Tampa Bay Rays: Five Offseason Priorities

Trade Jake Odorizzi

The Tampa Bay Rays, for all of their struggles last year, have a solid amount of depth in the starting rotation. Chris Archer, for as much as he struggled last year, is still just a year away from looking like the next Rays ace. Alex Cobb will have a full offseason to get himself back into baseball shape, and should slot in as the second starter next year. Blake Snell showed a great deal of promise, and is ready to take on a spot in the rotation.

Jake Odorizzi may well have been the Rays best starter last season, but he may also be the most expendable. With a weak free agency class at starting pitcher as well, a pitcher like Odorizzi, who is beginning to develop into a nice middle of the rotation piece, could fetch a solid return. Even with Odorizzi out of the picture, the Rays rotation would still be in good shape moving forward.

While the bigger names, such as a Chris Sale or a Jose Quintana, will be at the forefront of any trade watch, Odorizzi may be a lot easier to trade. At 27 years old and with four years of team control, he may not seem to be the type of player that the Rays would willingly part with, but there are only a finite number of arms available. If a team is looking to shore up their rotation for a run in the next year or two, Odorizzi may be that perfect middle of the rotation piece.

Chances are, a pitcher like Jake Odorizzi would not tip the scales for the casual fan, but the Rays could get a few needed pieces in return. In doing so, they could look to rebuild that pipeline of prospects that had been the lifeblood of the franchise.