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As is typical for the Rays in a given offseason, they’ve been lively on the commerce market up to now in 2023-24. Tampa Bay has shipped out Tyler Glasnow, Manuel Margot, Luke Raley, Andrew Kittredge, Vidal Brujan and Calvin Faucher in a quartet of offers, they usually’re doubtless not completed. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Rays have been buying first baseman/left fielder/designated hitter Harold Ramirez to golf equipment in want of a right-handed bat.
The Rays’ willingness to commerce Ramirez isn’t essentially new or shocking. He stood as a logical commerce candidate coming into the winter, given his projected $4.4MM wage in arbitration (courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) and dwindling membership management. Ramirez has simply two years of membership management remaining and restricted defensive worth, and Tampa Bay has frequently confirmed keen to commerce bats becoming that description over time. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Instances reported again in November that the Rays had explored trade scenarios involving Ramirez main into the non-tender deadline. Nonetheless, it’s notable to see Rosenthal counsel that talks are ongoing and to counsel that the Rays themselves have initiated a minimum of a few of them.
Ramirez, 29, is out of minor league choices — though his latest observe document within the huge leagues ought to depart him in no hazard of being despatched down anyhow. Since being acquired from the Cubs in a commerce sending Esteban Quiroz again to Chicago, he’s tallied 869 plate appearances and turned in a .306/.348/.432 batting line with 18 house runs, 43 doubles, a pair of triples and eight steals (in 16 makes an attempt). Ramirez hasn’t walked a lot in that point (4.7%) however has a lower-than-average strikeout fee (17.4%). By measure of wRC+, he’s been 23% higher than common on the plate in a Rays uniform.
After all, a few of that stems from the Rays’ aggressive utilization of platoon setups. Ramirez has greater than held his personal towards righties each with the Rays (.279/.332/.401, 107 wRC+) and in his profession (.275/.314/.404, 99 wRC+). Nevertheless, the overwhelming bulk of his harm has come when he’s feasted towards left-handed pitching (.374/.412/.509 with Tampa Bay; .323/.363/.453 in his profession).
The Rays gave Ramirez a mixed 401 innings between first base and the outfield corners in 2022 however minimize that already-small complete to a tiny 117 innings in 2023. It’s clear that the group is hardly enamored of his defensive aptitude, however there’s additionally little doubt that Ramirez can flat-out hit. He has extra hole energy than true house run pop, however any staff in quest of a right-handed bat would determine to be intrigued by the potential of plugging Ramirez into a minimum of a part-time function. Relying on the match, he may profile as an on a regular basis possibility for a staff and not using a set possibility at designated hitter and/or some flexibility at first and within the outfield corners.
The deadline for groups and gamers to alternate arbitration figures is that this coming Friday. That’s hardly a set deadline to maneuver arb-eligible gamers, nevertheless it has additionally at occasions served as an impetus for some motion on the commerce marketplace for such gamers. Transferring Ramirez may create some additional alternatives for the most recent wave of proficient younger Rays hitters — a gaggle together with the likes of Curtis Mead, Jonathan Aranda and high prospect Junior Caminero. From a payroll vantage level, transferring Ramirez would drop Tampa Bay’s projected Opening Day mark south of $90MM, creating further room to pursue assist at different areas of want (e.g. catcher, beginning pitching) in free company.
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