Post by Strategist on Jan 1, 2020 4:43:18 GMT
Next in the series the TB Rays. Short 2018 review record 91-71, was 1st (in AL) at 4.0 R/G against while the offense was able to score 5.2 R/G (T-3). They also had the best Run Differential in the AL at 194. Good enough for 3rd best record in the AL but behind TOR in their division which lead the to the WC game where they lost 1-0 to Angels.
Starting the Off-season:
Lineup: Joey Votto hadn't been the same hitter IRL in 2018 but he was still very good and was still that middle of the order bat that a lineup could be built around. Coming back off of good years were OFs Micheal Conforto, A.J. Polluck, and Adam Eaton. That is a really good top 4 with all very good projections. The IF wasn't nearly as cut and dry. With Beltre retiring, Matt Duffy, Neil Walker, and Zach Cozart's slow years IRL it was going to be tough for the to replicate the same success. Walker was also a FA. Tucker Barnhart and Kyle Farmer made for and underwhelming combo but serviceable behind the plate. I guess after taking a look at his team he decided to say eff it and make major changes. Traded Farmer for Enrique Hernandez. Traded Votto, Duffy and some top prospects for Rafael Devers, Jorge Polanco and Jeff Hoffman. Then traded Polanco, Barnhart James Pazos and another top prospect for Xander Bogaerts to fill SS and Victor Caratini at catcher. Traded C Matt Wieters was signed. LF Curtis Granderson was signed as a Utility OF that could fill in all 3 spots. Nelson Cruz signed to a 3 yr deal to provide the thump that was going to be missing out of those infield bats. Signed Kendrys Morales to a 1 yr deal which he turned around and traded for a relief pitcher. Traded Pollack for Austin Barnes and prospects. Then traded Barnes and Micheal Wacha for Marcel Ozuna. Signed DJ Lemahieu. If you haven't paid 100 percent attention to the league you may have missed some of these moves and if you are now lost don't worry it was hard to scrounge through everything trying not to miss anything.
In review his lineup for opening day was: Eaton RF, Bogaerts SS, Conforto CF, Cruz DH, Ozuna LF, E. Hernandez 1B, Wieters C, Z. Cozart 3B, D. Lemahieu 2B. So only 3 holdover's from 2018 team were Eaton, Conforto, and Cozart. While none of them had MVP type projections most have good to very good projections. The exceptions being Wieters and Cozart.
Rotation: Going into the off-season I think TJ knew that was was going to have to make some upgrades to his rotation with the best SP he had was Cole Hamels, followed by J.A. Happ, Micheal Pineda, and Tanner Roark. Roark was not offered arbitration. Traded Pineda and Hamels getting Greg Bird and Dan Vogalbach. Traded prospects for Danny Duffy who was flipped for Carlos Rodon. Signed Jaime Garcia and Josh Tomlin to a minor league deal. And used Shane Carlyle for his 5th starter. Going into the season Duffy and Rodon were above average starters but after that it was the bottom of the barrel fillers to start. If the Rays would have kept this rotation for the entire season it wouldn't have went very well. Alas TJ never rests and just 8 days into the season swings a trade to bring back Micheal Pineda and Clay Buchholtz. Also claimed Gio Gonzalez off of waviers which would bring his rotation up to at least 5 average to slightly below average SPs.
Bullpen: With Keone Kela, Mychal Givens, and Darren O'Day, the Rays had an elite back end to their bullpen. Add in Dayton Grant through trade, sign Chris Martin and promotion of Ryne Harper, the Bullpen was a strength for the Rays from day 1.
Early season:
It wasn't long before TJ upgraded his rotation again 4/24 he traded Rodon and 4 other players for James Paxton to give his rotation an ace that it needed. The Rays toiled around .500 for the first 2 months mainly due to a lack of offense. Many of their hitters struggled mightily all at once. Only Bogaerts, Eaton, and LeMahieu were hitting up to their potential and then DJLM got hurt for 4 weeks. In may Devers was finally called up to give a boost to the lineup. Bird was traded for Madison Baumgartner. In June completed trades for James Mccann, trading away Gio Gonzalez for Wade Leblanc, and traded prospects to Seattle for Carlos Carrasco. The rotation was now significantly stronger: Carrasco, Paxton, Happ, Baumgartner, Buckholz, and Pineda. TB now stacked with 2 aces and 4 other above average pitchers. So after a good June the Rays were up to 46-38 and firmly in both the WC and DIV races.
Mid Season:
After spending the early part of the season the Rays looked to bolster their lineup. Traded prospects to get Jackie Bradley Jr., traded McCann, Caratini, and prospect to get Buster Posey, Wieters and prospects for Austin Hedges, Eaton, Bradley, Edwards, and Ford for Aaron Hicks. In the rotation moved Happ for prospects and traded prospects for Sonny Gray. Also fortified an already great bullpen to make it hands down the best with the additions of Sean Doolittle and Juan Nicasio.
End of the Season Thoughts:
Lineup:
Finished 10th (AL) in runs scored the Rays had mos of their hitters struggle for long periods of time. No one really stood out as having an MVP type season. 5 full time players were over 100 OPS+ but none had greater than 118 OPS+. The Rays had more talent in their lineup than this but too many failed to meet their preseason projections.
Starting Rotation:
Finished 4th (AL) in starters' ERA. Got a bit unlucky down the stretch with both Buchholtz and Gray missing big chunks of time, signed Jimmy Nelson to fill in and only ran with a 4 man rotation in September. 3 of the 4 pitched well though. Overall with what the Rays started the season with it is quite the transformation. In the game they are only ranked as 12th but I don't think that takes into count injured players. I will get a better sense the more of these I do but I wouldn't be surprised if I ranked the them somewhere closer to top 5. What looked like was going to be the weakness of the team turned out to be a strength.
Bullpen:
Finished 1st (AL) in bullpen ERA. Started out as one of the best and and made 3 additions of top flight relief pitchers to finish as the best rated and in my opinion the best bullpen in the league
In conclusion:
The Rays fell short of the WC this season. Mainly getting unlucky with how poorly the lineup performed. The future looks bright for the their lineup though with a core of Bogaerts, Devers, Ozuna, and Conforto to build around. Paxton will be back and provide that ace at the top again. Carrasco struggled IRL so his projection will probably drop down to more of a SP2-3. After that there are some holes to fill with Madbum and Gray becoming FA's. The without additions Bullpen should still be a major strength even if it isn't quite as dominant. With only 129 Mil guaranteed on the books and Cruz has an opt out that would clear up 14 Mil more TJ should have plenty of financial flexibility to augment his lineup and rotation and make another push at a playoff spot next season.
Trades Overview:
CF Travis Swaggerty and SP Sean Reid-Foley for SP Danny Duffy Trading 2 top 10 organizational prospects for an above average starting pitcher that the Rays needed desperately. Duffy never pitched for the Rays.
SP Micheal Pineda for 1B Dan Vogelbach I think this was mainly a salary dump move as Pineda was making 8 mil and Vogelbach was making the minimum.
C Kyle Farmer, Ryan Helsley, and Austin Dean for UT Enrique Hernandez - With Hernandez's position flexibility it would allow for TJ to make all kinds of moves know he had him to fall back on to fill almost any position. He ended up playing at least 3 games at every position besides P and C.
C Manny Pina, CF A.J. Pollack for Austin Barnes, Grant Dayton, and Ramon Urias - Got an elite defensive catcher back, a usable RP, and an top 10 Cardinals prospect this trade looks more like a salary dump to get of the long term money owed to Pollack. As Pollock didn't sim that great it didn't really hurt much.
1B Joey Votto, 3B Matt Duffy, SP Hunter Greene, SS Arquimedes Gamboa, and Jonathan Loaisiga for Rafeal Devers, Jorge Polanco and Jeff Hoffman - I think one of the most crazy trades between division rivals that you will every see. This year the Orioles benefited the most because Votto turned in a dominant stat line. Devers though had a great year IRL and should project out better than Votto does next season. If Devers continue to turn out top 10 MVP type season like he did last year this trade will look very good for the Rays. The Orioles have some long term upside as well as 2 very good pitching prospects in Loaisiga and Greene. So it is very possible that both teams come out happy in this trade.
SP Cole Hamels for 1B Greg Bird - I think after moving Votto the Rays were looking for a replacement at 1B. I think this trade also helped clear out even more salary for them.
SP Brusdar Graterol, RP James Pazos, SS Jorge Polanco, and C Tucker Barnhart for C Victor Caratini and SS Xander Bogaerts - Creates a dominant pair along with Devers on the left side for years to come as well as got a catcher that has some upside.
SP Karlo Seijas for SP Micheal Wacha - Looking for some SP depth and got it for a young SP.
SP Danny Duffy for SP Carlos Rodon - Duffy a slightly better pitcher but was more expensive so the offset was worth it.
SS Jordy Mercer for Isiah Kiner-Falefa - With Bogaerts didn't need Mercer so moved him for a prospect.
SP Michael Wacha and Austin Barnes for LF Marcell Ozuna - I think the Nats moved Ozuna because he was coming off a down year IRL and still had 5 years and 74 mil left on his contract were willing to move him. After trading Pollock this game the Rays 3 above average OFs again.
DH Kendrys Morales for SP Andrew Edwards - Salary Dump as Edwards isn't really a prospect.
SP Frankie Montas for SP Clay Buchholz, Micheal Pineda and RF Jhailyn Ortiz - TJ knew that he needed some starting pitchers made a move to get 2 slightly above average SP with salary covered for what had been an average SP in Montas who was cheap and still had plenty of upside.
SP Justin Dunn, Jeff Hoffman, 3B Rio Ruiz, SP Carlos Rodon and Ben Zobrist for James Paxton - Created a package of you players around established pro Rodon to swing an ace. Paxton did not pitch well for the Rays with an ERA over 5 but with another year of team control the Rays hope he can provide that top of the rotation stud.
1B Greg Bird for SP Madison Bumgarner - Madbum a rental that the Red Sox were willing to move for best offer available. Madbum pitched as a solid #3 with a 4.17 ERA in 22 starts.
C Christopher Bec for C James McCann - I think this was a trade geared towards next season as McCann was having a good year IRL and only played in the minors for the Rays.
SP Gio Gonzalez for RP Wade Leblanc - I guess this was a way for the Rays to get off of Gonzalez's contract as Leblanc was released after the trade.
RF Mike Yastrzemski, SP Alex Lange, and D.J. Peters for SP Carlos Carrasco - Yas was having a great season IRL attached to a couple of mid tier prospects got Carrasco who is an ace type pitcher who would pitch like it going 6-2 107 Ks in 14 games and 84.2 IP. Also has a 1 more year left on his contract.
SP JA Happ for Dane Dunning and 2B Tommy Edman - Trading from his surplus of SPs, TJ was able to acquire a top 10 White Sox prospect and one of the top rookies last season in Edman.
RF Jhailyn Ortiz, Drew Rom, and Jesus Dominguez for Jackie Bradley Jr. - After playing Conforto who is a below average CF in CF for the first 70 games or so I think that TJ was looking for an upgrade to his defense and went out and got one of the best in JBR.
C James McCann, C Victor Cratini, 2B Ramon Urias, 3B Rylan Bannon, and OF Tristan Pompey for C Buster Posey - The Rays needed offense and this was a major upgrade to their lineup. Posey came through with a .288/.374/.410 and a 118 OPS+ in 55 games.
C Matt Wieters, RP Kasowski, 2B Isia Kiner-Falefa, and Corey Oswalt for Austin Hedges and Carson Smith - Smith an elite BP arm and didn't disappoint with a .87 ERA in 20 games. Hedges provided a elite defensive backup C who actually hit really good in a limited number of at bats.
RF Adam Eaton, CF Jackie Bradley Jr., Jon Edwards, and Mike Ford for CF Aaron Hicks - Another trade in search of an offensive upgrade as Hicks is an above average defensive CF with a much better bat than JBR. With Ozuna and Conforta to still man the corners TJ was dealing from a strength trying to consolidate 2 players into a better 1. Unfortunately Hicks didn't hit very good for the Rays providing a .235/.349/.453 with 11 HRs and a 98 OPS+. With 1 more year left on his contract he should be a very good option in CF for the Rays.
RP Jovani Moran for Juan Nicasio - I think that TJ just saw a good value add here as I know that Nicasio sat on the block for a while before he was finally moved. He ended up pitching great for Tampa Bay to a tune of 1.86 ERA in 18 games.
SP Buck Farmer, Caleb Frare, C Jamie Ritchie, and RP Randy Rosario for RP Sean Doolittle - Wasn't necassarily a need but the Rays didn't have a dominant lefty in their pen yet so this gave them that and he still has 1 more season left on his contract. He wasn't dominate but he wasn't bad either. Had a 3.48 ERA in 20 games.
SP Henry Martinez, RP Yoshihisa Hirano, CF Jarren Duran, and Garrison Bryant for SP Sonny Gray - Another rental that he just had to give up mid tier prospects to get. Gray didn't pitch well with a 4.55 ERA in 6 starts before going down with an injury.
Whew that took awhile! TJ only had about 10 different catchers and 20 different SPs throughout the season. Lol. Unfortunately the hitters that he traded for just under preformed but with a large chunk of the players that he traded for back next season I think he is set up well for the future.
Free Agency Review:
RP Jon Edwards 1 yr 4.2 Mil - 5.79 ERA in 18 GP. Thrown into the Hicks trade. Although it may have been a salary dump situation. C-
RP Chris Martin 1 yr 3.8 Mil - 4-1 1.79 ERA in 33 GP. Pitched well and could be kept at around 4 mil again for next season if wanted. B+
OF Curtis Granderson 1 yr 1.95 Mil - Only got 63 ABs all season with no noticeable impact. Short deal with low salary. D+
C Matt Wieters 1 yr 1.73 Mil - Hit a putrid .196 and 56 OPS+ in 46 GP. Short deal with low salary. D+
RF Nelson Cruz 3 yr 57 Mil - .222/.308/.415 34 HRs 95 RBIs and 98 OPS+. Contract has an opt out after year 1 so for only 14 Mil but has a player option of 20 Mil for year 3. The first year was a disaster but it wasn't good. He preformed well IRL so if he does opt in he should have a chance to provide better production next year. I think if I was TB that I would want him to opt out. That 20 Mil player option for year 3 is a bit scary at his age. Hard to give a full grade until I see if he opts out or not. Since the poor first season and the potentially bad 3 season I am going to have to go with a C-.
2B DJ LeMehieu 1 yr 19.91 Mil - .253/.318/.372 8 HRs with a 91 OPS+. Short Deal but DJ did not live up to the 1 year contract. C-
SP Jimmy Nelson 1 yr .845 Mil - Signed in Aug pitched great for TB with a 2.84 ERA in 38 IP. B-
1B Jake Bauers 3 yr 8.31 Mil - Signed in Sep so really just a 2 yr deal. Does have some positional flexibility and was once a top 100 prospect who preformed well in the minors. Struggled a bit in the majors but I think this is a low risk/high reward type situation. B-
Unfotunately the big hitter FA signed just didn't play nearly well enough to justify their contracts. If I was grading the moves before the season I probably would have given Cruz a B- and DJ a B+. Overall I will give it a C-.
Starting the Off-season:
Lineup: Joey Votto hadn't been the same hitter IRL in 2018 but he was still very good and was still that middle of the order bat that a lineup could be built around. Coming back off of good years were OFs Micheal Conforto, A.J. Polluck, and Adam Eaton. That is a really good top 4 with all very good projections. The IF wasn't nearly as cut and dry. With Beltre retiring, Matt Duffy, Neil Walker, and Zach Cozart's slow years IRL it was going to be tough for the to replicate the same success. Walker was also a FA. Tucker Barnhart and Kyle Farmer made for and underwhelming combo but serviceable behind the plate. I guess after taking a look at his team he decided to say eff it and make major changes. Traded Farmer for Enrique Hernandez. Traded Votto, Duffy and some top prospects for Rafael Devers, Jorge Polanco and Jeff Hoffman. Then traded Polanco, Barnhart James Pazos and another top prospect for Xander Bogaerts to fill SS and Victor Caratini at catcher. Traded C Matt Wieters was signed. LF Curtis Granderson was signed as a Utility OF that could fill in all 3 spots. Nelson Cruz signed to a 3 yr deal to provide the thump that was going to be missing out of those infield bats. Signed Kendrys Morales to a 1 yr deal which he turned around and traded for a relief pitcher. Traded Pollack for Austin Barnes and prospects. Then traded Barnes and Micheal Wacha for Marcel Ozuna. Signed DJ Lemahieu. If you haven't paid 100 percent attention to the league you may have missed some of these moves and if you are now lost don't worry it was hard to scrounge through everything trying not to miss anything.
In review his lineup for opening day was: Eaton RF, Bogaerts SS, Conforto CF, Cruz DH, Ozuna LF, E. Hernandez 1B, Wieters C, Z. Cozart 3B, D. Lemahieu 2B. So only 3 holdover's from 2018 team were Eaton, Conforto, and Cozart. While none of them had MVP type projections most have good to very good projections. The exceptions being Wieters and Cozart.
Rotation: Going into the off-season I think TJ knew that was was going to have to make some upgrades to his rotation with the best SP he had was Cole Hamels, followed by J.A. Happ, Micheal Pineda, and Tanner Roark. Roark was not offered arbitration. Traded Pineda and Hamels getting Greg Bird and Dan Vogalbach. Traded prospects for Danny Duffy who was flipped for Carlos Rodon. Signed Jaime Garcia and Josh Tomlin to a minor league deal. And used Shane Carlyle for his 5th starter. Going into the season Duffy and Rodon were above average starters but after that it was the bottom of the barrel fillers to start. If the Rays would have kept this rotation for the entire season it wouldn't have went very well. Alas TJ never rests and just 8 days into the season swings a trade to bring back Micheal Pineda and Clay Buchholtz. Also claimed Gio Gonzalez off of waviers which would bring his rotation up to at least 5 average to slightly below average SPs.
Bullpen: With Keone Kela, Mychal Givens, and Darren O'Day, the Rays had an elite back end to their bullpen. Add in Dayton Grant through trade, sign Chris Martin and promotion of Ryne Harper, the Bullpen was a strength for the Rays from day 1.
Early season:
It wasn't long before TJ upgraded his rotation again 4/24 he traded Rodon and 4 other players for James Paxton to give his rotation an ace that it needed. The Rays toiled around .500 for the first 2 months mainly due to a lack of offense. Many of their hitters struggled mightily all at once. Only Bogaerts, Eaton, and LeMahieu were hitting up to their potential and then DJLM got hurt for 4 weeks. In may Devers was finally called up to give a boost to the lineup. Bird was traded for Madison Baumgartner. In June completed trades for James Mccann, trading away Gio Gonzalez for Wade Leblanc, and traded prospects to Seattle for Carlos Carrasco. The rotation was now significantly stronger: Carrasco, Paxton, Happ, Baumgartner, Buckholz, and Pineda. TB now stacked with 2 aces and 4 other above average pitchers. So after a good June the Rays were up to 46-38 and firmly in both the WC and DIV races.
Mid Season:
After spending the early part of the season the Rays looked to bolster their lineup. Traded prospects to get Jackie Bradley Jr., traded McCann, Caratini, and prospect to get Buster Posey, Wieters and prospects for Austin Hedges, Eaton, Bradley, Edwards, and Ford for Aaron Hicks. In the rotation moved Happ for prospects and traded prospects for Sonny Gray. Also fortified an already great bullpen to make it hands down the best with the additions of Sean Doolittle and Juan Nicasio.
End of the Season Thoughts:
Lineup:
Finished 10th (AL) in runs scored the Rays had mos of their hitters struggle for long periods of time. No one really stood out as having an MVP type season. 5 full time players were over 100 OPS+ but none had greater than 118 OPS+. The Rays had more talent in their lineup than this but too many failed to meet their preseason projections.
Starting Rotation:
Finished 4th (AL) in starters' ERA. Got a bit unlucky down the stretch with both Buchholtz and Gray missing big chunks of time, signed Jimmy Nelson to fill in and only ran with a 4 man rotation in September. 3 of the 4 pitched well though. Overall with what the Rays started the season with it is quite the transformation. In the game they are only ranked as 12th but I don't think that takes into count injured players. I will get a better sense the more of these I do but I wouldn't be surprised if I ranked the them somewhere closer to top 5. What looked like was going to be the weakness of the team turned out to be a strength.
Bullpen:
Finished 1st (AL) in bullpen ERA. Started out as one of the best and and made 3 additions of top flight relief pitchers to finish as the best rated and in my opinion the best bullpen in the league
In conclusion:
The Rays fell short of the WC this season. Mainly getting unlucky with how poorly the lineup performed. The future looks bright for the their lineup though with a core of Bogaerts, Devers, Ozuna, and Conforto to build around. Paxton will be back and provide that ace at the top again. Carrasco struggled IRL so his projection will probably drop down to more of a SP2-3. After that there are some holes to fill with Madbum and Gray becoming FA's. The without additions Bullpen should still be a major strength even if it isn't quite as dominant. With only 129 Mil guaranteed on the books and Cruz has an opt out that would clear up 14 Mil more TJ should have plenty of financial flexibility to augment his lineup and rotation and make another push at a playoff spot next season.
Trades Overview:
CF Travis Swaggerty and SP Sean Reid-Foley for SP Danny Duffy Trading 2 top 10 organizational prospects for an above average starting pitcher that the Rays needed desperately. Duffy never pitched for the Rays.
SP Micheal Pineda for 1B Dan Vogelbach I think this was mainly a salary dump move as Pineda was making 8 mil and Vogelbach was making the minimum.
C Kyle Farmer, Ryan Helsley, and Austin Dean for UT Enrique Hernandez - With Hernandez's position flexibility it would allow for TJ to make all kinds of moves know he had him to fall back on to fill almost any position. He ended up playing at least 3 games at every position besides P and C.
C Manny Pina, CF A.J. Pollack for Austin Barnes, Grant Dayton, and Ramon Urias - Got an elite defensive catcher back, a usable RP, and an top 10 Cardinals prospect this trade looks more like a salary dump to get of the long term money owed to Pollack. As Pollock didn't sim that great it didn't really hurt much.
1B Joey Votto, 3B Matt Duffy, SP Hunter Greene, SS Arquimedes Gamboa, and Jonathan Loaisiga for Rafeal Devers, Jorge Polanco and Jeff Hoffman - I think one of the most crazy trades between division rivals that you will every see. This year the Orioles benefited the most because Votto turned in a dominant stat line. Devers though had a great year IRL and should project out better than Votto does next season. If Devers continue to turn out top 10 MVP type season like he did last year this trade will look very good for the Rays. The Orioles have some long term upside as well as 2 very good pitching prospects in Loaisiga and Greene. So it is very possible that both teams come out happy in this trade.
SP Cole Hamels for 1B Greg Bird - I think after moving Votto the Rays were looking for a replacement at 1B. I think this trade also helped clear out even more salary for them.
SP Brusdar Graterol, RP James Pazos, SS Jorge Polanco, and C Tucker Barnhart for C Victor Caratini and SS Xander Bogaerts - Creates a dominant pair along with Devers on the left side for years to come as well as got a catcher that has some upside.
SP Karlo Seijas for SP Micheal Wacha - Looking for some SP depth and got it for a young SP.
SP Danny Duffy for SP Carlos Rodon - Duffy a slightly better pitcher but was more expensive so the offset was worth it.
SS Jordy Mercer for Isiah Kiner-Falefa - With Bogaerts didn't need Mercer so moved him for a prospect.
SP Michael Wacha and Austin Barnes for LF Marcell Ozuna - I think the Nats moved Ozuna because he was coming off a down year IRL and still had 5 years and 74 mil left on his contract were willing to move him. After trading Pollock this game the Rays 3 above average OFs again.
DH Kendrys Morales for SP Andrew Edwards - Salary Dump as Edwards isn't really a prospect.
SP Frankie Montas for SP Clay Buchholz, Micheal Pineda and RF Jhailyn Ortiz - TJ knew that he needed some starting pitchers made a move to get 2 slightly above average SP with salary covered for what had been an average SP in Montas who was cheap and still had plenty of upside.
SP Justin Dunn, Jeff Hoffman, 3B Rio Ruiz, SP Carlos Rodon and Ben Zobrist for James Paxton - Created a package of you players around established pro Rodon to swing an ace. Paxton did not pitch well for the Rays with an ERA over 5 but with another year of team control the Rays hope he can provide that top of the rotation stud.
1B Greg Bird for SP Madison Bumgarner - Madbum a rental that the Red Sox were willing to move for best offer available. Madbum pitched as a solid #3 with a 4.17 ERA in 22 starts.
C Christopher Bec for C James McCann - I think this was a trade geared towards next season as McCann was having a good year IRL and only played in the minors for the Rays.
SP Gio Gonzalez for RP Wade Leblanc - I guess this was a way for the Rays to get off of Gonzalez's contract as Leblanc was released after the trade.
RF Mike Yastrzemski, SP Alex Lange, and D.J. Peters for SP Carlos Carrasco - Yas was having a great season IRL attached to a couple of mid tier prospects got Carrasco who is an ace type pitcher who would pitch like it going 6-2 107 Ks in 14 games and 84.2 IP. Also has a 1 more year left on his contract.
SP JA Happ for Dane Dunning and 2B Tommy Edman - Trading from his surplus of SPs, TJ was able to acquire a top 10 White Sox prospect and one of the top rookies last season in Edman.
RF Jhailyn Ortiz, Drew Rom, and Jesus Dominguez for Jackie Bradley Jr. - After playing Conforto who is a below average CF in CF for the first 70 games or so I think that TJ was looking for an upgrade to his defense and went out and got one of the best in JBR.
C James McCann, C Victor Cratini, 2B Ramon Urias, 3B Rylan Bannon, and OF Tristan Pompey for C Buster Posey - The Rays needed offense and this was a major upgrade to their lineup. Posey came through with a .288/.374/.410 and a 118 OPS+ in 55 games.
C Matt Wieters, RP Kasowski, 2B Isia Kiner-Falefa, and Corey Oswalt for Austin Hedges and Carson Smith - Smith an elite BP arm and didn't disappoint with a .87 ERA in 20 games. Hedges provided a elite defensive backup C who actually hit really good in a limited number of at bats.
RF Adam Eaton, CF Jackie Bradley Jr., Jon Edwards, and Mike Ford for CF Aaron Hicks - Another trade in search of an offensive upgrade as Hicks is an above average defensive CF with a much better bat than JBR. With Ozuna and Conforta to still man the corners TJ was dealing from a strength trying to consolidate 2 players into a better 1. Unfortunately Hicks didn't hit very good for the Rays providing a .235/.349/.453 with 11 HRs and a 98 OPS+. With 1 more year left on his contract he should be a very good option in CF for the Rays.
RP Jovani Moran for Juan Nicasio - I think that TJ just saw a good value add here as I know that Nicasio sat on the block for a while before he was finally moved. He ended up pitching great for Tampa Bay to a tune of 1.86 ERA in 18 games.
SP Buck Farmer, Caleb Frare, C Jamie Ritchie, and RP Randy Rosario for RP Sean Doolittle - Wasn't necassarily a need but the Rays didn't have a dominant lefty in their pen yet so this gave them that and he still has 1 more season left on his contract. He wasn't dominate but he wasn't bad either. Had a 3.48 ERA in 20 games.
SP Henry Martinez, RP Yoshihisa Hirano, CF Jarren Duran, and Garrison Bryant for SP Sonny Gray - Another rental that he just had to give up mid tier prospects to get. Gray didn't pitch well with a 4.55 ERA in 6 starts before going down with an injury.
Whew that took awhile! TJ only had about 10 different catchers and 20 different SPs throughout the season. Lol. Unfortunately the hitters that he traded for just under preformed but with a large chunk of the players that he traded for back next season I think he is set up well for the future.
Free Agency Review:
RP Jon Edwards 1 yr 4.2 Mil - 5.79 ERA in 18 GP. Thrown into the Hicks trade. Although it may have been a salary dump situation. C-
RP Chris Martin 1 yr 3.8 Mil - 4-1 1.79 ERA in 33 GP. Pitched well and could be kept at around 4 mil again for next season if wanted. B+
OF Curtis Granderson 1 yr 1.95 Mil - Only got 63 ABs all season with no noticeable impact. Short deal with low salary. D+
C Matt Wieters 1 yr 1.73 Mil - Hit a putrid .196 and 56 OPS+ in 46 GP. Short deal with low salary. D+
RF Nelson Cruz 3 yr 57 Mil - .222/.308/.415 34 HRs 95 RBIs and 98 OPS+. Contract has an opt out after year 1 so for only 14 Mil but has a player option of 20 Mil for year 3. The first year was a disaster but it wasn't good. He preformed well IRL so if he does opt in he should have a chance to provide better production next year. I think if I was TB that I would want him to opt out. That 20 Mil player option for year 3 is a bit scary at his age. Hard to give a full grade until I see if he opts out or not. Since the poor first season and the potentially bad 3 season I am going to have to go with a C-.
2B DJ LeMehieu 1 yr 19.91 Mil - .253/.318/.372 8 HRs with a 91 OPS+. Short Deal but DJ did not live up to the 1 year contract. C-
SP Jimmy Nelson 1 yr .845 Mil - Signed in Aug pitched great for TB with a 2.84 ERA in 38 IP. B-
1B Jake Bauers 3 yr 8.31 Mil - Signed in Sep so really just a 2 yr deal. Does have some positional flexibility and was once a top 100 prospect who preformed well in the minors. Struggled a bit in the majors but I think this is a low risk/high reward type situation. B-
Unfotunately the big hitter FA signed just didn't play nearly well enough to justify their contracts. If I was grading the moves before the season I probably would have given Cruz a B- and DJ a B+. Overall I will give it a C-.