Yankees, Blue Jays make Winter Meetings splashes to stiffen competition for Rays

The Rays have remained quiet to begin this year's Winter Meetings. However, a few of their AL East competitors recently tapped into the market to strengthen their respective clubs. The Yankees bolstered their deep starting rotation and the Blue Jays added elite defense to their stacked infield.

Yankees sign Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million deal

Long-time Braves starting pitcher, Max Fried has agreed to a monstrous contract with the New York Yankees. This impressive deal has substantially improved a starting rotation that had a few holes, especially towards the conclusion of 2024.

Besides Cy Young winner, Gerrit Cole, the Yankees left a lot to be desired from their starting pitchers. Carlos Rodon has struggled since joining this club in 2023, as he's produced a below average 4.74 ERA in pinstripes.

Rookie sensation, Luis Gil had a very productive year, but faltered towards the back end of the season. The addition of Fried will bring some much-needed life to their pitching staff and give them the tools needed to continue to ascend to the heights of the AL East division.

The Rays haven't faced the left-handed hurler since 2021, but Tampa Bay hitters struggled mightily against the California native. In two games between 2020 and 2021, the Rays were only able to muster one run in 13 2/3 innings of work against the lefty, while striking out a total of 14 times. Yandy Diaz and company need to circle those games on their 2025 calendars.

Blue Jays acquire 2B Andres Gimenez in a trade with the Guardians

The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired second baseman, Andres Gimenez from the Guardians. The deal also involved Blue Jays infielder, Spencer Horwitz and minor league outfielder, Nick Mitchell.

Gimenez is a solid addition for a club that certainly needed some revamping of their infield. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been a lockdown first baseman the past few seasons, as the Canadian-born athlete took home his second Silver Slugger award and became much more comfortable at first base.

Also, the Blue Jays talented shortstop, Bo Bichette will be healthy to start the 2025 season, as the contact hitter spent much of last season on the injured list. However, third base still holds some question marks for this club, but Gimenez grants them much more clarity for the future of their infield.

This upcoming season will be a huge test for the Blue Jays, as young stars, Guerrero and Bichette will become free agents at the conclusion of the season. However, if they can build a solid squad around their juvenile sluggers, then they may find a way to compete for the division.

How does this transaction affect the Rays? Well, they have had inconsistent results against the left-handed hitting Gimenez. In 2024, Rays pitching held the Venezuelan infielder to a dismal .185 AVG and 0 extra-base hits.

Meanwhile, the previous year, Gimenez slashed .429/.478/.619 against the Tampa Bay pitching staff. Hopefully, Kyle Snyder remembers his plan of attack for the 2025 campaign because we won't be able to handle another formidable bat in that Blue Jays lineup.