Rays could sign former Cubs corner infielder to a minor league deal

If the Rays are known for anything, it's for doing the unexpected and doing something completely out of the ordinary that no one has thought of.

It'd be really interesting to see Patrick Wisdom in a Rays uniform, but we know that the Rays will need to find a very good reason to acquire the 33-year old third baseman.

However, there are plenty of reasons for the Rays to take a chance on the former Cub, as he's not going to cost much, if anything, and could be a high-upside minor league contract or Spring Training invitee to add some thump to this lineup.

Obviously the corner spots are currently occupied by full-time starters Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz, but Diaz and his $10 million salary are not guaranteed to be around for the 2025 season.

Even if he is, the Rays still might need a backup corner infielder for Caminero and Diaz, or a below-average corner outfielder that can leave the yard occasionally.

Wisdom has never been much to write home about with the glove, regardless of position, rating as below average in every spot he's played, whether it's a corner infield or outfield spot.

So, maybe the Rays could view Wisdom as a potential DH option as well, with Christopher Morel hopefully making a successful transition to left field and Jonny DeLuca being forced to move to center field full time.

Regardless, there's plenty of upside in Wisdom's bat.

His quality of contact numbers have always been quite good, ranking near the top of the league in barrel rate since he entered the majors in 2019, and being quite high in bat speed and hard-hit rate last season.

His production has been slightly above-average mostly, but 2024 was a significant dip, with a 75 wRC+ over 174 plate appearances for the season.

This all speaks to a player with the potential to have a fine bounce-back season on a very low-dollar contract. That's the Rays sweet spot.

If Yandy Diaz is dealt, the logical choice would be to put the left-handed hitting Jonathan Aranda at first against right-handed pitching, but Wisdom could be an excellent option to play the spot against lefties, as he's been an above-average slugger against southpaws.

The Rays signed a similar high-ceiling player to a minor league deal last season with their addition of Dominic Smith.

While the lefty first baseman never got any major league appearances with the Rays, it shows a willingness to take chances on sluggers, especially with the Rays struggling so much in that department in 2024.