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Diamondbacks Remove Paul Sewald From Closer Role

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The Diamondbacks are pulling Paul Sewald from the closing role, manager Torey Lovullo announced before tonight’s game against the Pirates (X link via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com). Lovullo did not immediately name a replacement, suggesting the team could go with a committee approach.

Tonight’s game provided an immediate test. Arizona coughed up an early 5-0 lead but bounced back to take a two-run lead into the ninth. Lovullo tabbed sidewinder Ryan Thompson to close it out. Thompson gave up a couple singles and a run but successfully locked down a 9-8 victory. That usage could indicate the sinkerballer will get the bulk of the closing chances, though Arizona needed to use high-leverage arms Kevin Ginkel, A.J. Puk, Dylan Floro and Justin Martinez just to get it to the ninth.

In any case, the Snakes won’t give every narrow ninth inning lead to Sewald. The veteran right-hander had been almost spotless between his early May season debut through the end of June. He carried a 0.54 ERA over 16 2/3 frames. Sewald locked down his first 11 save chances in the process.

Things unraveled for him almost immediately once the calendar turned to July. Sewald gave up multiple runs and blew the lead in each of his first three outings of the month, all of which ended up being Arizona losses. He rebounded with five straight scoreless appearances, but he’s given up runs in three of his four most recent games.

Sewald blew a save in what turned out to be an extra-inning loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday. He got the call on Wednesday to hold a 5-2 lead against the Nationals but put four of five runners aboard (three via walk). Thompson came on and ended up securing a 5-4 win. That’s technically a hold for Sewald but obviously not a good performance.

The nightmarish few weeks came largely out of nowhere. Sewald has been one of the best relievers in MLB since his breakout with the Mariners in 2021. He turned in a 2.88 ERA over parts of three seasons in Seattle. Arizona’s call to send Josh Rojas, Dominic Canzone and Ryan Bliss to the M’s at last year’s deadline added needed stability to the back end of the bullpen.

It ended up being one of the biggest moves in the D-Backs’ surprising pennant run, as Sewald picked up 13 saves with a 3.57 ERA down the stretch. He wasn’t missing quite as many bats as he had in Seattle, but Sewald had a 2.10 ERA with a 25.2% strikeout rate over 34 1/3 innings as a Diamondback until last month. He is an impending free agent, so his performance down the stretch is especially important for him personally.

Arizona made a big deadline move for bullpen help for the second straight year, bringing in Puk for a pair of prospects last month. They swung a more minor deal for Floro minutes before the deadline on Tuesday evening. That gives them some cover to allow Sewald to work through this funk in lower-leverage spots.

The D-Backs are trying to hang onto a Wild Card spot in what remains a crowded National League field. They’re riding a four-game win streak to get a season-high eight games over .500 but are only one game clear of the Mets, the top non-playoff team at the moment.

Two big factors in their potential pennant push: Eduardo Rodriguez and Merrill Kelly. Arizona has been without two of their top starters for the bulk of the season. Rodriguez has yet to make his team debut after sustaining a lat strain in Spring Training. Kelly went down in mid-April with a shoulder strain.

The D-Backs could get a boost from both pitchers. Rodriguez should be reinstated from the 60-day injured list to start next Tuesday’s game against the Guardians, tweets John Gambadoro. Meanwhile, Gilbert relays on X that Kelly is slated to start a rehab stint that same night with High-A Hillsboro. That’d likely kick off a few week rehab process before he’s ready to get back on the mound at Chase Field.

Arizona did get a couple less encouraging updates on the pitching staff, though. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets that reliever Bryce Jarvis is likely to miss the rest of the season with an elbow sprain. The former first-round pick is not expected to require surgery but will need to be shut down from throwing. Jarvis has worked in a low-leverage relief role, tossing 59 1/3 frames of 3.19 ERA ball. His strikeout and walk profile is a lot less impressive than that ERA, but the Duke product has been a bullpen workhorse.

Rookie right-hander Cristian Mena is also likely done for the season. Alex Weiner of AZ Sports reported on Tuesday that the 21-year-old suffered a forearm strain in Triple-A (X link). Mena, who made his MLB debut last month with a three-inning spot start, is on the minor league injured list but could move to the 60-day IL if the Snakes need a 40-man roster spot. The Diamondbacks acquired him over the winter in a one-for-one swap sending outfielder Dominic Fletcher to the White Sox.

Diamondbacks Designate Nabil Crismatt, Select Ryan Thompson

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The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Nabil Crismatt has been designated for assignment.  The move opens 40-man and 26-man roster space for Ryan Thompson, as Arizona has selected Thompson’s contract from Triple-A.

Crismatt’s own contract was selected to the active roster just last week, and the righty threw two scoreless innings in yesterday’s game for his lone appearance in this stint with the D’Backs.  For the 2023 season as a whole, Crismatt has an 8.31 ERA over 13 innings with Arizona and San Diego, as Crismatt selected free agency after being DFA’ed and then outrighted by the Padres back in June.  Catching on the Diamondbacks on another minors contract, Crismatt at least made it back to the big leagues for one game but now might be on the move again.

Should Crismatt again clear waivers, he still has the right to elect free agency rather than an accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Reno.  It isn’t necessarily the case that Crismatt will pursue this route again after choosing to leave the Padres, as there are any number of reasons Crismatt might be more comfortable biding his time with the Diamondbacks’ top affiliate.  September roster expansion could provide another opportunity in due course, or Crismatt might get another look simply by dint of how the D’Backs have been cycling through many relievers this season in search of any bullpen stability.

This search for relievers led the Diamondbacks to a minor league deal with Thompson earlier this week.  The Rays designated and subsequently released the right-hander this month, adding to a difficult season that included a 6.11 ERA over 17 2/3 innings and a recent minor elbow injury.

Arizona’s contract with Thompson had an August 28th opt-out date, so the clock was ticking on the team’s decision to bring him up to the Major League roster.  While the results haven’t been there for Thompson this season, he had a 3.17 ERA over 76 2/3 frames for Tampa Bay in 2021-22, making him an interesting acquisition for the D’Backs.  Thompson is also controllable through the 2026 season, so he is a potential long-term option for Arizona beyond how they might deploy him down the stretch.

Diamondbacks Sign Ryan Thompson To Minor League Deal

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The Diamondbacks have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Ryan Thompson, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. Thompson was released by the Rays last week following a somewhat surprising DFA. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Reno. A source tells MLBTR that there’s an Aug. 28 opt-out on the deal if Thompson isn’t on the Diamondbacks’ active roster by that point.

The 31-year-old Thompson posted an unsightly 6.11 ERA this season but did so in a small sample of just 17 2/3 innings. He’s notched a 3.26 ERA in a comparable slate of Triple-A innings this year, punching out 30.4% of his minor league opponents against a 13.9% walk rate that could obviously stand to come down a ways. Thompson had been on the injured list with a minor elbow issue but received a clean MRI prior to his DFA. He’s headed directly to the active roster in Reno.

While this year clearly hasn’t been Thompson’s best, he’s been a strong contributor in Tampa Bay in recent seasons — particularly in 2021-22. Over those two years, the right-hander worked to a combined 3.17 ERA with a 24.1% strikeout rate, 6.3% walk rate, 50% ground-ball rate and 0.82 homers per nine innings pitched. Opponents averaged a paltry 87.1 mph off the bat against Thompson in that time — about two miles per hour south of the league average — in part because he was particularly adept at enticing hitters to chase pitches off the plate. From 2021-22, Thompson’s 36.5% chase rate ranked 28th among the 200 big league relievers who pitched at least 70 innings.

Thompson isn’t a flamethrower, averaging just shy of 92 mph on his fastball, and doesn’t miss bats at a prolific rate. But, he’s regularly limited hard contact at a high level, and outside of the current season, he’s posted strong walk rates as well. He was also playing the current season on a $1MM salary and has multiple minor league option years remaining, which made his release at least somewhat unexpected.

The D-backs will use the remainder of the season to take a look at Thompson. If he’s called to the big leagues and remains on the 40-man roster at the end of the year, Arizona will be able to control him for as many as three additional years via arbitration. If he’s not called to the Majors in the next week, the opt-out date provides Thompson and his reps at Northwest Sports Management Group to return to the market and look to latch on with another club prior to the Sept. 1 deadline for postseason eligibility.

The Arizona bullpen ought to present an opportunity for Thompson if he looks sharp in a potentially brief stay with Reno. The D-backs fortified the relief corps by picking up Paul Sewald in a deadline deal with the Mariners, and they’ve gotten strong work from lefty Kyle Nelson and righties Kevin Ginkel and Jose Ruiz this season. However, Scott McGough has stumbled over the past five weeks after an excellent start to his Diamondbacks tenure, and fellow offseason pickup Miguel Castro has faded after his own hot start. Arizona has been cycling relievers through the final couple spots of the bullpen in recent weeks, which could open the door for Thompson to get the call in hopes he can solidify a spot.

Rays Release Ryan Thompson

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The Rays announced that right-hander Ryan Thompson has cleared release waivers and has been unconditionally released. He’s now a free agent and can sign with any club.

Thompson, 31, is enduring a frustrating season but has been much better in previous years. From 2020 to 2022, he made 108 appearances for the Rays, allowing 3.50 earned runs per nine innings over those. His 23.1% strikeout rate was roughly average, but his 6.5% walk rate and 52.5% ground ball rate were both strong.

This year, however, has been a bumpy ride. He landed on the injured list in mid-April due to a right lat strain and went on to struggle a bit after he returned, sporting a 6.60 ERA on May 21. The Rays then optioned him to Triple-A and he has been on and off the active roster since then, getting recalled and then optioned three more times since. He has a 3.26 ERA in 19 1/3 Triple-A innings this year, with a concerning walk rate of 13.9% but a huge 30.4% strikeout rate in that small sample.

He had been on the minor league injured list since early August due to a minor elbow issue but recently had a clean MRI, per MLBTR’s Steve Adams. He was still on the IL when he was designated for assignment yesterday, meaning the club had little choice but to release him. Injured players can’t be put on outright waivers and the trade deadline went by a couple of weeks ago, leaving a release inevitable.

He’ll now head to the open market in search of his next opportunity. Despite the challenging year, he figures to get interest based on his previous results. He came into this year with exactly three years of service time and a full slate of options. Since he’s spent a lot of time on optional assignment this year, he won’t reach four years of service and can be retained for three years beyond this one via arbitration. He’ll burn one of his options but will still be optionable for two future seasons.

Rays Designate Ryan Thompson for Assignment, Select Hector Perez

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3:55pm: Thompson had been on the minor league injured list with a minor elbow issue, tweets MLBTR’s Steve Adams, but was given a clean bill of health after a recent MRI was reviewed by team doctors and a third-party doctor. He threw a bullpen session this morning.

12:50pm: After placing right-handed reliever Kevin Kelly on the 15-day injured list with an ankle sprain, the Rays have selected Hector Perez from Triple-A Durham to take his place in the bullpen, as first reported by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. In a corresponding move, the team has designated Ryan Thompson for assignment to make room for Perez on the 40-man roster.

Kelly was drafted by the Guardians in 2019, and the Rockies picked him up in the Rule 5 draft this past December. Colorado flipped him to Tampa Bay the same day. He has performed well for the Rays this season, pitching to a 3.48 ERA and 3.89 SIERA in 48 games out of the bullpen, although he has shown signs of tiring since the All-Star break. The rookie is already nearing his career-high in innings pitched. It is unclear how severe Kelly’s ankle injury is, but he will not be eligible to return until August 31.

Perez made his MLB debut for the Blue Jays in 2020, pitching in a single game. He has not pitched in a major league game since; he had his contract selected by the Rays earlier this season but was DFA’d without appearing in a game. He came to Tampa Bay this winter in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. In 53 innings at Triple-A, he has a 4.08 ERA. His 30% strikeout rate is impressive, but his 13% walk rate is a cause for concern.

Thompson also came to the Rays organization in the minor league portion of a Rule 5 draft, back in 2018. He was a solid bullpen piece from 2020-22, appearing in 108 games with a 3.50 ERA and 3.42 SIERA. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been nearly as effective in 2023. He has bounced back and forth between the Rays and Durham Bulls, and while his 3.26 ERA and 30.4% strikeout rate in Triple-A are impressive, his 6.11 ERA in 17 2/3 major league innings is not.

Thompson has been on the minor league injured list since August 6, so he cannot be placed on outright waivers. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Rays will have to put him on release waivers in the coming days. He’s being paid a $1MM salary in 2023 and still has about $247K of that sum left on his deal. A new team would take on that money upon claiming him but would also gain an additional three years of club control over the right-hander.

Rays Option Taj Bradley

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The Rays are optioning right-hander Taj Bradley to Triple-A Durham, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). Reliever Ryan Thompson will be recalled to take his roster spot for now, though a spot will soon be required for Aaron Civale, having been acquired from the Guardians earlier today. The Rays have now announced the moves. The club also selected righty Erasmo Ramírez yesterday, optioning righty Calvin Faucher in a corresponding move.

Tampa has dealt with a number of injuries to its rotation this year, with Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen both out for the remainder of the season due to their injuries. Josh Fleming is also on the 60-day injured list and has an uncertain timeline. That has seen them roll with a rotation of Tyler Glasnow, Shane McClanahan, Zach Eflin and Bradley of late. Eflin recently required an MRI on his left knee, which was an ominous development given his history of knee issues, but he’s been cleared to start Tuesday.

Around that foursome, the Rays have been occasionally deploying some bullpen games, but they added Civale into the mix with a trade today. That could have still left room for Bradley to stick around, but it seems that Tampa would prefer to send him to Durham to get some work in there. He came into this season as one of the top prospects in the league but hasn’t quite made a smooth transition to the big leagues. He has allowed 5.67 earned runs per nine innings through 16 starts so far, though there seems to be a lot of bad luck in there. He’s striking out 30% of opponents while walking 7.9%, both of those numbers being better than league average, but his .342 batting average on balls in play and 64.8% strand rate and both on the unlucky side.

ERA estimators such as his 4.15 FIP and 3.53 SIERA paint a nicer picture of Bradley’s debut season thus far, but he will be bumped off the active roster nonetheless. This won’t impact him from a service time perspective, as he had already been optioned a few times earlier in the season and wasn’t going to get a full year of service time here in 2023 even before this move. With tomorrow’s trade deadline looming, there’s still a chance for the Rays to add another starter, with hurlers like Jack Flaherty, Michael Lorenzen and Eduardo Rodriguez just some of those thought to be available.

But for now, it seems the rotation spot will go to Zack Littell, as Topkin relays the righty will start on Friday. Littell had been working as a reliever earlier in the year but recently made some starts as an opener, with his workload gradually increasing. Seven of his last eight outings have been longer than a single inning and he tossed five frames in yesterday’s contest, allowing two earned runs on eight hits, striking out four while walking none.

He was a starter in the minors earlier in his career but has been a primary reliever since 2019. It’s unclear if the Rays plan on him moving to a starter’s role permanently, but it wouldn’t be the first time they went down this road. Both Springs and Rasmussen were working out of the bullpen before the Rays started stretching them out, successfully moving them both to rotation jobs before their current injuries. On the season as a whole, Littell has a 4.85 ERA in 29 2/3 innings, though with a .376 BABIP, 22.7% strikeout rate, 3.8% walk rate and 46.9% ground ball rate.

Ramírez, 33, signed a one-year deal with the Nationals in the offseason. But he posted a 6.33 ERA though 23 appearances and got released, landing with the Rays on a minor league deal. He worked a multi-inning role for the Bulls, tossing 23 innings over nine appearances with a 5.87 ERA. His .383 BABIP and 68% strand rate point to some bad luck while his peripherals were strong, with a 28.7% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and 45.2% ground ball rate.

Rays Select Elvin Rodríguez, Designate José López

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The Rays have made some roster moves today, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. They have selected right-hander Elvin Rodríguez to their roster, with righty Ryan Thompson optioned in a corresponding move. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, left-hander José López has been designated for assignment.

The Rays recently lost Shane McClanahan to the injured list and have been scrambling to get to the All-Star break, deploying bullpen games in each of the past two days. They used six different pitchers on Wednesday and then eight yesterday. With the staff fairly taxed and three games against a potent Atlanta offense to get through before the break, they’ve brought in a fresh arm to help out.

Rodríguez, 25, spent the past few years in the Tigers’ system. He split 2021 between Double-A and Triple-A, posting a 5.68 ERA but striking out 24.6% of hitters while walking 8.6%. The Tigers added him to their 40-man roster after that season and he was able to make his major league debut in 2022. Unfortunately, his first 29 2/3 major league innings resulted in a 10.62 ERA. He also had a 4.98 ERA in Triple-A last year over 99 1/3 innings.

The Tigers non-tendered him at season’s end and he landed with the Rays on a minor league deal. He’s tossed 47 1/3 innings in the minors this year over 11 starts with a 3.42 ERA, 27.2% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate. The Rays have Tyler Glasnow, Taj Bradley and Zach Eflin lined up to start the next three games but will likely call on Rodríguez if they need multiple innings at any point.

López, 24, had spent his entire career with the Rays until the Padres selected him in the Rule 5 draft last November. The Friars were undoubtedly intrigued by his 2022 season wherein he tossed 59 1/3 innings between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.43 ERA. He struck out 37.7% of hitters while walking 15.1%. That obvious lack of control continued into the spring, with López walking five batters in six innings before being offered back to the Rays in late March.

He was able to make his major league debut with Tampa this year, allowing one earned run in a two-inning appearance. Otherwise, he’s been in Triple-A, posting a 7.89 ERA there while walking 13.2% of opponents and striking out just 22.2%.

The Rays will now have one week to trade López or pass him through waivers. His command is clearly an ongoing concern but left-handed relief tends to always be in demand. He’s shown an ability to rack up strikeouts in the past and still has a full slate of options. Any club willing to give him a 40-man roster spot could keep him as an optionable depth piece for the foreseeable future and hope he reins in his stuff.

Rays Notes: Ballpark, Eflin, Siri, Thompson, Glasnow

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The Rays “seem to be making progress” on a new ballpark, principal owner Stuart Sternberg told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  While the organization has still been talking with Tampa officials about the possibility of building a long-awaited new stadium in that city, Sternberg said “we’ve been focused on” remaining in St. Petersburg, and a proposed plan that would see the Rays’ new home built near the current site of Tropicana Field.

The stadium would be the centerpiece of a major redevelopment project similar to other recent “ballpark villages” in Atlanta and St. Louis, as the Rays’ new yard would be surrounded by new housing, shopping centers, restaurants, and entertainment venues.  Nothing has been finalized about either the ballpark project or the larger revitalization project, as Sternberg said “We’re working at both and neither one is easy….The county and the city are really working beautifully together, so that’s part of the reason why we’re all optimistic.”

While the Rays’ lease at Tropicana Field runs through the 2027 season, there has long been a push from ownership to figure out a new ballpark situation sooner rather than later, with the Rays at one point even exploring an idea to split their home schedule between Tampa and Montreal (in new ballparks in both cities).  However, it does now appear that at least some momentum seems to be building towards the Rays staying in St. Pete, which must count as some relief to fans after years of speculation about a possible move.

With the Athletics now on the verge of officially moving from Oakland to Las Vegas, Sternberg commented on the situation, saying that “It’s in all of baseball’s interests to have the A’s and any baseball team on the firmest footing possible.”  By this same logic, Sternberg supported commissioner Rob Manfred’s decision to waive a relocation fee, noting that to help a team regain stability, it doesn’t fit for the league “to say ‘Look, we’re going to let you move and your revenues are going to go up but we’re going to take them all from you.’ ”

In some Rays news on the field, the team will get some reinforcements back from the injured list starting tomorrow, when Zach Eflin will activated to start Sunday’s game against the White Sox.  Eflin’s placement on the 15-day IL was retroactive to April 8, but since his bout of back tightness proved to be minor, he’ll be able to return on the first day of eligibility.  After signing a three-year, $40MM free agent deal with Tampa Bay during the offseason, Eflin looked sharp in his first two starts with his new club, posting a 3.27 ERA with 12 strikeouts and one walk over 11 innings.

Jose Siri was also off to an impressive start before beginning an IL stint on April 8, as a hamstring strain put the center fielder on the sidelines.  Manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times) that Siri will be re-evaluated following a two-game minor league rehab assignment.  Siri played the first of those two games yesterday as a DH with Triple-A Durham, and he’ll take today off before playing center field for Durham in Sunday’s contest.

If all goes well, Siri might be activated as early as Monday, when the Rays begin a series against Houston.  By coincidence, the Astros were also the team who dealt Siri to Tampa last year at the trade deadline, and after showing his mettle as a defender, Siri has now started to break out at the plate.  He hit .318/.333/.682 with two home runs in his first 24 plate appearances before suffering his hamstring strain.

Ryan Thompson also looks to be facing a “very minimal” IL stint, Cash said, which could mean the reliever might return from the 15-day injured list on April 28, when first eligible.  Thompson suffered a right lat strain after posting a 3.18 ERA over his first 5 2/3 innings of work out of Tampa’s bullpen.

The timeline isn’t as clear for Tyler Glasnow, who was given an initial window of 6-to-8 weeks when he first suffered his Grade 2 oblique strain at the end of February.  Cash said Glasnow was slated for two innings of live batting practice in extended Spring Training work on Monday, which comes on the heels of a pair of bullpen sessions earlier this month.  The Rays are aiming for Glasnow to be ready by around the middle of May, once he is fully ramped up after missing such a big chunk of Spring Training work.

View The Transcript Of Today’s Chat With Rays Reliever Ryan Thompson

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A fan of Byung-Hyun Kim growing up, righty and Oregon native Ryan Thompson realized he was more comfortable throwing sidearm, leading to success at Cascade High School but not much interest from colleges or MLB teams.  Several years later, he was drafted in the 23rd round of the 2014 draft by the Astros after starring at North Carolina’s Campbell University.

By the summer of 2017, Thompson was a 27-year-old sidearm reliever struggling with a brief taste of the Triple-A level.  It turned out Thompson needed Tommy John surgery that year.

Thompson later commented in an interview with Brett Friedlander of the North State Journal, “I found out I had a lot of complacencies I was neglecting. When your mind is so focused on baseball and competing and getting guys out, you don’t really have that time to think about who you are and where you’re going in your relationships, your diet and all these other things. So I had a full year to not think about baseball. I became a better human being. I lost 30 pounds and when I came back, that was the year that made my career. If I didn’t have that surgery, I don’t think I’d be here right now.”

Thompson missed the entire 2018 season recovering from the procedure, but then the Rays swooped in to nab him in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft.  He got back on the mound in May of 2019, pitching at the Double-A level.

In 2020, the Rays brought Thompson to spring training and the subsequent July summer camp.  He made the team’s Opening Day roster, debuting with two scoreless innings against Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays.  In a later interview with his alma mater’s magazine, Thompson said, “I always thought when I got the call to the big leagues, I’d break down into tears. But when I got the call, it was just relief. I’d given up the past 10 years of my life for this. I was living in my mom’s basement at 28 for this. And now I made it, and I wasn’t going to lose it.”

A few weeks later Thompson served as an opener against the Yankees, also putting up two scoreless frames.  The 28-year-old rookie wound up getting into nine postseason games for the Rays in 2020.  Thompson again served as the opener against the Yankees in ALDS Game 4, and even tossed three scoreless innings in the World Series against the Dodgers.

Thompson was racking up holds in the 2021 season until hitting the IL in June with shoulder inflammation.  By September, Thompson required thoracic outlet surgery.  He recovered successfully from that procedure, pitching well in 2022 until he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right elbow in September.  Thus far he’s made one spring training appearance in 2023.

In his young big league career, Thompson has made 108 regular season appearances, with another nine in the ’20 postseason.  He’s punched out sluggers such as Mike Trout and Pete Alonso.  So far, Thompson sports a 3.50 ERA, a 52.5% groundball rate, a 6.5 BB%, four saves, and 25 holds.  His scoreless work in the 2020 World Series includes a strikeout of Mookie Betts.

In February, Ryan caught our eye with an interesting Twitter thread about his experience going to an arbitration hearing against the Rays, which he lost.  Thompson broke down the comparables, stats used, and arguments made by each side in a way I haven’t seen before, and it’s well worth a read.  You can follow Ryan on Twitter @R_Thompson15.

Ryan kindly agreed to chat today with MLBTR readers after the conclusion of today’s spring training game against the Tigers.  Click here to view the transcript!

Rays Notes: Diaz, Poche, Arbitration, Stadium

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The Rays expect to deploy Yandy Díaz frequently at first base during the upcoming season, manager Kevin Cash informed reporters (link via Joe Trezza of MLB.com). He’ll presumably pick up the lion’s share of at-bats there after Tampa Bay dealt Ji-Man Choi to the Pirates at the start of the offseason.

Díaz has plenty of experience at the position, logging just under 1000 MLB innings there. He led the team in first base playing time as recently as 2021 — narrowly topping Choi that season — but spent the bulk of his 2022 campaign at third base. Díaz started only 15 games at first last season and was penciled in at the hot corner on 97 occasions. Public defensive metrics have never rated him especially favorably there. Last season was no exception, with both Statcast and Defensive Runs Saved grading him among the league’s bottom five defensive third basemen.

The 31-year-old is coming off arguably the best season of his career on the other side of the ball, however. Díaz hit .296/.401/.423 with nine home runs and more walks than strikeouts in 558 trips to the plate. The Rays rewarded him with a three-year deal to buy out his final two arbitration seasons and extend their window of club control by potentially two years (including a 2026 club option). He’ll surely be in the lineup on most days and manning first base would lighten his defensive responsibilities while leaving greater opportunities at the hot corner for players like Isaac Paredes and Taylor Walls.

In other news out of Tampa:

  • The club won arbitration hearings over relievers Colin Poche and Ryan Thompson over the weekend. After the decisions were handed out, Poche expressed some frustration with the arbitrators who heard his case (link via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). “I thought my agency, and the lawyers from the Players Association, made a really strong case. I thought we had a good chance,” Poche said. “But that’s kind of what happens when you leave it up to a panel of arbitrators who have experience in the process, but they’re outside the realm of baseball. So there’s a lot of things that maybe we place more importance on that they don’t fully grasp the same level of importance.” The left-hander indicated he felt the panel wasn’t properly suited to value non-closing relievers, in particular, and opined the arbitrators didn’t place enough emphasis on his 23 holds last season. Poche stressed he had no gripes with the Rays or the manner in which they presented their case (as did Thompson), confining his criticism to the arbitrators themselves. Both players had small filing gaps relative to the salaries they’ll wind up making. Poche will make $1.175MM rather than his desired $1.3MM, while Thompson will collect $1MM instead of a $1.2MM filing figure.
  • The Rays’ efforts to get a new stadium in the Tampa area took a step forward a few weeks back when St. Petersburg mayor Ken Welch backed the club’s proposal for a redevelopment plan of the city’s Gas Plant district. That doesn’t tie the franchise to the city but sets the stage for continued negotiations. Colleen Wright of the Tampa Bay Times provided an update on the process over the weekend, reporting the city has begun drafting a term sheet that’d commit the Rays to St. Petersburg for an initial term of 30 years if eventually agreed upon. Those drafts have yet to specify any proposed funding commitments between the city, Pinellas County and the Rays’ organization. That’ll obviously be a key issue to hammer out over the coming months, with the process expected to continue well into the summer. Wright notes the city retained a Minneapolis-based law firm last week in preparation for negotiations.
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