3 Former Rays the Team Should Re-Acquire

Still in the thick of the AL Wild Card race, the Tampa Bay Rays could go plenty of different ways before the trade deadline. The offense has been lacking this season, and while the pitching has been a key strength, they've been hampered by injuries on both sides of the ball and could use reinforcements more than just about any team in MLB.

With a team that is as active in the trade market as the Rays are, there are bound to be players that used to be with the club that are finding success elsewhere, and a few of those names might actually suit the Rays' needs well down the stretch. Here are 3 former Tampa Bay Rays that could help the team out, should the front office pursue a reunion.

3. Alex Cobb

The Rays rank 2nd-last in all of baseball in terms of innings pitched by their starters. Injuries have played a factor but in order to stay in the playoff hunt, they will need durable arms to log innings for them so that their promising, young pitchers aren't completely burned out by October. Enter: Alex Cobb. Cobb has not played for the Rays since 2017, and there has been so much turnover since then that Kevin Kiermaier is the lone remaining player from that team's core.

Since his time with the Rays, Cobb played for the lost Orioles teams of the late 2010s, but reconstructed a name for himself after suddenly becoming a strikeout pitcher in 2021 with the Angels, after previously being known strictly as a pitch-to-contact type of player. This allowed him to earn some extra cash on the free-agent market, as the Giants signed him to a 3-year, $28M deal with a club option for the final year.

San Francisco, however, is reeling, having lost 5 in a row at the time of writing and sitting 2 games back of the final playoff spot in the NL, just a season after setting a franchise record with 107 wins. If things get worse and they pivot, deciding to ship their older assets out of town, Cobb (age 34) could be in play and the Rays need more healthy pitchers. At first glance, his 4.59 ERA seems subpar, but a dominant second half looks inevitable. His 3.13 FIP, 2.51 xERA, and 9.9 K/9 (career-high) all indicate that he is a far better pitcher than the results show, and the Rays may want to take advantage and make a trade to acquire the promising pitcher they once drafted 16 years ago.

2. Jesus Aguilar

Jesus Aguilar was only with the Rays for half a season in 2019 and didn't suit up for any of the 6 postseason games they played that year, departing from the team via waivers just a year after belting 35 home runs, but he's worth pursuing again. The former all-star has a small but notable sample of recording clutch hits in the playoffs and has a respectable .769 OPS in 3 seasons with the Marlins since his short-lived tenure in St. Pete.

Aguilar is only 32 years old and would platoon well as a right-handed batter with Ji-Man Choi as a 1B/DH type (Choi doesn't play against lefty pitchers very much). The Rays have been giving Isaac Paredes and Harold Ramirez reps at first base, both of whom have been bright spots offensively, but they might be better off at their natural positions at second base and corner outfield respectively. This is because Vidal Brujan and Taylor Walls have been on the Major League roster in the absence of Brandon Lowe, and neither of them have done much of anything with the bat. Demoting one of them and trading for a hitter such as Aguilar would help the team score more runs.

The Marlins, while having made strides as an organization, still project to sell at the trade deadline, and Aguilar has technically been a below-average hitter (98 OPS+) this year, but that's still a steep upgrade over what some of the Rays' infielders have produced this season. He could be a welcome depth or platoon addition that would bring veteran leadership to the club, both on and off the field.