With that in mind, Joel Sherman had an interesting piece wondering if baseball may be heading into a Golden Age of trading. In the piece, he wonders if there will be more blockbuster trades, as the pool of available free agents decreases. Also, those free agents are more likely to be older, and approaching the downside of their careers, as they are being extended throughout most of their prime.

As such, the lack of available free agents and more teams in the market to trade for talented players may end up helping the Rays. As it stands presently, the Rays cannot afford to have many overly expensive players on their roster. With David Price becoming more expensive with each passing year, teams are waiting for the point in time where the Rays are anticipated to trade him, since he may soon be beyond their budget limitations. By having more potential suitors than there may have been in the past, since more teams may feel that a player like Price could be the piece needed to catapult them into the playoffs, the Rays may be able to maximize his trade value for than they could have even a year before.

Already, it appears as though the return in trades has been higher than it had been. Consider the hauls that the Rays received for James Shields, or the return the Mets got for R.A. Dickey. For one year of Shin-Soo Choo, the Indians got back a top pitching prospect in Trevor Bauer. With the possibility that free agency may be becoming a bit de-emphasized due to fewer players in the peak of their careers being available, trades are likely to increase, with the returns potentially being higher than they had been before.

Even though certain aspects of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement may have hurt, such as the spending cap in the draft and the changes in regards to compensatory picks, the changing landscape of free agency may end up being helpful as the Rays continue to find ways to remain competitive. If fewer players hit free agency, then the Rays financial disadvantages may end up being less of a factor than they have been, since there would be fewer players for teams to spend money on. Although they would still likely have to part with players as they reach certain financial thresholds, they may be able to continue to build upon their already excellent farm system. By continuing to receive top prospects for those players, and extending their younger players before free agency, the Rays may be able to continue their run of success.

It may be that baseball is truly about to enter a Golden Age for trades. If so, the increased emphasis upon the trade market may help the Rays in both the long and short term.

The Rays system boasts of Tim Beckham and Hak-Ju Lee, two solid shortstop prospects. Lee, in fact, may be one of the top five prospects in the Rays organization. However, Lee may be a year or two away from the majors. Beckham, meanwhile, received playing time at second base at Durham this year, and may be required there in 2013. This would, seemingly, leave a hole at shortstop yet again for the Rays next season.

Enter Yunel Escobar. Escobar, who is presently in the midst of a three game suspension for writing a slur about homosexuals upon his eyeblack, is rumored to be made available this offseason by the Toronto Blue Jays. In his sixth season, the mercurial Escobar has already been been dumped by the Atlanta Braves due to his perceived lack of professionalism and lack of hustle. have the Blue Jays potentially given up on him as well?

Yunel Escobar is also an undeniably talented shortstop, both offensively and defensively. Over his career, he has a .282/.353/.391 batting line, with 53 home runs in 771 career games. He has also displayed a solid batting eye, with 290 walks and only 362 strikeouts in 3261 career plate appearances. This season has been a down year for him, but his line of .251/.295/.346 to go along with 9 home runs and 49 RBI is still better than what the Rays have gotten from the shortstop position. Defensively, Escobar ranks near the top in traditional fielding statistics such as fielding percentage, and is also prominent amongst the more advanced stats. Escobar ranks third amongst AL shortstops in range factor at 4.67, second in Total Zone Runs with 16, and fourth in defensive WAR, at 2.5.

Escobar is signed through next season at $5Million, with two team options for 2014 and 2015 at $5Million each. $5Million for a solid offensive shortstop with a little power and a good glove is not a lot, and would likely fit within the confines of the Rays payroll. Trading for Escobar would also have little risk. Should his disruptive tendencies continue, and/or Hak-Ju Lee is ready to take over in 2014, then Escobar would likely be permitted to walk. Otherwise, his affordable options would make him a player that can be built around over the next few seasons.

If nothing else, a potential trade for Escobar would provide the Rays with a bridge to Lee in the future. Escobar would also be a potential upgrade over the miasmal contributions from the shortstop position since 2009. Bringing in Yunel Escobar could very well make sense.

Of course, when reviewing the Rays lack of movement at the deadline, it is important to note their weaknesses – specifically catcher and shortstop against what players were moved. While the acquisition of Roberts certainly helps with overall depth, it did little to solve the two most glaring weaknesses on the roster.

Yet, who was available? At shortstop, Marco Scutaro and Hanley Ramirez were both traded. Scutaro would have fit as a rental player, and Ramirez is not far removed from being an MVP caliber player at short. However, Ramirez’s salary put him far beyond Tampa’s price range.

For catchers, it was pretty much the same with few being on the move. Geovany Soto was sent to Texas, causing Yorvit Torreabla to be designated for assignment. George Kottaras, while not a starter, was traded to Oakland. Soto, while easily the best of the trio, is hardly a sure thing either. He has had two solid seasons in 2008 and 2010, but has been awful in 2009, 2011, and thus far this year.

The Rays also resisted the temptations, if there were truly any, to move either James Shields or Wade Davis, both of which had been heavily involved in trade rumours over the past few weeks. Despite reported interest from several teams, the Rays kept their pitching staff, a strength all season, intact for a playoff run.

All in all, given what was available at the deadline, the Rays likely did the right thing by not making a move. It may not be exciting, but it was probably for the best.