Rays' minor trade with Mariners may allude to Yandy Diaz remaining in Tampa Bay

Rays trade 1B Austin Shenton to Mariners for cash considerations

The Tampa Bay Rays made a deal with the Seattle Mariners yesterday as they dealt their recently-DFA'd first baseman, Austin Shenton for cash. This decision was clearly inevitable on the Rays side, but for Seattle, it may have been an important move to bring competition to the first base position.

Currently, the Mariners hold only one true first baseman on their roster: Tyler Locklear. Locklear only appeared in 16 games at this essential position last season, and hit a dismal .156 with two home runs. Former Rays outfielder, Luke Raley also saw extensive time at first base in 2024, but we all know he still has a lot to learn about playing in the infield.

The Mariners decided to take action and acquire a healthy first baseman at a low cost. We may be looking too far into this, but it seems plausible that Yandy Diaz will remain at first base for the Tampa Bay Rays, as this favored club searches for alternative solutions.

Now, there are plenty of other organizations that would love to see Diaz playing everyday in front of their home fans, and we know the Rays won't pass up a profitable deal. However, the best case scenario for the Rays could be to retain this high-level hitter until he reaches free agency in 2026.

The Mariners' yield from this deal is a 26-year old infielder from Spokane, Washington. The former 34th round pick was called up to the big leagues in late July of 2024. He was just able to get his feet wet, as he only accrued 50 plate appearances and finished with a .214 AVG.

There were definitely some positives to take away from his game at the highest level, as he seemed to improve his approach each and every day, accumulating several solid at-bats. One in particular comes to mind when he drew a very important walk to tie the game in the late innings.

Above all, the Rays are still a year or two away from calling up their top prospects, Xavier Isaac and Tre' Morgan. Although, when they do arrive in Tampa, there will be a healthy competition at first base among the young phenoms.