The thing to remember is that once a player is designated for assignment, they are exposed to waivers, which teams getting the opportunity to claim them. The team that receives the claim, though, is the team with the highest waiver priority, meaning for right now the team with the worst record in 2012 of all the claiming teams. After finishing with 9th-best record in baseball in 2012, the Rays’ waiver priority is just 22nd, and the odds of any player they possibly would have wanted falling to them after getting designated for assignment was extremely low. It didn’t matter that they were perfect fits for the Rays or that the teams that designated them for assignment had no leverage in trade talks- the only thing that mattered was going to be the highest-priority team that claimed them, and unless a player had serious flaws to warrant 21 teams passing on him, that team was never going to be the Rays. And if a player did have major issues, why would the Rays claim him?

When a player is designated for assignment, fans of the Rays and other contending teams in baseball can speculate about whether that player could be someone their team could be interested in. But at the end of the day, it’s useless getting your hopes up. The Rays could have claimed both Kottaras and Carp or they could have claimed neither- it doesn’t matter because their chances of being the team that received the claim for either of them were slim to none from the start.

“I won’t get to play for Seattle again and that’s a shame,”  “I loved it up there in the Northwest. I consider myself fortunate to have played there. Not too many guys can say they have four years in at the big league level already starting at age 22. I still feel I have a lot to offer. I’m just getting started.”

Just getting started is right, at this point the 26 year old left-handed hitter does have much to give and has yet to reach his potential as he hasn’t even entered the prime of his career.  Carp, a ninth round pick of the New York Mets from the 2004 draft has always been known to have power potential but has not been able to translate that to the major league level.  Given the opportunity, a chance at possible full time at bats, and a winning environment could be just what he needs to pull it all together.  During his four years at the major league level Carp has not even had more than 313 at bats in a single season.

The real question is what would the Rays do to accommodate Mike Carp if a deal with Seattle can be worked out as their own 40 man roster is full and a subsequent move would need to be made.  Who would the Rays designate for assignment?  It has been speculated previously that such players as C/OF Stephen Vogt, RHP Josh Lueke, or C Robinson Chirinos could get designated if Tampa Bay needed to clear room.  A low risk move of this nature could provide an opportunity for Mike Carp to finally fulfill his potential, at worst he provides left handed depth at first base and left field at a controllable cost for a few more years, which fits right into the Rays wheelhouse.

Carp, a first baseman & left fielder for the Seattle Mariners, is a potential fit for Tampa to play first base for the near future.  Carp, much like Smoak, is 26, controllable through the 2017 season, carries a low salary currently, and could be traded by Seattle.  The major differences between the two are that Carp is a left-handed hitter while Smoak is a switch hitter and that Carp was a 9th round draft pick who was never really considered a top prospect while Smoak was an 11th overall pick in the draft and was among the top prospects in baseball his entire way through the minor leagues.  Despite being a left handed hitter, Carp’s numbers against left handed pitching (.300/.341/.462, 4 HR, 20 RBI in 138 PA) are actually quite noticeably better than his numbers against right handed pitching (.241/.323/.398, 14 HR, 51 RBI in 470 PA), albeit in a relatively small sample size. But Carp is no slouch against either side at the plate, managing a nice .276/.356/.498 line in 1393 Triple-A plate appearances, and certainly deserves a more extended chance to show what he can do. Interestingly, Carp and Smoak also have similar offensive numbers in the major leagues, as noted in the chart below, although Carp does have a smaller sample size. (Home runs and RBIs are per 500 plate appearances.)

With the Seattle Mariners hoarding a plethora of corner outfield/first base/DH players this off season someone could essentially be moved to strengthen their bullpen or back of the rotation.  Taking up up playing time will be Jason Bay (OF), Carp (OF, 1B), Raul Ibanez (OF, DH), Mike Morse (OF, 1B), Smoak (1B), and Kendrys Morales (1B, DH).  Considering Seattle also needs to find playing time for outfielders Franklin Gutierrez and Michael Saunders, who are almost locks for right field and center, meaning that the Mariners have six players to fill three spots at left field, first base, and designated hitter.  With both Bay and Ibanez past their prime and posing as potential injury risks, Seattle could conceivably hang onto all of their pieces but could be better suited moving a player for some depth.  If Seattle was willing to move Carp, what would it take to land him? That’s something that remains to be seen. But Carp has what it takes to be an impact player for the Rays immediately and an important piece of the Rays for the next several years. Andrew Friedman has a history of making under the radar moves that always seem to pan out for the Rays. If the price is right, Mike Carp could be next on the list.

UPDATE (2/12): The Mariners have designated Carp for assignment, meaning that Carp coming to the Rays could only be a matter of whether a team with higher waiver priority than the Rays (i.e. worse 2012 record) decides to claim him over them. As I followed up on this topic here, Mike Carp landing in Tampa Bay could be something that will actually happen, and the move could materialize over the next week or so.