Another week, another prediction of a Rays player being traded.
It's not totally out of left field (no pun intended, Randy Arozarena was already traded anyways), as the Rays are one of the more transactional teams in baseball.
This new prediction via Bleacher Report has Yandy Diaz going to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for former No. 6 prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand.
Now the validity of the Rays getting Strand for Diaz, both because Diaz's value may not be that high and the Rays may not be as eager to take on another corner infield prospect with Jonathan Aranda, Curtis Mead, Xavier Isaac, and (last but not least) Tre' Morgan vying for playing time at those spots, is not as secure.
Strand is basically a right-handed Isaac; his raw power is elite, with the potential to hit a bunch of bombs at any given point, but his massive weakness at the plate lies with both his lack of contact and his approach at the plate.
He had one of the worst chase rates in his limited time at the major league level last season, and his whiff rate wasn't much better, making it tough to project him as anything more than an interesting slugger that teams can dream on for a few more years before he ends up overseas.
Of course, a change of scenery could help the 25-year old infielder, but his positional value as likely a first baseman-only makes his ability to hit not just important (as it always is with any positional player), but essential, as he will never provide any defensive or baserunning value.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand - Cincinnati Reds (1)
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) March 31, 2024
pic.twitter.com/BaRCFGYsq1
Add in the fact that due to him being right-handed, he'll never be the recipient of favorable platoon matchups. Therefore, Strand's value to the Rays might not be high enough to warrant giving up even half a season of Yandy Diaz.
However, there are other interesting prospects around the league the Rays could be interested in both in the Reds' organization as well as around baseball, and Cincinnati might even be eager to give up a pitcher or another prospect instead of Encarnacion-Strand.
The Mariners and Yankees will both likely need bats at the trade deadline (among other teams), as the Yankees' signing of Paul Goldschmidt doesn't inspire confidence and the Mariners not signing anyone of note to play first base makes even less sense.
The Yankees might not be willing to give up a top prospect like the Jasson Domínguez or Spencer Jones, and the Mariners already gave the Rays a few talented prospects at last year's deadline.
Still, the Rays are always great at finding value from places that few other teams can.