| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garrett Cleavinger | 31 | Majors | RP | Medium | 3 | 12.6 | 7 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 6.7 | |
| Curtis Mead | 23 | Majors | 3B | 2B | 5 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
Total Value:
15.6
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Castellanos | 33 | Majors | OF | DH | Medium | 2 | 3.7 | 40 | -36.3 | -43.6 | -36.3 | -29.1 |
| Justin Crawford | 20 | Minors | OF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.5 | 14.8 | 18.5 | 22.2 | ||
| Cash | 32 |
Total Value:
14.20
For the Philly fans out there, how much interest would there be in pairing Castellanos, Crawford and cash together in return for Major League ready players? I chose Mead based on a prior trade proposal this week from a Philly fan, but I could see the Rays doing trades around Yandy, B.Lowe, Fairbanks, Littell, Mead, and others. For the Rays, they could play Castellanos primarily at DH, though they wouldn’t want to pay him more than the $4MM per season contemplated by this trade. Its not a ton of salary relief for Philly but it’s about as good as they’ll be able to do. Obviously Crawford is the real prize for the Rays.
If Rojas showed a bit more and they felt they could trust him, I could see it, but there seems to be a 50/50 split on Crawford as the CF of the future. Some in the front office are really high on him. He's not untouchable but if they move him, it would most likely be in a deal for a SP like Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, or Crochet (none of which I see happening). I also don't know how much they would have to chip in to move Nick. The prices for FA OF are going up and up. Two years and 20M for a proven OF bat is not that outlandish. And I have a feeling that with four teams missing out on Soto, there may be some "stupid money" thrown out there. I know the Rays won't want to pick up that contract, but the reason to move him would be to get more wiggle room from the luxury tax threshold. It wouldn't do that, and half the front office would be a hard no on moving Crawford for a prospect who hasn't proven himself yet.
Speaking of pitchers, I got a good laugh at Dombrowski asking for Gilbert/Kirby in a trade for Bohm. Dude has cojones. Anyway, I can see both your points. I like Crawford (all Rays fans do), so I can't argue against the Phillies wanting to keep him. Castellanos though... He may be tough to move. He has struggled to hit much above 100 wRC+ for 3 years straight (failing completely in 2022), and he has always been a huge liability in the field. I can't see the Rays playing him in the field, though other teams might. A DH struggling to hit above 100 wRC+ and averaging just 0.5 fWAR a year (over the past 3 years) isn't worth all that much on the open market. Plus, the more money the other team absorbs, the more prospects the Phillies will probably need to give up. Anyway, it was just a thought based on your prior trade.
You never know with Dipoto. It's been a few minutes since he made a trade. Maybe if Dombrokwski gets him at the right time he might say yes, just so he could make another trade. He's gotta be closing in on 200 trades since 2015. Watching him every day, Nick has worked hard to be an averageish COF. He's no gold glover, but no one is white-knuckling it when the ball is hit to him (even had a consecutive game streak with no errors that led majors). He's definitely playable, but in the right situation. He'd be a liability in larger OF like Coors or Petco, but in a park with less ground to cover or paired with a CF with range, he's fine. I know they would prob have to eat some salary, but I see 10-15M of annual salary coming off the books to make it worth it to move him, not 4M. Heck, Conforto just got 17.5M and had an OPS+ of 106 vs Nicks's 105 over their last 3 seasons played, and even Gary Sanchez managed to get 8.5M in this market. Even if they saved 4M it might get them a bucket of balls and a batting practice pitcher. And it's not like they need to move Nick because he's blocking a MiLB bat they want to bring up. The only close to MLB-ready players are Crawford, who has an OF platoon/starting spot open if they want, and Aiden Miller, who is an IF.
All good arguments. I won't lie and say the Conforto and Sanchez signings didn't surprise me. Hell, the Tyler O'Neill signing outright shocked me. All seem like overpays to me, though Sanchez making bank as a catcher isn't too shocking because of the limited supply of catchers who can even make contact with the ball with a bat in their hand. Still, the outfielders have serious warts and yet are still getting paid. Makes me think the Rays' should have gotten twice the return they got for Arozarena at the Deadline at these market prices.