Tampa Bay Rays keeping Oliver Drake for now

The ongoing travels of Oliver Drake may be over, as he will remain in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. At least, for now.

One could understand if Oliver Drake was not quite sure of his whereabouts over the past eight months. Ever since he was purchased from the Brewers by the Indians on May 5, Drake has not been in one organization for that long. He would be waived by the Indians, only to be claimed by the Angels, who would end up placing Drake on waivers less than two months later. That time, he was claimed by the Blue Jays, who waived him less than a week later. Drake then found himself as part of the Twins organization, where he spent the rest of the season.

However, his odyssey did not end. The Twins waived Drake, leading to his first stint with the Tampa Bay Rays. That time lasted a little over three weeks, before Drake was again placed on waivers and claimed by the Blue Jays. Then, on January 4, the Rays purchased Drake back from the Blue Jays, only to put him back on waivers to free up a spot on the 40 man roster.

This time, however, things were different. Drake managed to get through waivers unclaimed, leaving him as part of the Rays organization. Just as importantly, Drake can now make plans for Spring Training, as he presumably will remain with the Rays.

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Considering all the movement and lack of stability, Drake put together a respectable 2018 campaign. Pitching for five different teams, he had a 5.29 ERA and a 1.448 WHiP, striking out 51 batters with only 17 walks over 47.2 innings.

Throughout his career, Drake has been just about a league average pitcher. He has a 4.59 ERA and a 1.456 WHiP over parts of four seasons in the major leagues, worth an ERA+ of 96. He is the type of pitcher that can fill a role in the bullpen, typically as a middle reliever to get through the sixth or seventh innings.

That performance underscores why so many teams have been interested in acquiring Drake’s services. While he is not a superstar reliever, he is a valuable depth piece, a pitcher that can serve as one of the final pieces of the bullpen or as depth in AAA. Of course, given his performance and the amount of times he has changed organizations, it is not unlikely that some other team will approach the Rays about his services.

For now, Oliver Drake is staying with the Tampa Bay Rays organization. That is, of course, subject to change.