Why the Rays traded Sanchez and De Leon

The Rays made several moves ahead of the deadline to finalize the 40-man roster. They selected five contracts, DFA’d Matt Duffy and traded two players away.

The Rays were busy ahead of the 8 pm deadline to solidify the 40-man roster. GM, Erik Neander worked his magic to maximize value on the Tampa roster. Here’s a rundown of the moves that were made:

Contracts Selected to the 40-Man Roster

• Ronaldo Hernandez
• Vidal Brujan
• Jake Cronenworth
• Lucius Fox
• Kevin Padlo

Players Traded Away 

• Jose De Leon
• Cristopher Sanchez

Players Acquired

• Curtis Mead
• Player to be named later (he’s my favorite player)
• Cash (potentially some coupons for a “buy 10 for $10” protein bars at Publix)*

*Note: You don’t actually have to buy 10 to get the deal, I have been unaware of this for decades. I hope I have saved you several years of pain, wasted money and embarrassment.

Players Designated for Assignment

• Matt Duffy

If you are unfamiliar with what any of these terms mean, please read our explanation of the 40-Man Roster, DFAs, and the Rule 5 Draft to get up to speed.

Selected Contracts

The list of players added to the 40-man roster includes MLB.com’s 39th ranked prospect, Vidal Brujan. These players can now be utilized as Major League reserves and are protected from being whisked away in the Rule 5 Draft.

Traded Players

Jose De Leon was once a highly-regarded prospect who has seen his share of injuries. The Rays opted not to use a space on the 40-man roster for him this year. By trading him they were able to receive something of value instead of letting him go in the Rule 5 Draft. Knowing the Rays, the player to be named later will end up being an All-Star.

Cristopher Sanchez put together a nice 2019 for the Rays between Single-A Bowling green and A+ Charlotte. In 75.2 IP he finished with a 2.26 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 73 K’s and the lowest BB/9 rate (3.1) of his professional career.

Again, moving Sanchez for a quality 19-year-old bat was a smart move. When you have the top-ranked farm system in the league, good players can be left on the outside looking in. Acquiring Curtis Mead for Sanchez was a better move than if someone were to select Sanchez in the Rule 5 Draft. Instead of being left empty-handed, we have a 19-year-old player who hit .285/.351/.462 in Rookie Ball last season.

Matt Duffy

Unfortunately, Matt Duffy’s time with the Rays has come to an end. Duffy was a solid defender, a great leader, and a good contact hitter. The injuries limited his experience with the Rays and the DFA should provide him with another opportunity to contribute somewhere.

Now that we are past the 40-Man Roster deadline, what do you think the next move is for the Rays this offseason? Let us know in the comment section below!