The Rays placed catcher Wilson Ramos on the disabled list due to a hamstring strain today, as has been expected. However, while some might’ve hoped that Ramos would be able to return to action prior to the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31, that won’t be the case, it seems. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Ramos is likely to miss “extended time” and is expected to be on the disabled list beyond July 31.
Clearly, the injury is a significant blow for the Rays. Ramos, 30, had seemingly made a full recovery from the ACL tear that he suffered in September 2016 — an injury that likely robbed him of a quite lucrative multi-year pact. Instead of landing a four- or five-year deal in free agency that offseason, Ramos settled for a modest two-year deal with Tampa Bay that was loaded with incentives. While he missed about half of the 2017 season, he’d come back as a force in 2018.
Through 315 plate appearances this season, Ramos has posted a terrific .297/.346/.488 slash with 14 home runs and 14 doubles. He’s struggled a bit in terms of preventing the running game (22 percent caught-stealing rate) and has posted roughly average framing marks, per Baseball Prospectus. But while he may not be a premium defender, he’s been an elite bat relative to other catchers throughout the league and is playing the 2018 campaign on a reasonable $10.75MM salary.
With teams like the Nationals and Astros at least exploring the market for catching upgrades, the Rays were a near-certainty to cash in on Ramos and land a new prospect or two to add to their minor league ranks. That now looks unlikely — at least in the month of July. It’s possible that Ramos could return at some point in August, though it’s doubtful that he’d clear waivers. Still, that doesn’t necessarily preclude the possibility of a deal coming together.
The Rays can pass Ramos through revocable waivers so long as he’s spent at least the minimum time required on the disabled list (which will be the case by default) and so long as he is healthy and able to play at his accustomed level. In other words, he’d be eligible to run through waivers around the time he’s able to go on a minor league rehab assignment.
While a division rival would quite likely block the Astros from a chance to acquire Ramos via revocable trade waivers next month, it’s not impossible that a fringe contender in need of catching help could take a chance on Ramos. Specifically (and, to be clear, quite speculatively), if the Twins manage to pull within four to five games in the AL Central and opt not to sell off major assets, they’d be a natural landing spot for Ramos in an August swap. The Mariners, too, could be a fit given Mike Zunino’s struggles to get on base so far.
That’s just a pair of speculative scenarios, of course. Alternatively, other clubs who don’t especially need Ramos may be wary of placing a blocking-style claim on an impending Rays free agent with a fairly notable salary, as the possibility exists that the ever-cost-conscious Rays could simply opt to let him go.
Constantly injured can’t stay healthy.
Insightful comment. Glad you are here.
August trade a la Verlander? Idk. Every team would claim him with that contract.
Cutting it real close to the July 31 Non-Waiver trade deadline
There doing this so no other team will try and trade for him
I hope you’re joking.
‘*They’re’ and who do you mean by that? Clearly Wilson wouldn’t go on the DL if he wasn’t actually injured purely for his own good and future. SMH
If you think that then you don’t know the Rays. They are trading their best hitter to get a mid prospect and save 4 ml or so. He may eventually be a waiver claim and deal in August.
I don’t get why you can’t trade the guy when he’s on the dl?
If the team taking him knows the injury and is still willing to deal, why can’t you ?
Why can’t they remove him from the el July 31st, trade him then new team dls him for another week or two till healthy?
they overblow it alot
Short answer is probably medical staff.
Right now he will be treated by the Rays medical staff according to their ways.
If he were to get traded to a new team youd have interrupt whatever their team was doing for them and the new team would have their medical staff do their plan, which could be detrimental to the players rehab.
Actually, teams CAN trade players on the DL. You just don’t see it very often. Several years ago, the Rays acquired Jesse Crain while he was on the DL, helped him with his rehab and such. He never threw a pitch for the Rays.
He wouldn’t make it through waivers in August. The mariner’s or the A’s would claim him just to keep him away from the Astro’s.
both of those teams also could use an upgrade at catcher as well
Could they activate him on the 30th, trade him, and have the new team put him back on it?
Players on the DL can be traded. It requires the commissioner’s approval, but it can be done.
Couldn’t TB even negotiate two tiers of PTBNL candidates and choose from the better group if Ramos was able to come back healthy and the lesser group or for cash if he did not?
Maybe. They could always submit such a deal with a partner team and the commissioner would either approve or reject the deal. That’s really the only way you would know the answer to your hypothetical. But it remains that a team CAN trade a player on the DL with the approval of the commissioner’s office.
I doubt he will clear waivers, yet I am still stunned that Verlander cleared waivers last year, why someone like the yankees didn’t make a claim on him is surprising at the least.
Contract and signs of slowing down. He didnt pitch nearly as well with the Tigers as he did for the Astros last year.
Ramos only missed a few months of last season & besides a Hamstring strain is a typical short term injury. The Rays do not have to trade him. I wouldn’t mind they keep him & if they cannot agree to a extension offer the QO to him. It worked out for the Rays with Cobb where they got the 31st overall pick & drafted a LHP with upside. Why sell low on a player if he can fetch you a 1st or 2nd round compensatory pick. He will have demand as a FA.
Think the Rays would issue him a qualifying offer this offseason if they can’t trade him?
And might Ramos accept it?
I’d still trade for him. It’s a hamstring issue. I’m sure it’ll clear up.