Tampa Bay Rays: 3 Hybrid Mock Trades to Consider

The Tampa Bay Rays are at an important crossroads. Coming off disappointing series losses in Kansas City and Baltimore, they've been leapfrogged in the wild card standings by the Toronto Blue Jays and now hold the final playoff seed in the AL. On top of that, it was just announced that Kevin Kiermaier and Mike Zunino will miss the rest of the season with injuries. The injury bug they've been grappling with all season is not going away, and it's far from a guarantee that they will maintain their playoff position.

Luckily, the trade deadline is approaching and they have a golden opportunity to restock the numerous empty slots in the clubhouse. In the past, the Rays have taken a "hybrid" approach to the trade deadline, where they act as both a buyer and a seller, even when they're competing. Take 2021, for example: they sent two quality prospects to acquire Nelson Cruz and took a flyer on Jordan Luplow, but also shipped established, big-league pitchers Rich Hill and Diego Castillo to other fellow contenders.

Another instance is a trade they pulled off with their cross-state counterparts in 2019. They acquired closer Nick Anderson from Miami, and to get him, they sent outfield prospect Jesus Sanchez, who eventually became the Marlins' starting center fielder. However, they also included Ryne Stanek in the deal, who was a key part of their bullpen at the time.

Their financial situation has made this hybrid approach a common course of action in prior deadlines, and this year appears to be no different. The Rays have not entered a trade deadline this far out of first place in their division since 2018, so playing both sides in the event that they don't make the postseason has more logical merit than ever. Here are 3 mock trades that the Tampa Bay Rays could consider in 2022 that fit the "hybrid" criteria.

Mock Trade #2
To TB: OF Edward Olivares
To KC: IF Jonathan Aranda, LHP Josh Fleming

This one has a few more strings attached because Olivares is currently injured and likely won't be activated until after the deadline, making this a potential trade not unlike the deal that sent Eddie Rosario to the Braves in 2021. Rays fans are thoroughly sick of injured players by now, but Olivares doesn't appear to have a long-term injury (quad strain), and he's an outfielder that can hit, something that has been sorely missed in St. Pete this year. He's only 26 years old, meaning he is under team control for a while, and has stepped up somewhat surprisingly to be one of Kansas City's best hitters this year.

He's batting over .300 with an OPS+ of 123, and has experience at all 3 outfield positions. He hasn't offered much in the slugging department (just 7 extra base-hits in 36 games this season), but he's a young outfielder who can hit the ball hard (89.8 average exit velocity) that's worth taking a flyer on, just because Rays outfielders have had so much trouble at the plate this season. He could also be a long-term solution in center field on a team that, with Kiermaier's contract expiring after this year, doesn't have many.

From the Royals' perspective, it might seem like a bad idea to trade a young outfielder with both power and speed, but they would be a lot more tempted if Jonathan Aranda were part of the return. Aranda is a 24-year-old infielder (mostly second and first base) that is mashing at AAA, with 14 home runs and a .957 OPS in 75 games. That performance has awarded him his first 7 games at the Major League level, a sample in which he posted a .375 batting average.

Aranda is one of the Rays' more underrated prospects and he still doesn't have a permanent spot on the big league roster for whatever reason. He would also join an already exciting group of young infielders in K.C., headlined by Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino. In addition, I have Kansas City asking for one more piece in this trade, left-handed pitcher Josh Fleming.

Fleming is also on the IL with an oblique injury, due to return in mid-August. His ERA sits at 6.84 and his WHIP at 1.98, but that is mostly driven by plenty of unlucky hits against: His 4.15 FIP and 4.27 xERA indicate that he is closer to being an average pitcher than someone who deserves to be in the minor leagues, and his average of just over 3 innings per appearance make him usable as either an opener or long reliever. A fresh start in a low-pressure environment could help him get back on track.

Mock Trade #3
To TB: OF Ramon Laureano
To OAK: RHP Luis Patino, IF/OF Vidal Brujan

The Oakland A's don't have many players left to trade from their core that made the postseason 3 years in a row, but Ramon Laureano is one of the few that remains, and he is another potential solution in center field for Tampa Bay. He's under team control until the end of 2024, and his cheap salary of $2.45M automatically makes him an attractive trade candidate for the Rays. He has done pretty well for himself following his return from a PED suspension, with 10 home runs and a 106 OPS+ in 69 games so far this season. As well, he has the highest barrel rate (21%) of all the available bats at the deadline in July up to this point, which is a good indicator that he's perfecting his offensive approach in time for trade season.

An interesting quirk about Laureano is the fact that he doesn't walk a whole lot (8.1% BB rate in 2022), but he is able to maintain a big difference between his average and his OBP by consistently being at or near the top of the hit-by-pitch leaderboard. His 12 HBP led the AL in 2020, and he has already been plunked 7 times this year. It's an adage as old as baseball's statistical revolution itself: it doesn't matter how a player gets on base, as long as he does.

In order to get Laureano, I have the Rays sending just a couple of young players, which may seem like too low of an amount for an outfielder with team control, but both of them would likely get consistent playing time on the big-league roster as early as next season. The first is Luis Patino, who held his own at a young age last season for the Rays but hasn't been able to find a way onto their roster for very long this year. He posted a 4.31 ERA, 4.51 FIP, and 1.27 WHIP in 19 appearances in 2021, with 15 of those being starts.

He was just optioned back to AAA a few days ago, and because the Rays are so desperate for healthy contributors, it's easy to lose patience with Patino and forget the fact that he is just 22 years old. Even with the number of injuries they're dealing with, there isn't much room on the roster for Patino right now. On a rebuilding A's team, he would be sure to get plenty of run and have all the time in the world to tap into his full potential.

The second young player I have going the other way is Vidal Brujan, and at 24, it's too early to fully give up on him, but his big league track record has proven that it's likely he won't reach his initial forecasted ceiling from his minor league days. Brujan has a career OPS of .427 in 58 career games, but he was thought of very highly when he was a full-fledged prospect. The thing is, he's probably too good for AAA at this point, so going to an organization that's more focused on developing their young players as opposed to winning would serve him well.