Here’s the latest on the Rays from Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (multiple story links)…
- A source on one of the teams interested in right-hander Chris Archer tells Topkin that the Rays are asking for five or six players in return. Obviously that specific ask could be related to that specific team, but with a price tag generally thought to be quite high, Topkin is doubtful Archer will be dealt.
- Tampa is getting a lot of attention about its rotation in general, including the Pirates showing interest in Jake Odorizzi. Pittsburgh initially had interest in Odorizzi at the July trade deadline, and it would be fascinating to see what kind of deal (if any) the Rays and Bucs could work out, as fellow small-market teams.
- Welington Castillo is generating enough interest that he is expected to get a multi-year deal, so the Rays could be priced out of his market. One source “wouldn’t expect” the Rays to wind up with Castillo, who has also drawn interest from teams like the Braves and Orioles since he was surprisingly non-tendered by the Diamondbacks this week.
- Steve Pearce was targeted by the Rays before he signed a two-year, $12.5MM deal with the Blue Jays earlier today. Topkin tweets that the Jays got the edge over the Rays by offering the second guaranteed year and more money.
- The Rays have interest in Rangers lefty Dario Alvarez, who posted a 5.06 ERA, 13.8 K/9 and 5.86 K/BB rate over 26 2/3 innings with Texas and Atlanta last season. His ERA was inflated by continuing problems with the long ball, as Alvarez has given up nine homers over his 31 2/3 career innings in the majors. The Rangers are one of the teams known to be looking into the Rays’ pitching, so Alvarez could potentially be included as part of a trade package.
- There are so many hitters in the outfield/first base/DH mold available that Topkin believes the Rays could be able to land a good bat at a relative discount price simply by waiting until later in the offseason to make a signing. Perhaps even a higher-tier hitter like Jose Bautista would be willing to take a one-year, incentive-filled contract to play near his home in the Tampa Bay area and test the market again next winter (though Topkin admits that Bautista is rather a longshot).
WHAT?? Dario Alvarez has vaule? A team actually wants him?? Why??
He has a “Brilliant Personality!”
Cuz analytics
He was the centerpiece of the Demeritte trade
Odorizzi for McCutchen??
Straight up? Not a chance.
Better question….if the Pirates add two decent (not great) prospects to McCutchen, can they get Archer?
not a chance
This is the cast that brought you Turner for Souza. That shows they are capable of worse than anything suggested here.
Friedman was behind that.
Friendman was behind that.
Nope, he was in LA by that point.
Haha nice try Friendman had bolted to LA. That was Silverman’s first trade.
The Rays owner needs to sell the team. Ideally, an owner similar to the guy who owns The Lightning. That owner seems to know how to make something work in the region. Stu has been terrible at PR and his cheapness in the wrong areas has hurt things. Should have spent money on keeping Maddon. He and Longoria should have been what you build around.
Newcomb, Albies, Wisler, Ruiz..there done!
For what?
I would assume he meant for Christopher Archer.
I don’t see a point of him hanging on to Teheran if he is reluctant to trade prospects for proven, controllable young pitchers like Archer.
I’ll never understand this team when it comes to catchers. I know our front office values pitch framing over a bat behind the plate, and I can live with a catcher who won’t hit his weight if he has Jose Molina-esque pitch framing skills, but the problem is we’re continually bringing in catchers hitting below the Mendoza line who are only slightly above average pitch framers. We had an opportunity to add a top pitch framing catcher in Jason Castro, who could have formed a somewhat decent offensive platoon with Curt Casali to boot, and we did nothing while he signed with Minnesota. We could have traded for Derek Norris, who graded out to be a better pitch framer than anyone we trotted out at catcher last year and at least has a history of decent offensive production, but we did nothing while the Nationals grabbed him for a 19 year old pitcher who has played all of 21 games in the States.
Now we basically have a gift from Arizona with Welington Castillo being non-tendered, and we’re most likely going to sit back and do nothing while he ends up signing somewhere else (enjoy your new catcher, Baltimore). I’m not going to argue Castillo is a great pitch framer because he isn’t, but his pitch framing numbers fall right in line with the non-Casali catchers we had last year and he had significantly better offensive numbers than all of them. At some point we have do something other than cycle through everyone else’s backup catchers as year-to-year bandaids searching for a diamond in the rough that we’re never going to find.
I am with you on not signing Castro. The fact they did not value him at the price he got adds to concerns I already had. He fit their biggest hole perfectly. No one else will be able to do that. If they signed him then waiting for scraps on DH/1st baseman and relief reclamation projects would be fine IMHO.
Jim Bowden just said watch out for Archer to go to the Astros tomorrow and Boone said today was just a warm up.
5-6 players for 1 player in Archer…… no. Depending on the quality of those 5-6 players they better throw in Colome too then……. or it’s like 2 solid players and 3-4 low level prospects. I was thinking Soler, Baez, Jimenez, Cease, and Candelario for both Archer and Colome. But that sounds like a haul the Rays want for just Archer. No thanks then, thanks for playing. From what teams are seemingly wanting for their players Cubs are better off just signing Holland, Storen, and one of Blevins/Logan/Dunn to round out their bullpen. Then next offseason sign the Japanese Babe Ruth kid, Otani? I think his name is. Hopefully Arrieta comes to his senses and realizes he isn’t worth $25+M per year and is more in line with Samardzija’s deal than Verlander. If they can retain Arrieta on, say, a 6 year deal for $19M AAV and sign this Japanese kid their rotation is looking pretty solid. Lester, Arrieta, Hendricks, Otani, Montgomery for 2018 and beyond. I like it. I doubt Arrieta takes that deal though ($114M for 6 years for his age 32-37 seasons……. front load it – $21M, $21M, $20M, $20M, $16M, $16M). I guess it all depends on what Arrieta does in 2017 of course.
6 players for Archer when Sale gets 3? If the Rays want a huge trade then why not do… Schwarber, Soler, Candelario, & Underwood for Archer, Smyly & Colome. If they really have their heart set on Baez or Happ switch out Candelario. Offer up Archer, Odorizzi, & Colome. Seriously how can they say no? 6 prospects for Archer haha
Archer has more years on his contract and a cheeper contract then sale
But he is not Sale.
no, but he’s waaay cheaper for longer and he can be pretty damn good…he really only had a bad first half last year – his 2nd half stats were in line with’15…young, talented, cheap, controllable hits all 4 of the happy adjectives for what teams need in a pitcher. he may not be worth a king’s ransom+, but he’s damn close
Elias Diaz, Luis Heredia and Barrett Barnes for Jake Odorizzi
not enough…