3 dream trade targets for the Rays and what it would take to acquire them

The Rays' roster as currently constructed is for the most part set.

They don't have much room to make any signings or big prospect hauls, but there's room for consolidation of some of their top prospects into more major league ready talent.

So here are 3 dream trade targets that could involve some of the excess prospect talent the Rays have coming through the minors, and maybe even some veteran major leaguers that could be dealt.

1. Brenton Doyle

Ah, Brenton Doyle, a dream trade target indeed.

He's one of, if not the best defensive center fielder in baseball, and after an abysmal 2023 at the plate, he managed to submit a fine performance offensively in 2024.

His 97 wRC+ isn't anything to write home about, but when compared to his 45 mark in that category, anything would be a massive jump.

Regardless, other than his overall production, there are also reasons to believe another jump is possible, even if it's small.

His launch angles are pretty solid, as are his quality of contact metrics, as all are above the 60th percentile amongst other major leaguers.

How much of that is boosted by Coors Field?

Well, he did manage a 120 wRC+ at home in 2024 compared to a 76 rating on the road, so, that's not super encouraging.

However, he also didn't have as big of a drop off in hard-hit rates in those two different marks as the difference in wRC+ would suggest.

Luckily, even if he only manages to be a slightly below-average hitter as a major leaguer, he can still be an immensely valuable player in center, with a 16 outs-above-average mark last year and one of the strongest arms in baseball to go with elite sprint speed.

All of that to say, Doyle would be a superb acquisition for the Rays, and while it would take some decent prospects to get him, it's not out of the realm of possibility, as the Rockies are in need of drastic help with their farm system.

The Rays have the depth to make up for whoever they lose, and a fun target for the Rockies would be Brayden Taylor, which isn't a bad return for Doyle if there's another prospect or two included in the deal.

For the Rays, they feel fine with giving up Taylor, as Curtis Mead can hopefully be the second baseman of the future and Junior Caminero is not going anywhere at third.

Doyle gives them another elite defensive center fielder to roam the outfield for the next few years, and if he develops enough offensively, he could be flipped for an even bigger prospect return than what they give up for him.

2. Bryce Miller

The Rays trading for a high-caliber starting pitcher might not seem super on-brand for them. They can seemingly get good pitching anywhere, so trading for a quality pitcher like Miller and giving up a bunch to get him might not be the wisest idea.

But hey, it's dream targets, and it would've been boring to just write about position players, so therefore Miller is included.

He might benefit a bit from pitching in the pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park, but his stuff is absolutely elite.

His fastball sits at 95 mph and has 18.3 inches of rise along with a 6.3 inch tail on average.

It also grades out incredibly well in the Stuff+ metric, with a 124 mark for his four-seamer in his young career.

His sweeper, although not used as much as his splitter or sinker as a secondary pitch, is also nasty with about 14.8 inches of break on average and a 129 career mark in Stuff+.

So, the Rays would have quite a bit to work with starting off, meaning his already solid 90 FIP- could get even better going through the Rays' amazing player development system.

Plus, the Rays could unload one of their veterans like Brandon Lowe or Yandy Diaz, who are on expiring deals, to get Seattle some much-needed offensive help.

3. Heston Kjerstad

Jeez, a corner outfield prospect who hasn't gotten consistent playing time in the majors yet, dream bigger, eh?

Well, Kjerstad is no normal corner outfield prospect. He's been blocked by Anthony Santander for a few years now, and now he's going to potentially be blocked by Tyler O'Neill, too.

The Rays could take advantage of the Orioles' lack of faith in Kjerstad and make a deal for the lefty, as Baltimore desperately needs pitching both in the bullpen and the starting rotation.

But first, the here's the reason why Kjerstad would be an excellent investment for the Rays.

Last season at the AAA level, he put up some of the best quality of contact metrics at the level, with a .361 xwOBA and 90.7 average exit velocity.

He posted similarly impressive marks in those categories in his brief time in the majors in 2023, so while he hasn't been able to put those marks up consistently over multiple years, he can at least prove he's done it before.

His defense and speed are both fine but not the reason to invest in the corner outfielder, which is fine for someone in that spot.

His big calling cards are his exceptional bat-to-ball skills and massive power, which are reason enough to potentially give up a guy like Zack Littell or Pete Fairbanks for a return centered around the former 2nd overall pick.