Tampa Bay Rays Trade Deadline Overview
By David Hill
The Tampa Bay Rays have gone from a team that contended despite a very limited payroll to the bottom of the American League East. Can they find a way to reverse their fortunes?
There was a time, not too long ago, where the Tampa Bay Rays were among the best in the American League. They had one of the bright managerial minds in baseball in Joe Maddon, a rotation fronted by ace David Price and a solid second starter in James Shields, and an offense built around speed and Evan Longoria. The Rays were a difficult team to face, and if the opponent happened to be the Boston Red Sox, they would put up a literal fight to prove themselves victorious.
Those days have changed. Now, the Rays have gone away from their philosophy built around speed and a strong pitching staff. Perhaps this has been bred of necessity, as the Rays minor league system, which had so formerly been a strength, is essentially barren. Blake Snell was the 12th ranked prospect before the start of the season, but after him, only Brent Honeywell and Willy Adames cracked the Top 100 Prospects list on MLB.com.
Honeywell has looked good thus far in 2016, posting a 1.30 ERA and a 0.840 WHiP in his second stint in Charlotte, and Adames has produced a .279/.372/.488 batting line with eight homers and eight steals. However, is that enough for the future?
The Tampa Bay Rays need to make changes to set themselves up going forward. Can the 2016 trade deadline reverse their slide and give them hope for the coming years?
Next: A change in philosophy