Rays & Reds
Submitted by: ShaquilleOatmeal
Rays
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt McLain | 24 | Majors | SS | 2B | 5 | 74.8 | 35.9 | 38.8 | 31.1 | 38.8 | 46.6 |
Total Value:
38.8
Reds
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pete Fairbanks | 31 | Majors | RP | Medium | 2 | 19.7 | 10.7 | 9 | 7.2 | 9 | 10.9 | |
| Jose Caballero | 27 | Majors | 2B | UTIL | 5 | 22.8 | 10.3 | 12.5 | 10 | 12.5 | 14.9 | |
| Xavier Isaac | 20 | Minors | 1B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.7 | 16.5 | 20.7 | 24.8 |
Total Value:
42.2
Comments
4
The Rays aren’t going to do anything like this. They’ve acquired Cabby and Kim and have Taylor and Williams knocking on the door. That said, I wouldn’t hate this trade. Isaac has a K problem and if it continues deep into 2025 he’s going to be the forgotten man with Morgan looking legit, albeit with far less power.
NEWSLETTER? SURE, SIGN ME UP!
I have McClain playing CF and super utility in my mind. Rather than trying to turn Palacios and Caballero into super utility, we do it with an actual good player. If Simpson isn't a CF, so be it. Morel isn't a LF, so we have Simpson in LF and a little CF. I think McLain is a superstar, and could be a top 20 player in the game if things break right for him. What's your plan with Morel? Holy shit has he turned out to be a nightmare scenario. I honestly wouldn't be shocked if the Rays weren't making calls to try to cut bait on him while he still has a little value. I'm not sure I wouldn't trade him for someone's competitive balance pick at this point. Wow was I ever wrong on this guy. I think he's gotta be losing his eyesight.
You know I've thought for years that Morel was just a guy and crazy overvalued on BTV (he's still crazy overvalued by the way), but I never thought Morel would be an outright bad player, to say nothing of totally unplayable. However, he had a disastrous 2nd half 2024 with the Rays and his 2025 ST is going worse than 2024. If I'm the Rays, I'm letting every team know he's available and I'm taking the best offer I can get before OD, no matter how bad it may make the Paredes trade look in retrospect. A CB pick would be just fine with me, particularly if in the A round. The Rays won't do that though. They will keep him until the ASG at least, at which point maybe they'll bring up Simpson. As far as the outfield goes, I don't really have a good idea of the Rays' overall plan. They keep playing Simpson in CF, but aside from one great play, he looks shaky as hell in CF. He might be average in COF right now, with a ceiling of above average, but I don't know that he has the making of a future CFer for the Rays (and remember, he just has average arm strength, whereas KK, Siri and most fill-ins have had above average to elite arm strength). If Deluca bombs this year, I'm not sure who is taking over CF. Besides Simpson, the Rays could use Cabby, Palacios, Misner and Mangum in CF. None of those guys are long term options though, so if McLain can handle the position, then he might be worth the gamble.
For me hard no on McLain to any OF position. Just got back from shoulder surgery. No max throws or diving full speed or crashing into OF walls thank you. I agree he could be an all star which is why I would need a significant overpay to trade him. If his upward trajectory keeps climbing Reds will have to trade him with one year left before free agency to get max value, much like Elly de la Cruz. Both of these guys have Scott Boras as their agent. It will be quite the haul reds get back for both of these guys.