Blue Jays AL East Recap: Deadline Details

Rays flip for the future:

Tampa Bay Rays: 42-62

It had originally appeared that the Rays would spend the deadline in full rebuild mode, which didn’t quite make sense given their organizational strengths. Instead, the Rays ended up making minimal deals keeping the bulk of their team intact, a savvy move for their future.

Despite flipping one of their star pitchers, Matt Moore, to the Giants, they landed two prospects and the 25-year-old Matt Duffy from the Giants. Duffy will add to their offensive and defensive versatility, and they didn’t sacrifice young aces like Chris Archer or Jake Odorizzi from their 2017 picture. Steve Pearce and Brandon Guyer also netted the Rays three prospects as well.

The Rays made the most of their trade deadline. They did not go all in as sellers, nor did they need to. Instead they dealt away ancillary pieces and augmented the core of their team, which they kept in tact. With some maneuvering during the off season, the Rays could position themselves to have a much better season than they have had this year.

Next: Looking hard at, and making sense of, the Liriano deal

Final Takeaway:

They Rays wisely opted not to go into full rebuild mode, moving pieces to augment both their existing team and their farm system. With rosters expanding soon, the Rays could very well start auditioning some of their exciting young talent for what appears to be a competitive year for them.