Tampa Bay Rays make series of confusing moves
On Saturday night, the Tampa Bay Rays made a number of moves. None of these really make a lot of sense.
Forget what you knew about the Tampa Bay Rays roster heading into Spring Training. With a flurry of moves on Saturday night, the Rays changed the shape of their team. And yet, those moves do not make a lot of sense.
Let us begin with the acquisition of C.J. Cron. As the Angels have what appears to be a healthy Albert Pujols to man first, and Shohei Ohtani to split time as the designated hitter, it was expected that Cron would be on the block. However, given Pujols’ injury history, and the unproven status of Ohtani, Cron would be a piece that the Angels could use.
Instead, he has wound up in Tampa Bay. With the Rays looking to cut costs, and Jake Bauers on the cusp of reaching the majors, Cron was not the type of player they would seemingly covet. Then, to make room for Cron, the Rays designated Corey Dickerson for assignment.
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This move seems especially puzzling, given Dickerson’s performance last year. He made his first All Star Game, and posted a 282/.325/.490 batting line with 27 homers last season. However, as he struggled to a .241/.282/.408 batting line and only 10 homers in the second half. After being awarded $5.95 million in arbitration, the Rays obviously wanted to get out from under his salary. But to get nothing for Dickerson? That seems to be extreme.
Then came the expected trade of Jake Odorizzi. The fact that he was sent to the Minnesota Twins made sense, as Minnesota has been looking for a starter, and Odorizzi had been on the block all offseason. However, they only received shortstop Jermaine Palacios, a middling prospect that has yet to appear about High-A ball.
Despite his lower stature in terms of prospects, Palacios is an intriguing player. He hit 13 homers while stealing 20 bases last season, producing a combined .296/.333/.454 batting line. He could well become a solid all around shortstop, possessing a bit of pop and solid speed. Yet, the Rays already have that player in Willy Adames, making Palacios a strange trade target.
Perhaps the thought is that Adames will end up having to switch positions by the time that Palacios is ready. He does have a thicker lower body, and is not expected to stay at short as he ages. Plugging Adames at third and Palacios at short in a couple of years could make sense.
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Instead, for now, this is just another strange move by the Tampa Bay Rays amidst a flurry of acquisitions that do not make sense.