4 pitching trade targets for the Rays, including 1 big stretch goal

Rays pitching trade target: Shohei Ohtani (Angels)

It may seem like a complete pipe dream, and for the most part it is, but there is a very small chance that baseball’s best player could end up as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.

It is wild to think that one roster spot can be taken by a guy who is among the game’s top pitchers AND hitters. It is especially crazy to think that said player could be traded away. With the Angels’ recent slide, it appears that the team will likely be listening to calls about Shohei Ohtani’s services.

A package for Ohtani would require the buying team to give up multiple top-100 prospects. The Rays have four players on the most recent top 100, these being: infielder Junior Caminero (ranked #14), SS Carson Williams (#23), 3B Curtis Mead (#32) and 1B Kyle Manzardo (#38). These are high potential players, so the Rays will fight to retain them in any deal. 

Is it unrealistic that the Rays go all in for a player that is pretty much guaranteed to only be a rental? Maybe. But as per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, at the very least the Rays are willing to call about Ohtani, which is an exciting idea in itself.