Tampa Bay Rays: Fake GM Sim Recap Day 2

A much slower day for the fake Tampa Bay Rays in the FanSided GM simulation, did however result in the addition of a power first baseman and a starting pitcher.

As mentioned in the recap of the first day of the simulation, I acquired pitchers Jon Gray and Jose Leclerc, and fielder Nomar Mazara. While I traded away Tampa Bay Rays players C.J. Cron, Matt Duffy, Guillermo Heredia, and prospect Shane McClanahan.

I also mentioned the likelihood that Nomar Mazara would be flipped in an effort to trade for an impact right-handed bat who could play first. Well, that happened as well as the first free agent signing of the fake offseason for the Rays.

Lets break down both fake moves:

#1 Abreu Trade

Once trade discussions regarding Paul Goldschmidt fell through, my full attention turned to White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu. The slugging right hander will add a thump to a Rays lineup. 2018 was his worst year of his career which drove down his price tag.

Abreu will be a one year rental with a price tag of 16 million, but the Rays ave the financial flexibility to absorb that type of monetary commitment. When healthy, Abreu can hit .300 with 30 bombs and 100+ RBI’s.

As planned, I flipped Mazara to the south side of Chicago along with Rays prospect Kyle Bird. Mazara simply had no place to play like Mallex Smith, and it would have been very hard to find a roster spot for Kyle Bird as the deadline approached for the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. Bird had a good year between Montgomery and Durham, finishing with a 2.39 ERA and 85 strikeouts over 75.1 innings.

Overall, I think it was a rather fair trade.

#2 Trevor Cahill signing

Contract: 2 years and 12 million dollars (6 million per year)

There wasn’t too much competition for Cahill in the fake free agent market, in fact that was the only offer made to the veteran ground ball specialist. In Oakland, Cahill made 20 starts and threw 110 innings in a season in which he signed late. He was very good, going 7-4 with an ERA of 3.76 with 100 strikeouts and an ERA+ of 110.

He will fit nicely into the fake Rays rotation behind Snell and Glasnow and hopefully in front a resurgent Jon Gray. He will induce a lot of soft contact which will play well with a stellar Tampa Bay defense behind him.

At 6 million a year, Cahill was a no brainer, I didn’t want to sign anyone for more than 2 years and Happ’s bidding got a little too expensive for my taste. Eovaldi began getting 4 and 5 year contract offers and that was also a bit too much for me.

Money Stuff

On the day, the Rays alleviated themselves of Nomar Mazara’s projected 3.7 million but incurred Abreu’s projected 16 million dollars and Cahill’s 6 million dollar salary for 2019.

All in all, it was an expensive day for the Rays, but one that they could afford. The fake Rays took on roughly 22.3 million dollars today.

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Keep a look out for further updates as the GM Sim will wind down today.