/.538 line between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019.

Rays promote UTL Kean Wong; Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow rehab notes

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Utilityman Kean Wong was promoted to the big leagues on Thursday. (Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports)

On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays promoted utilityman Kean Wong, who made his big league debut a few hours later. To make room for Wong on the 40-man roster, the Rays moved southpaw Jose Alvarado to the 60-day Injured List.

Wong was selected as a second baseman in the fourth-round of the 2013 draft. He began to see some time at third before he expanded his defensive repertoire to include shortstop and all three outfield positions.

Because of his versatility, Wong will fit right into a Rays lineup that values multi-positional flexibility. Wong, like Brandon Lowe, is also a southpaw hitter, giving the team a more balance among the middle infield options.  Wong joins Eric Sogard and Joey Wendle who bat from the left side, and Matt Duffy, Daniel Robertson, and Willy Adames who are all right-handed hitters.

Prior to his promotion, Wong found himself in the midst of a breakout season, slashing .307 BA/.375 OBP/.464 SLG/.839 OPS with 10 homers, 71 runs, and 63 runs batted in over 506 plate appearances for Triple-A Durham. The surge in power is noteworthy, as Wong’s previous high in SLG was .406.

Wong’s breakout yields some proof that he will be able to hit big-league pitching. Considering his gaudy 2019 numbers, the utilityman boasts a modest .287 BA/.342 OBP/.383 SLG/.725 OPS slash line across 3052 Minor League plate appearances.

Noteworthiness

— Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell will pitch for Triple-A Durham on Saturday. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow threw a bullpen session on Thursday, and Kevin Cash is debating whether he will make another rehab appearance or rejoin the team. Cash said they want to do right by him and the team.

Rays 7/18/19 doubleheader notes; injury updates

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  • The face of a man who watched Colin Poche give up not one, but two late homers (and consequently the lead) last night in the Bronx (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Rays look to bounce back in a doubleheader today after a washout in the Bronx Wednesday night. On Tuesday, the Rays saw their three-game win streak end, not to mention their three-game streak against New York. Tampa Bay is 5-10 against the Yankees this season, and enter play six games behind the Yankees, and a half-game in front of Cleveland and Oakland for the top Wildcard spot.

The Rays have had a difficult time limiting homers the last two nights. Left-hander Colin Poche gave up not one, but two homers in the eighth inning, including a grand slam. The Yankees have scored all 12 of their runs via the longball — hitting seven thus far.

The New What Next

Yonny Chirinos (8-4, 3.11 ERA) will get the ball for the Rays, pitching opposite of Domingo German (11-2, 3.40 ERA). In the second game, Charlie Morton (11-2, 2.35 ERA) will take the mound against a pitcher to be named before game time — Chad Green could open if he’s not used in game one.

Yonny Chirinos allowed just two runs on four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts across seven innings. The Orioles scored two-out runs in the third and fourth innings, their only tallies against the Rays starter. The 25-year-old turned in his best outing since June 7, although he has pitched well over the last month-plus. Overall, Chirinos is 8-4 with a 3.11 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 89 punch outs across 107 innings this season.

Domingo German tossed six scoreless frames against the Blue Jays on Friday, fanning seven and walking none while allowing just three hits. He coaxed 13 whiffs on his curveball in the outing. German’s breaking ball may not have a reputation yet, but it is one of baseballs best curves. He hit a bit of a rough patch in four starts from the middle of May to the beginning of June (7.32 ERA, 1.53 WHIP), but has pitched well otherwise this season. German is 2-0 with a 6.75 ERA in four career outings (three starts) against the Rays. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (2-7, 2B, BB), Ji-Man Choi (1-2, HR, RBI, BB), Avisail Garcia (1-2), Brandon Lowe (1-3), Austin Meadows (2-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI)

Charlie Morton gave up two runs on six hits over six innings on Saturday. He struck out six and walked one. Morton got into a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning, consequently allowing a two-run single, yet he kept the Orioles in check otherwise. The 35-year-old has allowed up 10 runs (eight earned) total and has a 6.83 K/BB in his last five starts (31-1/3 innings).

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Yankees — a series preview, part five

Rays 7/18/19 Starting Lineup Game One

    null
  1. Meadows LF
  2. Diaz 3B
  3. Lowe DH
  4. Kiermaier CF
  5. Garcia RF
  6. Choi 1B
  7. d’Arnaud C
  8. Wendle 2B
  9. Adames SS

Rays 7/18/19 Starting Lineup Game Two

  1. Meadows RF
  2. Pham LF
  3. Lowe 1B
  4. Diaz DH
  5. Kiermaier CF
  6. Adames SS
  7. Wendle 2B
  8. Brosseau 3B
  9. Zunino C

Noteworthiness

— The Rays have yet to score more than three runs against a conventional New York starter while Chirinos has been on the mound.

— Due to the fact the doubleheader was set up with less than 48 hours notice, a 26th man is only available for game two. Austin Pruitt would have been a candidate, however, he was placed on the injured list for Durham yesterday.

— Matt Duffy went 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and two runs batted in for the Durham Bulls on Wednesday. The third baseman is close to rejoining the team after missing the entire season so far with hamstring and back injuries.

Talked to him today, and he’s in a really good spot. He’s champing at the bit. … He wants to be playing tonight for us, which is a good thing. It’s nice to see him get to that spot, and now we know that he’s getting closer. I expressed to him to get a couple more games in, and we’ll see how it plays out, but look for him, if everything keeps going (well), to join us shortly.

— Kevin Cash

— Brandon Lowe (right shin contusion) ran at Tropicana Field on Tuesday and reportedly didn’t feel “anything really that bad,” according to the Rays manager. Lowe has been sidelined since July 3 after fouling consecutive pitches off the shin.

The infielder is projected to return to the lineup this weekend in St. Pete.

He’s doing OK; he’s going to hit and get on the field. We just have to get him baseball activity now. It’s been a while.

— Kevin Cash