Chicago Cubs: 3 dark horse candidates to land Kris Bryant
Tampa Bay Rays
In a move that would shock the baseball world, the Tampa Bay Rays may be interested in trading for a superstar, instead of trading their home-grown one away.
It’d certainly be a surprise, but there is a case to be made that the Rays may want to consider a trade for Kris Bryant.
After winning 90 games in 2018 and missing the playoffs, the Rays put together a 96-win campaign in 2019, beat the Oakland Athletics in the AL Wild Card game, and nearly beat the eventual AL champion Houston Astros in the ALDS. They were so close to reaching the ALCS and being a step away from the franchise’s second-ever World Series trip. Adding Kris Bryant to the lineup may be the addition they need to put them over the top.
Of course, this move would be anti-Rays. They don’t sign the superstar free agents. They create All-Star caliber players in their farm system and then flip them in trades before they reach free agency, replenishing their farm system. They could take a similar approach with Bryant.
If Bryant wound up in Tampa Bay, he’d immediately become the best player on the team. The talent-injection may be just what they need to win the AL East in 2020, avoiding the toss-up that is an MLB Wild Card game. Then, assuming Bryant doesn’t win his service-time grievance with the Cubs, the Rays would once again compete in 2021. However, even if that season doesn’t go to plan, the Rays could flip him at the deadline as we’ve seen them do countless times before.
It may seem like the Rays would have to give up a lot in this hypothetical scenario, and they would, but they have the prospect depth to do it. Heading into the 2020 season, Baseball Prospectus ranks the Rays farm system as the best in baseball. The Rays could give up big-name prospects without selling out their future – that’s how deep they are with minor league talent right now.
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It’s a longshot scenario, yes, but the Rays just indicated that they’re willing to dip into their prospect depth to acquire immediate offensive help. On Thursday they traded pitching prospect Matthew Libratore to the St. Louis Cardinals for a package headlined by Jose Martinez. The Rays may be making a similar, even bigger move soon, but this time it’d be with the Cubs.