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LBWMF: Yarbrough efficient in final tuneup, Rays make final roster decisions

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Yarbs attacks. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Rays)

Ryan Yarbrough was efficient in his final tuneup before the start of the regular season, as the Tampa Bay Rays put it to Atlanta on Sunday, 16-5. The Rays also made another roster cut as the clock ticks down to Opening Day, on Thursday.

Yarbrough threw 45 of 60 pitches for strikes (75% strike rate), while allowing four hits, and striking out four. Yarbrough was so efficient that he threw 10 more pitches in the bullpen after he was pulled from the game in the sixth.

It was kind of exactly how you want to go into the season. Especially because it was the same team twice, so they kind of got me a little bit last time. So I was able to kind of fix some things and basically see for the most part the same lineup as last time and make those adjustments.

— Ryan Yarbrough

The most entertaining part of Yarbrough’s outing came two outs into the third inning when the King of Weak Contact had to face former teammate Charlie Morton.

I was just cheesing. It was just one of those moments where you understand he’s like, ‘All right, let’s just get this over with’ kind of thing.

— Ryan Yarbrough

Morton fouled off a couple of two-strike pitches, before flying out to right.

At that point, you’re just trying to throw him something where he can just (hit) like a fly ball or something like he did and just get it over with because those are not like fun for either guy, I feel like.

— Ryan Yarbrough

Both Yarbrough and Kevin Cash thought his cutter was much improved, especially over his last outing when he also faced Atlanta.

He looked good, I thought the stuff kind of came together. I thought much crisper, he had a good feel for the breaking ball today. So very pleased, him getting that sixth up.

— Kevin Cash

Meanwhile, Chaz Roe worked a scoreless frame, Ryan Sherriff walked two while recording one out, and Louis Head finished the contest by getting two outs in the ninth.

In his second game since returning to Spring Training following the birth of his second son, Kevin Kiermaier doubled to right and hit a no-doubter — also to right — off Huascar Ynoa in the fourth inning.

Roster decisions

Prior to the start of the game, Tampa Bay appeared to have set the Opening Day roster, optioning pitchers Josh Fleming, Trevor Richards, and Chris Mazza to minor league camp. The Rays now have 28 players on the roster, since Ji-Man Choi and Brett Phillips have not yet been placed on the Injured List.

Manager Kevin Cash said that barring an unexpected injury, the roster has been determined.

I think so. That’s fair. You don’t ever know the roster (is set) until we take the field but yes, I think that’s fair.

— Kevin Cash

Per Neil Solondz (Rays Radio), with three games, then a day off, followed by three more games, and then another day off, the Rays went with more short relievers than bulk pitchers. Other than for injury, rosters are frozen for the first ten days but can change after that.

With the off days early on, you’re hoping that we’re not getting in a bind with the shorter relievers. Although whether it’s Sherriff, Springs Kittredge, Thompson, (McHugh), or Reed they can all go multiple innings. … We go six games, two off days, and then play 30 of 31. We’re going to need all the pitching all hands on deck and I think they recognize that and really appreciate their efforts and just how much of pros all three of them were in difficult conversations.

— Kevin Cash

While it would appear somewhat surprising that the left-handed Fleming did not make the Opening Day roster, he will likely be the number one option should a hurler go down, or if the Rays opt for a six-man rotation.

Pitchers: Chris Archer, Diego Castillo, Pete Fairbanks, Tyler Glasnow, Rich Hill, Andrew Kittredge, Collin McHugh, Cody Reed, Chaz Roe, Ryan Sherriff, Jeffrey Springs, Ryan Thompson, Michael Wacha, Ryan Yarbrough.

Catchers: Francisco Mejia, Mike Zunino

Infielders: Willy Adames, Mike Brosseau, Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Joey Wendle

Outfielders: Randy Arozarena, Kevin Kiermaier, Manuel Margot, Austin Meadows

The New What Next

Rich Hill will get the start for Tampa Bay when the Rays face the Orioles in the penultimate game of the Grapefruit League season. Collin McHugh and left-handers Sherriff and Brian Moran are also expected to pitch. The team will also hold an intrasquad game on Monday in Port Charlotte. Chris Archer, Roe, and Richards are scheduled to pitch in that game.

Rays 3/29/21 Starting Lineup

  1. Tsutsugo DH
  2. Arozarena RF
  3. Meadows LF
  4. Diaz 3B
  5. Mejia C
  6. Wendle 2B
  7. Adames SS
  8. Kiermaier CF
  9. Brosseau 1B
  10. Hill LHP

Noteworthiness

— After learning he made the Opening Day roster, southpaw Jeffrey Springs gave up three runs while recording five outs.

It was a good day other than the outing. There’s some small things to take away from that. But this is a good day overall, for sure.

— Jeffrey Springs

LBWMF: Wacha impressive vs. Atlanta, a pair of roster cuts, Anderson likely to hit the IL

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Michael Wacha threw five-plus innings of shutout ball on Thursday. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Rays)

Michael Wacha was impressive against Atlanta on Thursday, while the Tampa Bay Rays announced a pair of Spring roster cuts the last few days, whittling the Spring Training roster down to 33.

First and foremost, apologies for the last two days of radio silence, we were having domain and website difficulty which precluded us from posting anything.

Now that that’s over and out of the way…

Wacha threw 47 of 69 pitches for strikes (68% strike rate) and scattered four hits and walk across five-plus innings, hitting one batter while striking out five. The right-hander limited Atlanta’s presumed Opening Day lineup to 0-5 wRISP including a pair of punchouts. He eventually was charged with his first run of the Grapefruit League season in the sixth inning, however, it came after he left the game.

Everything was coming out really nice. I felt like me and (Zunino) got on a good little rhythm there. We were just attacking the zone, getting ahead of guys, and were able to put them away. And whenever things got a little hairy, a little trouble out there on the bases we were able to lock it down.

— Michael Wacha

Thus far, Wacha has allowed just the one aforementioned run on six hits and a pair of walks with 10 strikeouts across 12 Spring frames. He will get one last tuneup on Tuesday when the Rays face the Tigers. Following the game, Wacha said he hopes to carry this momentum into the regular season.

Whenever you’re working on some stuff, you want to see some positive results, so it’s been really nice. I’ve been real happy with working with (pitching coach Kyle Snyder) in the side sessions before getting out into the game action. I feel like we’re able to translate the stuff we’ve been working on into games, and it’s been working well.

— Michael Wacha

Meanwhile, the Rays moved two steps closer to finalizing their Opening Day roster, whittling down the Spring Training roster from 46 to 33.

On Tuesday, they reassigned pitchers Stetson Allie, Adrian De Horta, Chris Ellis, Dietrich Enns, and Joey Krehbiel as well as catcher Rene Pinto, infielder Tristan Gray and outfielder Ryan Boldt to Minor League camp. Rays manager Kevin Cash was impressed by several players, including Enns.

How can you not be excited about where Dietrich Enns is. Envision him playing a significant part. He’s holding the velocity. The stuff continues to improve with the velocity jump.

— Kevin Cash

Cash told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) Ellis has been challenged to use his secondary pitches more than he has and that Allie can be a back-end reliever if he consistently throws strikes. Cash also was impressed with Boldt and Gray and the improvement they’ve shown.

On Thursday, David Hess, Dalton Kelly, Miles Mastrobuoni, Joseph Odom, and Brett Sullivan were reassigned to Minor League camp, reducing the Spring Training roster to 33 players, which includes injured players Ji-Man Choi, Kevan Smith, Brett Phillips, and now potentially Nick Anderson, who reportedly suffered a partial ligament tear in his right elbow (more on that below). The only active non-roster player that remains in camp is right-hander Andrew Kittredge, who now could be assured a spot with the news of Anderson’s alleged injury.

According to Adam Berry (MLB.com), Tampa Bay will be without Anderson, the high-leverage reliever, at least through the All-Star break and possibly into August. Per Berry, “surgery was not initially recommended for Anderson, according to a source, but he will be shut down from throwing for eight weeks. After that, the 30-year-old right-hander will be reevaluated before potentially restarting a throwing program.”

The team has not officially confirmed Anderson’s diagnosis.

The right-hander sat out the better part of a week due to elbow soreness and inflammation before returning to the mound on Wednesday afternoon against the Twins. Yet, Anderson’s fastball velocity was noticeably diminished, sitting between 89-92 mph.

The injury will create an open spot on the active roster and 40-man roster, assuming he is placed on the 60-day injured list. In his place, Tampa Bay could rely even more on late-inning relievers, Diego Castillo and Pete Fairbanks. Right-handers Chaz Roe and Ryan Thompson, and southpaws Cody Reed and Ryan Sherriff also represent additional options for Cash and the Rays.

The New What Next

The Rays will play host to the Red Sox on Friday. David Hess will open the game for left-hander Josh Fleming. Jeffrey Springs and Cody Reed also are expected to take the mound vs. those Massholes. We will post the starting lineup upon availability.

Rays 3/26/21 Starting Lineup

TBA

Noteworthiness

— Rich Hill pitched four innings on the backfields on Wednesday, the same day right-hander Chris Archer pitched against the Twins. In fact, both hurlers have pitched on the same day their last two times out. Things that make you go hmm…

— Ji-Man Choi resumed baseball activities Wednesday and said his right knee feels “back to normal.” The first baseman/DH took swings in the batting cage and played catch, and his goal is to get back on the field as soon as possible.

I don’t know how long, but what I do know is that I’m going to try my best to be on the field as early as possible. As of right now, it’s a great sign that my knee’s feeling this way, but we’ll see how this rehab goes. … I’m just disappointed that I can’t help my team at the start of the season, but I know this is a long season ahead of us. What I can do is just be healthy from now on and just never be in this position again.

— Ji-Man Choi, through interpreter Steve Nam

The Rays will lean on Yandy Díaz and Yoshi Tsutsugo at first base in the interim, while Mike Brosseau is also capable of playing anywhere in the infield.

LBWMF: Honeywell returns to the mound, Glasnow refines his cut-slider, and the Rays make roster cuts

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Brent Honeywell’s fastball sat 93-95 mph in his first outing in 3-1/2 years on Monday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After four surgeries and 3-1/2 years, Brent Honeywell Jr. made his triumphant return to the mound on Monday. Meanwhile, Dietrich Enns was impressive in his three innings of work, as the Tampa Bay Rays fell to the Red Sox, 10-4.

Honeywell threw 10 of 15 pitches for strikes (66% strike rate) in his inning of work; his fastball velocity sat between 93-95 mph. His slider also was effective while his 93-95 mph screwball (seen above) had that Bugs Bunny look about it in that it had batters, like Christian Vasquez, baffled. And while he didn’t throw 1-2-3 inning or a scoreless frame, the right-hander said the way he pitched was encouraging.

I knew, even from the first day I went down, I was going to get here one way or the other. I’m still going to do what I got to do to be the best I can be and try to be the best pitcher in the game here soon. That’s just who I am, and that’s what I want to do.

— Brent Honeywell

While Honeywell was already optioned to Minor League camp, if Monday’s outing speaks to anything, it’s that he could pitch for Tampa Bay at some point this season. …with a little fine-tuning, of course.

It’s a big deal. And he looked fine. It’s tough to make an argument that with that type of stuff that, the more fine-tuning and the more he can get built up and stretched out, it’s easy to envision scenarios where he is a part of our mix, in the not so distant future. … With that type of stuff, the more fine-tuning and the more he can get built up and stretched out, it’s easy to envision scenarios where he is a part of our mix in the not-so-distant future. He doesn’t look like a rehab pitcher. He’s a healthy pitcher, and that’s got to be awesome for Brent.

— Kevin Cash
https://twitter.com/ChrisArcher22/status/1373956531318841347?s=20

Honeywell’s teammates were also excited for him, including Chris Archer.

There’s no way he could have done it without the mentality that he has. One of the surgeries, you can remain confident. Two, most people start to waver. And anything more than that, a lot of people would have just given up. But Brent Honeywell, his heart is a baseball. That’s all he wants to do with his life. So there was no way he was going to give up. He was going to go down swinging, and I’m glad he’s fought so hard to get where he’s at.

— Chris Archer

While he was excited to watch Honeywell pitch on Monday, right-hander Tyler Glasnow upped his pitch count to 85 and six innings in an intrasquad game on the backfields. Glasnow tweaked his slider grip over the past few days, which altered the shape of the pitch. Rather than clocking in between 85-89 mph and resembling his curveball, the cut-slider clocked in between 88-92 mph with more horizontal movement.

Today was by far the best day my slider’s been — like, by a million. So I’m super comfortable with it. It was like 88 to 92 (miles per hour) today, so it’s like perfect. And it was just easier to throw for strikes, too. Just like a little shift, pretty easy, so I’m encouraged by it.

— Tyler Glasnow

Glasnow is scheduled to make one last tuneup before Opening Day.

Cash was pleased by what he saw out of Glasnow.

He was outstanding. Had a very, very good outing. Kyle was very pleased with the fastball, the slider, and the changeup. The curveball was fine, but he mixed in all of them. The velo on the slider seemed to separate a little bit from the curveball, which was very good. I think he got his slider in that low-90 (mph) territory, which, even saying that it just shows the type of stuff that he is equipped with.

— Kevin Cash

Honeywell aside, Dietrich Enns was another bright spot for Tampa Bay. The left-hander allowed just a solo homer across three frames, striking out four, while his fastball velocity sat between 92-96 mph.

It’s easy to like him when you’ve seen the velo spike like we’ve seen from the time we brought him in last year at the ATS to now. But he’s also added some strike-throwing ability, able to mix his pitches, he threw really, really good.

— Kevin Cash

The New What Next

The Rays will head north to Sarasota on Tuesday to face the Orioles. Right-hander Collin McHugh is slated to pitch behind fellow righty Trevor Richards, who is scheduled to start. Southpaw Jeffrey Springs and Andrew Kittredge are also expected to take the mound.

Rays 3/23/21 Starting Lineup

  1. Mejia C
  2. Tsutsugo 1B
  3. Brosseau 3B
  4. Wendle SS
  5. Boldt DH
  6. Gray RF
  7. Gomez CF
  8. Sullivan LF
  9. Quiroz 2B
  10. Richards RHP

Noteworthiness

— The Rays reassigned seven players to Minor League camp on Monday: catcher Chris Betts, infielder Esteban Quiroz, outfielder Nathan Lukes, left-hander Brian Moran, and right-handers Yacksel Rios, Hunter Strickland, and Louis Head.

There now are 46 active players on the Spring Training roster, although those players could continue to appear in Grapefruit League games.

Of that group, Strickland, Moran, Rios are the most experienced arms. The conversations with them were more specialized.

I think it’s pretty cool that the stance that the organization takes year in and year out, is there’s really just not a ton of weight put on spring training results.. It’s more what can we do to help you better? Are you comprehending, understanding the messages?

I think it’s pretty cool that the stance that the organization takes, year in and year out, is that there’s really just not a ton of weight put on Spring Training results. It’s more, ‘What can we do to help you better? Are you comprehending, understanding the messages, whether it’s offensively or on the pitching side from Kyle and (bullpen coach) Stan (Boroski)?’ And Hunter did that.

— Kevin Cash

Cash told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) the message with Strickland is to get his slider in the zone more consistently, and they will continue working with him on that.

Rays 3/17/21 pre-game notes; Rays announce roster cuts, name Glasnow as Opening Day starter, and Noteworthiness

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Mike Zunino blasted a three-run homer in the second inning of Tuesday’s contest against the Orioles. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

A day after defeating the Orioles, 7-1, in Port Charlotte, Tyler Glasnow and the Tampa Bay Rays will face the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton. The Rays announced a new round of roster cuts on Tuesday, while manager Kevin Cash named Glasnow as the Opening Day starter this morning.

Tampa Bay announced the second wave of roster cuts, optioning nine players to minor league camp and reassigning one more:

Infielders Vidal Brujan, Kevin Padlo and Taylor Walls, outfielder Josh Lowe, RHP Brent Honeywell, Louis Patino, and Drew Strotman, LHP Shane McClanahan, and LHP/1B Brendan McKay. Additionally, Joe Ryan was reassigned to minor league camp. Tampa Bay now has 53 players on its big league Spring Training roster.

They’re all close. Sometimes you’re at the mercy of having what we would consider a good club that went really into the postseason. There’s not always space for everybody. That doesn’t make the conversations any easier.

— Kevin Cash

Cash told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) the team laid out plans with the pitchers, including Shane McClanahan, telling them that while they have all have limitations, such as inning limits, all of them will have the chance to contribute in 2021.

Couldn’t have done anything better. He was understanding. He understood and reiterated that. That doesn’t mean he has to be happy about it. The guy wants to be in the big leagues and none of us here are going to blame him or fault him for that. …We’re going to need them because they’re good. They’re going to help us win games and that’s the most important thing.

— Kevin Cash

Per Solondz, any player that wasn’t optioned by March 16th and then got injured would then have to start the season on the Major League IL rather than in the minors. Any of the nine players could still be recalled and placed on the Opening Day roster.

Meanwhile, on the field, Ryan Yarbrough pitched into the fourth inning. He threw 30 of 50 pitches for strikes (60% strike rate), allowing four total base runners on three singles — two on the infield — and a hit batter. Not only did he pitch through a stomach bug, but he also had to sit through a long seven-run second inning.

In so doing, Yarbrough played catch with pitching coach Kyle Snyder in front of the Rays dugout.

Normally you can go back in the tunnel or there’s some batting cage or something but here in Spring Training you’ve got to make the most of everything. Probably one of the longer innings I’ve seen in a while which is always a good thing if you’re hitters are doing that.

— Ryan Yarbrough

In the above-mentioned frame, the Rays sent 12 batters to the plate and scored all seven of their runs.

In the words of Neil…

Mike Brosseau had a two-run double, while Mike Zunino belted a three-run homer.

Brosseau did leave the game an inning early after getting hit in the back by a pitch, but Cash says he is fine.

— Neil Solondz

The New What Next

Tyler Glasnow will get the start on Wednesday against his former team. In his last outing, Glasnow threw four shutout frames, and the goal today would be to get him into the fifth inning assuming he’s efficient. On the backfields of Port Charlotte, Collin McHugh and Brent Honeywell Jr. will be among those to participate in an intrasquad game. Yandy Diaz and Willy Adames are scheduled to hit against them.

Rays 3/17/21 Starting Lineup

  1. Meadows LF
  2. Margot RF
  3. Wendle 3B
  4. Brosseau 1B
  5. Mejia C
  6. Franco SS
  7. Mastrobuoni 2B
  8. Sullivan DH
  9. Boldt CF
  10. Glasnow RHP

Noteworthiness

— Kevin Cash casually named Glasnow as the Opening Day starter on Wednesday morning, while answering a question about Stetson Allie, the non-roster hurler who Glasnow “pounded the table” for.

So, Tyler not only is going to pitch Opening Day for us, but he’s also one of our scouts.

— Kevin Cash

This will be the first Opening Day outing of Glasnow’s career.

We’re excited. I know it’s a big deal to pitchers. The way Tyler has thrown the ball the last couple seasons, he deserves the opportunity. … He’s a guy that we feel confident should be built up … to go out there and log innings. From what he did last season, the way he competed in the postseason, kind of all of the above.

— Kevin Cash

Cash declined to name the rest of his rotation, which is expected to include Ryan Yarbrough, Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, and Chris Archer, although Fox Sports Sun speculated what it could look like (above).

— The Rays announced that they plan to host a “Drive to Opening Day” event at the Trop on March 27 in lieu of a traditional Fan Fest. You can read about the event below by way of the official press release.

The Tampa Bay Rays will host Drive to Opening Day, a new drive-thru event in the Tropicana Field parking lots that replaces the team’s annual Fan Fest. Presented by Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, Drive to Opening Day will take place on Saturday, March 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

With COVID-19 still prevalent in the Tampa Bay area, the Rays have transformed the preseason event into a drive-thru concept with giveaways, experiences and photo opportunities from fans’ cars. Fan hosts, DJs and mascots Raymond and DJ Kitty will be on hand at stations throughout the event.

To participate in Drive to Opening Day, fans can claim a free ticket for a designated time slot at RaysBaseball.com/Drive, starting on Thursday, March 18 at 10 a.m. Season Members will have the opportunity to claim tickets before the general public.

Tickets reserved in advance are free. If space is still available, fans who arrive on the day of the event without a reservation can enter by making a $10 donation to the Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund.

“Fan Fest is a fan favorite at Tropicana Field,” said Vice President of Marketing and Creative Services Eric Weisberg. “The event is evolving to make sure that fans can still celebrate the excitement of the upcoming season — and the success of 2020 — in an engaging and safe way.”

For safety and convenience, fans will not need to leave their vehicle for any of the activities and can choose a specific time slot to avoid long lines of cars.

Among the activities and experiences at the event, fans will have the opportunity to take pictures with the American League Championship trophy, wave to Tampa Bay Rowdies mascots Pete and Pinnie and see the Rowdies Eastern Conference Championship trophy while inside their vehicles. The Rowdies station will also feature a limited-edition giveaway. In addition, WDAE’s Zac Blobner and Nick Wize will broadcast live from 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

A snack station will have light ballpark fare for fans as they drive. Additional activity stations include presence from Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, FOX Sports Sun, Visit St. Pete Clearwater, Outback Steakhouse and Hooters.

The Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund will sell mystery game-used baseballs and mystery autographed baseballs, with all proceeds benefiting the foundation. Mystery game-used baseballs are $20, while mystery autographed baseballs are $40. Fans can also visit RaysBaseball.com/Auctions from March 26-28 to purchase team-issued shirts, caps, helmets and jerseys, also benefiting the Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund. Items purchased online will be shipped. The Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization and the official charity of the Rays and Rowdies, is dedicated to improving the lives of those in need within our community, focusing primarily on education, youth development, wellness and social responsibility. For more information about the Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund, visit RaysBaseball.com/Community.

Fans will also have the opportunity to donate to 10 Tampa Bay and Feeding Tampa Bay’s Cereal for Summer Drive, which works to fight hunger during the summer school break and benefits families in the Tampa Bay community. Suggested donations include cereal, breakfast bars, granola and oatmeal. Each household that donates will receive a surprise Rays promotional item.

At the conclusion of the drive-thru event, fans may park and exit their vehicles in a designated section of the parking lot to speak to Rays Ticket Sales Representatives or shop in the Rays Republic Team Store.

The Rays are committed to keeping fans and staff safe during the Drive to Opening Day event. Face masks are required while vehicle windows are down and any time outside a vehicle.

— Tampa Bay Rays

Rays open camp by completing two trades and announcing a pair of acquisitions, as well as a new season ticketing model

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Well, that’s a pretty idyllic sight. (Photo Credit: Rays Radio)

‘Twas the first day of camp and, well…a boat-load of stuff went down. The Tampa Bay Rays formally announced the acquisitions of Rich Hill and Oliver Drake, worked out a pair of trades with Boston and Miami, and announced the new flexible season ticket model.

We discussed the acquisitions of Hill and Collin McHugh last week; McHugh’s deal is still a few days away from being finalized. In a Zoom call with the media, Rays GM Erik Neander said they brought Hill in to provide length (in addition to leadership) and will look at him as a starter … although he’s willing to pitch behind an opener as well.

The left-hander boasts a 3.06 ERA over 13 career postseason appearances (12 starts) and helped lead the 2017 and 2018 Los Angeles Dodgers to the World Series.

Drake, 34, will earn $775,0000 plus a roster bonus of $325,000 if he hangs onto a spot for fifty days. He returns to Tampa Bay after an injury-plagued 2020 season. The right-handed LOOGY was limited to 11 appearances due to right bicep tendinitis and went 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA and two saves. He was tagged for eight runs (seven earned) with just seven punchouts. The tendinitis clearly impacted Drake, as his fastball velocity dropped more than two miles per hour in his limited amount of time on the mound.

Even so, Drake is 5-4 with a 3.63 ERA across parts of the last two seasons, and he limited lefties to a .156 average (19-for-122) with just two home runs. As Steve Adams (MLB Trade Rumors) noted, Drake induced ground balls at a 52.3% clip in 2019 and ranked in the 83rd percentile or better in whiff percentage, strikeout percentage, expected ERA, expected batting average against, expected slugging percentage against, and expected wOBA.

Per Neil Solondz (Rays Radio), “Drake is expected to be healthy near the midpoint of the 2021 season, so Tampa Bay could place him on the 60-day IL if they need to. In addition, Tampa Bay also could move Yonny Chirinos to the 60-day IL as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Within the week at least one spot is expected to be needed when the signing of RHP Collin McHugh is formally announced.”

The Rays and Red Sox also completed a four-player trade in which they received a pair of pitchers, Chris Mazza and Jeffrey Springs in exchange for minor league catcher Ronaldo Hernandez and Nick Sogard, the Rays’ 12th-round pick in 2019.

Mazza, 31, has spent time in the Majors with the Mets and Red Sox over the past two seasons but hasn’t matched his strong Triple-A results. He posted a 5.05 ERA and 4.96 SIERA with a subpar 2:1 K/BB, as well as a less than stellar 35.4% ground ball rate. Still, he carries a 3.72 ERA in 92 Triple-A innings and a 3.24 ERA across 283-2/3 Double-A frames.

Overall, Mazza has a career 3.21 ERA as a farm-hand and is above average at inducing weak contact — he ranked in the 83rd percentile in limiting hard contact last season.

Neander said that Mazza can provide length with his sinker/cutter/slider combination.

It’s crossfire lower slot delivery, a lot of east and west from the right side, and just a different look. But one that we think combined with how we might be able to match him up … Just think we might be able to find a higher gear.

— Erik Neander

While Springs yielded too many home runs last year, he led big leagues with a 39.8% whiff rate on his sinker and ranked second with a 52.8% whiff rate on his changeup.

The Rays believe they can coax more out of both players by tinkering with their pitch mixes and/or altering their approach with the existing arsenals of Mazza and Springs.

They’re talents that to start we have more optimism than their 2021 ERAs would suggest. Players that we think are going to be additive to our group and help us win.

— Erik Neander

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay sent right-hander John Curtiss to Miami in exchange for minor league first baseman Evan Edwards.

The 23-year-old Edwards was a fourth-round draft pick out of North Carolina State in 2019. He only has a half-season of professional experience due to a lack of minor league games, yet he made the best that time slashing .281 BA/.357 OBP/.442 SLG/.799 OPS with 49 RBI, nine home runs, 15 doubles, and a triple in 308 plate appearances.

Neander said they are excited about Edwards’ skill-set and how he fits into the group, as he gives an organization flush with talented players up the middle a solid corner prospect.

Finally, the Rays announced their new, Season Membership model in anticipation of fans returning to the Trop for the 2021 regular season. The Season Membership model will allow fans to choose from six membership levels, each with their own associated discount and seating location. According to the website, “you can redeem your membership credit for as many games as you want to attend, one at a time or all at once, when you are ready. Use the credit on your account to buy any combination of tickets, up to six per game.”

The initial announcement did not include all the details, however, the membership price levels start at $500 and run up to $20,000. They are tied to a seating area and other benefits, such as discounts on parking and access to presales.

Per the press release:

“We look forward to welcoming fans back inside Tropicana Field this year,” said Rays Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service Jeff Tanzer. “A Season Membership provides a great way to join the Rays family while receiving tremendous flexibility and value, along with priority access to tickets and incredible benefits throughout the year.”

The new program has been created in part to ensure socially-distant seating, as traditional fixed season ticket locations will not be available for 2021. Season Memberships offer flexible alternatives and priority access to tickets when fans can return to the stands. Current Season Ticket Holders will receive an email in the coming weeks with instructions on how to select their new Season Membership package for the 2021 season.

The Rays continue to work with Major League Baseball and local public health authorities to determine when and how to safely welcome fans back to Tropicana Field. A health and safety protocol which includes a reduced capacity, socially-distanced seating and mandatory face masks except while actively eating or drinking in your seat, will be announced prior to the start of the season. In the event that games are canceled or postponed due to COVID-19, Season Members with tickets to affected games will receive credit to their account for future ticket purchases or as a refund to the original method of payment.

— Tampa Bay Rays

More information can be found by visiting RaysBaseball.com/SeasonMembership, by calling 888-FAN-RAYS, or by emailing tickets@raysbaseball.com.