2011 MLB Trade Rumors: Rays Willing to Deal Wade Davis

Nick Carfado of the Boston Globe reported yesterday that the Tampa Bay Rays “are expected to be willing to deal” starting pitcher Wade Davis this winter.  Trade rumors have swirled around several Tampa starters, including James Shields, this year.  While the club is said to be willing to listen on Shields, Carfado said Davis is the Rays’ pitcher most “likely” to be traded this offseason.

It’s no secret that Tampa Bay has a boatload of young pitching talent, both at the Major and Minor league levels.  The franchise debuted their top prospect at the end of last season and in their first round playoff series against the Rangers.  All Matt Moore did was silence the powerhouse offenses of the Yankees and Rangers, striking out a ton while allowing few hits.

In his short audition, Moore showed that he’s ready to join the Major League ranks.  The only problem, and it’s a problem 29 other teams would love to have, is that Tampa Bay doesn’t currently have room in its rotation without bumping another member out.  While this could happen, as you can never have enough pitching depth, the Rays may instead look to cash in on one of their young arms to help bolster their roster elsewhere.

Enter Davis.

Like Moore, the 26-year-old Davis came up through the Rays’ farm system as one of the club’s highly touted prospects.  The right-hander made his debut in 2009, and has started 29 games for the Rays in 2010-11.  His numbers aren’t great (4.22 career ERA, 5.9 SO/9), but he’s young and affordable, as Davis won’t cost more than $5 million until after the 2014 season.

Carfado speculates that Davis could become a trade chip for the Rays as they look to upgrade at catcher and in the outfield.

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