Tampa Bay Rays should look to extend Wilson Ramos

The Tampa Bay Rays appeared to have an excellent trade chip in Wilson Ramos. With his injury, this gives them another possible option.

It appeared to be a matter of time until Tampa Bay Rays catcher Wilson Ramos was traded. Ramos was in the midst of a stellar season, his .297/.346/.488 batting line with 14 homers and 14 doubles helping him to become the starting catcher for the American League in the All Star Game. As an impending free agent, the Rays could have gotten a solid return in a trade, before Ramos would cash in once he hit the market.

However, injuries have again hampered those plans. This time, he suffered a strained left hamstring, an injury that will likely sideline him past the trade deadline. While he could be back in August, the fact that he would need to pass through waivers to be traded hampers the Rays potential return.

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While Ramos being injured represents a missed opportunity for the Rays to further stockpile prospects, it provides another possible avenue for the organization. Instead of moving on from Ramos, and having yet another player come through the seemingly unending revolving door that is the catcher position, the Rays could look to lock Ramos up to an extension.

For his part, Ramos wants to stay in Tampa Bay. They were the team that maintained interest after his unfortunate injury at the end of 2016, when it appeared that he would cash in as a free agent. Once again, another injury may hamper his earning potential, especially if it drags on into August. So why not see about an extension?

Although Ramos is not the greatest defensive backstop, he has done an excellent job with the Rays young pitchers, especially Blake Snell. Even with a two year extension, Ramos would have a chance to be the greatest catcher in Rays history, which is admittedly not a difficult feat given the cast of characters to come through the position.

Next: What can Rays expect from Hoby Milner

In one way, the injury to Wilson Ramos hurts the Tampa Bay Rays. However, this could just open another door, and give some stability to a position that has been in a constant state of flux.