2022 MLB front office rankings: The American League East
By Bill Felber
Erik Neander, Peter Bendix, Tampa Bay Rays
Impact: -4.2 games
Division ranking; fourth
MLB ranking: 18th
The Rays were one of five teams to qualify for postseason play in 2022 despite a negative performance from their front offices. To explain how that is even possible, it is important to keep in mind that most teams do not derive the bulk of their value from new personnel but from “core players,” defined as carryovers from previous years.
That was true of the Rays, who netted +6.9 WAA from 26 players under contract prior to the restructuring that joined Bendix with Neander. Those holdovers included such stalwarts as pitchers Shane McClanahan and Jeffrey Springs, infielders Wander Franco and Yandy Diaz, and outfielder Randy Arozarena.
Several of the Neander-Bendix tandem’s most impactful work during 2022 involved players they walked away from. Six members of the 2021 Rays were allowed to walk to free agency prior to the 2022 season, and four of those six generated impacts in excess of 1 game, either plus or minus, for their new clubs.
Those four were DH Nelson Cruz (-1.5 for Minnesota), pitcher Collin McHugh (+1.3 for Atlanta), David Robertson (+1.5 for the Cubs and Phillies) and Michael Wacha (+2.2 for Boston). The Rays also traded away infielder Joey Wendle (+1.3 for Miami).
No one can accuse Neander and Bendix of not trying. They made a division-high 49 moves affecting 2022 major leaguers. But their record was hit-and-miss. Only 21 of those moves impacted Tampa Bay positively, compared with 24 that worked out against the Rays.
The problem was that few of the Rays’ personnel acquisitions provided substantive impact. Only three registered in excess of 1.0 WAA in either direction. Those three were:
March 17: Signed free agent pitcher Jason Adam, +1.7 WAA.
April 5: Acquired Isaac Paredes (+1.1) from Detroit in exchange for Austin Meadows.
April 24: Promoted rookie Vidal Brujan (-1.1) from the minor league system.
The net result was indifferent performance in all areas. Neander-Bendix ranked 12th in the net impact of their dealings with other teams, 22nd in free agent dealings, and 13th for farm system production. The holdover talent base was good enough to keep the Rays in a postseason position, but the front offense was unable to supplement that talent base.