The Tampa Bay Rays were the biggest seller during the 2024 MLB trade deadline. The Rays won 99 games and made the playoffs in 2023, but now they sit fourth in the AL East standings.
The Rays have traded away four pitchers who have pitched significant and productive innings for the team: Jason Adam, Aaron Civale, Zach Eflin, and Phil Maton. Additionally, they traded away their best position players: Randy Arozarena, Isaac Paredes, and Amed Rosario.
All these trades have served one purpose: bolster the farm system.
Two AL East teams are taking a page from each other’s playbook. The Rays and the Orioles have two of the lowest payrolls in baseball. The Orioles built their unbelievably talented roster through their farm system. The Baltimore ballclub realized they were not going to be able to outspend the Yankees in free agency, thus making player development their priority. The Rays seem to have adopted the same philosophy to compete with their division rivals.
Two of the most exciting players the Rays have added to their farm system are from the Randy Arozarena trade with Seattle. They acquired right-handed 22-year-old pitcher Brody Hopkins, who, in his first season playing minor league baseball, has a 2.90 era and a 1.22 WHIP in 83.2 innings of work. Additionally, they received 18-year-old outfielder Aiden Smith from Seattle. Aiden Smith has played two years of minor league baseball and has a .269 batting average. Both of these players will spend some more time in the minors; however, the Rays clearly see a ton of potential in these two young players and hope they will someday impact the major league roster.
This is not the first time we have seen the Rays trade away proven veterans for developmental pieces. At the 2014 MLB trade deadline, they traded the 2012 Cy Young winner David Price to the Detroit Tigers and got three developmental players in return. The most notable player they acquired in this trade was shortstop Willy Adames.
At the time of this trade, Adames was a highly touted 18-year-old prospect. It ended as Adames being the starting shortstop in 2020 when the they won the AL Pennant.
Additionally, in 2018, the Rays traded away veteran pitcher Chris Archer to the Pirates. In return, they added two young players, Tyler Glasnow being the notable acquisition. Glasnow played an imperative role in the 2020 World Series run. During this season, Glasnow boasted an impressive 5 and 1 record with a 1.1 WHIP.
Clearly, the Rays feel that their championship window is a couple of years away. Although the average fan has probably not heard of the majority of players they acquired during the 2024 MLB trade deadline, history shows that the Rays do an excellent job of trading for and developing prospects.
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WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo Credit: Randy Arozarena #56 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates after hitting a single in the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on July 28, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Griffin Quinn/Getty Images)
