After dealing Logan Forsythe to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Tampa Bay Rays are in need of a long-term plan at second base.
The Tampa Bay Rays have quietly had a busy offseason.
Their winter machinations have been headlined by dealing away starting pitcher Drew Smyly, signing an undervalued bat in Colby Rasmus and also filling in various team needs with under-the-radar signings.
Yesterday they continued that trend by dealing incumbent second baseman Logan Forsythe to the Los Angeles Dodgers in return for the 2016 #24-ranked prospect overall (according to MLB Pipeline) in starting pitcher Jose De Leon.
Click here to review Call to the Pen’s analysis of the trade.
While many would rightfully applaud the deal, the Tampa Bay Rays now must turn their attention to forming a long-term plan for the all-important second base position.
An Option Already on the Roster?
As part of the 2016 trade that sent Matt Moore to the San Francisco Giants, the Rays took in second baseman Matt Duffy.
Duffy finished second in Rookie of the Year balloting in 2015 on the back of a .295/.334/.428 slash line while posting an out-of-nowhere 4.9 bWAR.
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The Rays utilized Duffy primarily at shortstop, but he was lost to an Achilles injury in September, never quite getting his footing in Tampa. His 2016 season as a whole was a considerable step down from his 2015 debut.
Still, if Duffy can approach his 2015 form, he would make an intriguing option for second base. Playing him at shortstop simply does not line up with the team’s farm system, and this would be a fantastic solution to that fantastic problem. If, however, Duffy is slow to come back from injury or continues to regress, the Rays may take a different approach.
A Weak Spot in the Pipeline
A glance at the club’s top 30 prospects shows a dearth of pure second base options. While their top 10 is dominated by pitching, there are a few farm hands listed at shortstop – such as the team’s #1 prospect overall, Willy Adames – who may be able to slide over to the other keystone position.
However, if we limit ourselves strictly to those seemingly pre-destined for second base, there is no prospect to be found. Perhaps the best candidate to be moved would be multi-positional 22-year-old Daniel Robertson, who is listed as 3B/SS/2B.
Robertson is a natural shortstop but has already seen action at those three positions. By most accounts, his fielding, arm and overall defensive instincts are major league ready, though his bat is still a work in progress. In this light, it would almost seem to be foolhardy to dedicate Robertson to a single position if his ceiling is that of a “super-utility” player.
The Tampa Bay Rays may have to move to the trade market to fill their long-term second base pipeline. The good news is, there are plenty of options, and the Rays have plenty of trade chips.
Well Equipped for the Trade Market
The Tampa Bay Rays have played fast and loose with their starting pitching when engaging in trades. The team executed the aforementioned Moore deal last season, entertained offers for Chris Archer, Alex Cobb and Jake Odorizzi and dealt Smyly earlier this winter.
Last week, Rays general manager Erik Neander commented that his team would not necessarily shy away from dealing more of its impressive stable of arms.
#Rays GM Neander on if they'll trade another SP: "This deal does drop us down one established starter. We'll continue to have an open mind"
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) January 15, 2017
Keeping an open mind in this regard serves the Tampa Bay Rays well on several fronts.
First, the club can deal a starting pitcher now, and can likely demand a hefty return. Archer is controllable through 2021 on a fantastically team-friendly deal. Cobb is controllable through next season, making him a desirable one-year stopgap for any playoff contender. Odorizzi is in the midst of his first arbitration go-round, with two more arb-controlled years to follow.
Or, the Rays can simply wait until the 2017 trade deadline and see what the market will bear when more clubs believe they are in contention. There have been a rash of deals at the deadline in recent years in which controllable players – not rentals – are being dealt. The Rays could make a small fortune in prospects should they go this route.
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Perhaps the best way that keeping an open mind benefits the Rays is that it will not limit them to “just” getting a second baseman. All three of these pitchers are established enough to warrant a multi-prospect deal, allowing the team to get back to true contention much more quickly.
No matter which course they plot, the Tampa Bay Rays’ road forward is going to be an interesting one.