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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Most important takeaway from Rays' 1st half? Chance to make the 2nd fun
BOSTON — The most important thing the Rays have accomplished to this point of the season is convincing their bosses they have a chance to reach the postseason. Baseball operations president Erik Neander said as much while discussing Thursday's preemptive strike to bolster their beleaguered bullpen by acquiring Bryan Baker from Baltimore. Advertisement 'It's a competitive group, and they have a chance to play postseason baseball and have a chance that if things break your way to do some damage in the postseason,' Neander said. 'You never want to take those opportunities for granted. We felt like this was an area where we could afford to help this team and felt like there was an opportunity to do it in a way that was aggressively responsible, and wanted to pull the trigger.' That the Rays lost Thursday to Boston with Baker giving up the lead was rough initial feedback on the trade for the No. 37 pick in Sunday's draft. And it didn't help that there was another bullpen-caused loss Friday, when closer Pete Fairbanks served up a walkoff homer to Ceddanne Rafaela, extending their skid to 10 losses in 14 games. Unlike most teams that — by words or actions — declare themselves as buyers or sellers leading up to the July 31 trade deadline, the Rays tend to take a more wide-open approach, often doing a bit of both. Advertisement What they've never really done — depending on how you view the 2021 acquisition of Nelson Cruz that kind of flopped, anyway — is take an all-in approach, where they fling open the door to the farm system by trading top prospects and/or take on hefty salary by adding veterans. Could that change with this potentially being the final chance for principal owner Stuart Sternberg to hoist a trophy, should sales talks with Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski's group be consummated? Do it for Stu? Neander wouldn't say whether their plan has even been determined. For now, all he'll acknowledge is that they 'really like this team' and how the players have come together, and are willing to consider additional moves based on results leading up to the July 31 deadline. Advertisement 'How the next few weeks go, obviously, are important,' Neander said. 'We often talk about the closer we are in the division (race), the more aggressive that we're typically willing to be. 'But we'll stay at it. We've got a few weeks to figure out how to make ourselves better, and we'll explore those avenues. Whether or that leads to action or not, time will tell.' As if required by law, he added that the Rays also could consider deals that are more future-based, and assorted other combinations. 'Just can't help but always acknowledge that we're not always declarative or binary in the way we approach anything,' he said. Advertisement Pre-break recap Though Sunday is Game 97 of 162, many baseball people still refer to the season in halves split by the All-Star break. That said, here's our recap of what's happened so far. Most Valuable Ray Second baseman Brandon Lowe and third baseman Junior Caminero did some good things. But there's no question the Rays' other All-Star position player, first baseman Jonathan Aranda, did the most. His consistent offense, high-quality at-bats, a handful of clutch hits and improved defense make him our easy choice. Biggest disappointment (injury division) The Rays had big plans for centerfielder Johnny DeLuca, who played all of nine games before being sidelined by a shoulder injury. But they had major expectations for starter Shane McClanahan. The two-time All-Star appeared to be back to ace form in spring training after missing 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery. But he was forced off the mound in his final exhibition start due to a triceps nerve issue and is targeting an early August return. Advertisement Biggest disappointment (non-injury division) Starter Taj Bradley and outfielder Christopher Morel's names come up, but reliever Edwin Uceta seems the clear winner based on the multiple games he helped lose. Last year, Uceta looked like a great find from the clearance rack. This year, with an ERA nearly four times higher (1.51 to 5.77 through Friday), his walks doubled (8 to 16) and homers soaring (2 to 9), not so much. Most pleasant surprise Caminero and Aranda have been better than expected. Drew Rasmussen, who wasn't assured a spot in the rotation, pitched his way to the All-Star Game. But the answer here lies with the trio of rookie outfielders — Jake Mangum, Kameron Misner and Chandler Simpson — who at various times sparked and even saved the team through a combination of their hitting, baserunning and fielding. Advertisement Season highlight The answer for the romanticists is Misner's walkoff homer on opening day, making Steinbrenner Field actually feel like home. The answer for the realists was the June 18 game vs. Baltimore, when they fell behind 8-0 in the second inning and came back to win 12-8. Rays rumblings Condolences to the families on the recent passings of Lee Elia, the Devil Rays colorful hitting coach from 2003-05 under Lou Piniella; and Joe Coleman, the Triple-A Durham pitching coach and spring instructor from 2001-07. ... The Rays again are offering discounted tickets on Groupon. ... Zack Littell is 20th on list of top trade candidates, Fairbanks 36th. Morel and Taylor Walls were honorable mentions. ... Related, McClanahan's return could line up with the Rays trading a starter at the deadline and/or facing the Dodgers Aug. 1-3. ... David Schoenfield gave the Rays a B-plus in his midseason grades. ... After opening post-break play at home vs. the Orioles and White Sox, the Rays will play 19 of their next 22 games, and 25 of 33, on the road. ... Triple-A shortstop Carson Williams was fourth on The Athletic's list of top prospects who could be traded. ... Jeff Passan's list of trades to best fill needs has the Rays getting reliever Griffin Jax from the Twins and sending Taj Bradley to the Cardinals. Advertisement • • • Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida. Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports. Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X and Facebook.
New York Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
MLB Draft Day 1 takeaways: Bowden on the biggest winners and losers — teams, players, more
ATLANTA — With the first day of the MLB Draft behind us, let's assess what stood out. From teams to players to positions to the venue, here are my biggest winners and losers after the first three rounds on Sunday. The Orioles were the clear winners of Day 1 of the draft just by virtue of having six picks among the first 69 selections, including their first pick at No. 19 and additional picks thanks to their trade with the Rays for reliever Bryan Baker and because they lost Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander in free agency. Besides the 19th pick, they selected at 30, 31, 37, 58 and 69. Advertisement Baltimore, as it's usually done under the leadership of general manager Mike Elias, crushed its selections, taking three consecutive college bats to open the draft: Ike Irish, an outfielder out of Auburn at No. 19; Caden Bodine, arguably the best catcher and framer in the draft, out of Coastal Carolina at No. 30 (Burnes compensation pick); and shortstop Wehiwa Aloy out of Arkansas at No. 31 (Santander compensation pick). Then the Orioles nabbed Slater de Brun, a high-ceiling high school outfielder from Oregon at No. 37 (Barker trade with the Rays) before drafting some pitching, taking lefty Joseph Dzierwa out of Michigan State with pick 58 and righty JT Quinn out of Georgia at No. 69. An impressive haul to say the least. Baltimore has a record $19,144,550 in their bonus pool to try to sign its entire draft class, which should get the job done. Corona High in Southern California became the first high school in history to have two players selected in the top 10 of the MLB Draft: Right-hander Seth Hernandez, considered the best prep starting pitcher in this draft, went to the Pirates at No. 6, and Billy Carlson, the best defensive shortstop, was plucked by the White Sox at No. 10. And Corona High wasn't done, as third baseman Brady Ebel, son of Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel, was selected by the Brewers with the 32nd pick. Go Panthers! There were six shortstops taken in the first 10 picks as the Nationals chose Eli Willits at No. 1, the Rockies selected Ethan Holliday at No. 4, the Marlins landed at Aiva Arquette at No. 7, the Blue Jays got a steal with JoJo Parker at No. 8, the Reds took speedster Steele Hall at No. 9, and the White Sox were thrilled to see Billy Carlson, who could be a future Gold Glove Award winner, sitting there at No. 10. Advertisement Overall, a record 14 shortstops were drafted in the first 27 picks. It shows you how loaded this shortstop class was and how much clubs value positional flexibility, as some of these shortstops will have moved to second base, third base or the outfield by the time they reach the major leagues. Considering they had the 15th and 33rd picks, the Red Sox did really well on Day 1. First, they selected right-hander Kyson Witherspoon out of Oklahoma. He has four plus pitches, including a 94-99 mph fastball, a hard downer curveball that's in the low 80s, a mid-80s slider and a cutter. He also has an improving changeup with solid fade. He gets hitters to chase out of the strike zone and has compact arm action with little effort. Next, at No. 33 (acquired from the Brewers in the Quinn Priester trade), they took righty Marcus Phillips, out of Tennessee, who had 98 strikeouts in 83 innings last season as the Volunteers' No. 2 starter. He throws a 96-100 mph fastball, a plus slider and an average changeup. Witherspoon and Phillips should be relatively quick to the majors. And, with the Red Sox strong pitching coach and analytics staff, both have large runways to improve over the next couple of years. Boston finished off its solid first round by taking infielder Henry Godbout out of Virginia at No. 75 and right-hander Anthony Eyanson out of LSU at No. 87. Atlanta was hot and humid as usual with temperatures north of 90 degrees. That's why the venue, Coca-Cola Roxy, was such a winner — because its air conditioner must have been set around 65 degrees, as I was more than comfortable covering the draft in my hoodie. The main room was also the perfect size for the event, both for fans and the media. No players showed up for this year's draft, which, in my opinion, was a missed opportunity for them. It's such a memorable time in a player's career. Many of us remember when Mike Trout was taken 25th overall in 2009 and was at the draft, and we'll remember it when he's being inducted into the Hall of Fame someday. Advertisement Last year, six first-rounders attended the draft at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, including the Angels' Christian Moore, the Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt, and Braden Montgomery, who was drafted by the Red Sox and later dealt to the White Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade. The players who attend the drafts get to be on all the major TV and radio shows and are able to build relationships with the media and fans that can significantly help them as they develop into big leaguers. Hopefully, this year is an aberration and some players will be on hand for the draft next year — because not being there is a big loss for them and even a bigger loss to the game. The Angels whiffed on the No. 2 pick when they selected right-hander Tyler Bremner from UC Santa Barbara. Not because he's not a good pitcher; he is, he has three pitches, and should be quick to the big leagues. No, the Angels blew it because of what they left on the table to take Bremner. They could have drafted left-hander Kade Anderson, who just won a national championship with LSU and led Division I in strikeouts with 180 (and left many more strikeouts on the table to get early count outs). They could have had future third baseman and 30-40 home run power hitter Ethan Holliday, who I thought was the best overall player in the draft. Taking Bremner, who was projected to be drafted behind several other college pitchers, was a reach for the Angels, which has been their modus operandi recently, but I think they'll regret it — especially with Anderson pitching in their division with the Mariners and Holliday eventually getting to show off his power 81 games a year at Coors Field. From now on, Bremner will be compared to both of them, and in the long run, I don't think the rear-view mirror will be kind to the Halos. The Dodgers, Yankees and Mets had no picks in the first round because they exceeded the competitive balance tax thresholds last year, which pushed their picks back 10 spots, to 40, 39 and 38, respectively. Those are the rules, and those teams made payroll decisions knowing the consequences. But it's still disappointing to me for the biggest markets in the game not to be in the first round.
New York Times
11-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Fantasy bullpen report featuring first-half all-stars and rising star Grant Taylor
Although there are three weeks until the trade deadline, the Rays have made the first move in the reliever market, acquiring Bryan Baker from Baltimore for their competitive balance pick (No. 37) in this weekend's draft, per our own Ken Rosenthal. It's an intriguing deal since Baker will be under team control through 2028 but has no remaining minor league options. He has had a breakout season, posting a 26.5 K-BB percentage, which ranks tied for 16th best in the majors at the time of this trade. He receives a boost in SOLDS formats, but keep tabs on how his ERA adjusts with this move. He has a 2.37 SIERA through his first 42 appearances; however, his 4.16 xERA represents a warning for potential regression to the mean, especially pitching outside in Tampa this summer. Advertisement It's been a rough stretch for leverage relievers in Arizona. After losing A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez for the season, Shelby Miller emerged as a viable option at closer but landed on the injured list with a forearm strain and underwent imaging. If he's lost for the season, it will cost the team a potential trade chip — he will be a free agent at the end of the season. Kevin Ginkel recorded the first save in Miller's absence and takes over the top spot in my adjusted leverage pathway, but he can be streaky. An intriguing stash candidate could be Anthony DeSclafani, if he transitions into a one-inning reliever, which has not transpired as of this writing. Although Grant Taylor possesses immense upside as a reliever this year, his manager has deployed him as the highest-leveraged reliever, not a closer in a traditional sense. While it may result in some frustration for fantasy managers, if he gets 60% of the saves over the remainder of the season, he's worth the roster spot. Last but not least, Tanner Scott has been struggling with contact during recent outings. In seven appearances between June 20 and July 9, he has posted an inflated 1.92 WHIP, allowing multiple hits in four contests with a .400 BABIP. He had reduced contact before these games, illustrated by his rolling game chart: Whether he has suffered from bad luck or sequencing, when a batter is ahead in the count, they are hitting .333 against his four-seam fastball with a .941 xSLG and a robust .570 xwOBA. Getting ahead in counts and accruing more whiffs with his slider could provide a better second half from a statistical standpoint, but he now leads the majors with six blown saves. He may have help soon. Blake Treinen appeared during a Triple-A game on July 9, retiring the side and striking out two. He recorded two saves in his first eight games before being placed on the injured list in April. With this in mind, our leverage pathways have been updated. Here are our high-leverage pathway identifiers. Each team will receive one of the following labels: Access The Athletic's guide for abbreviations used in fantasy baseball. *SGP is standings gains points — a player's impact on the standings based on their statistics/ratios. *Multi-inning or bridge relievers who can vulture wins and help protect ratios. Statistical Credits: and Check out my work at Reliever Recon and Closer Monkey for daily updates. (Photo of Grant Taylor: Chet Strange / Imagn Images)
NBC Sports
10-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Orioles trade reliever Bryan Baker to Rays for 37th pick in draft
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles traded right-handed reliever Bryan Baker to AL East rival Tampa Bay on Thursday in exchange for the 37th overall pick in the 2025 MLB amateur draft, a sign that one of baseball's most disappointing clubs could be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline. Orioles GM Mike Elias wouldn't completely commit to that idea. Speaking to reporters before Thursday's split doubleheader against the New York Mets, he cited the 2024 Detroit Tigers, who traded players off their major league roster but held on to ace Tarik Skubal and then surged into a playoff spot. Elias did, however, acknowledge the possibility of selling on a day that began with last-place Baltimore (40-50) sitting 12 1/2 games behind division-leading Toronto and seven out of the final AL wild card spot. 'I think it's a step in that direction,' said Elias three weeks before the July 31 deadline. 'There's no way around that. The timing of the draft, and when you have draft picks involved in the trades, kind of frontloads these decisions, and it's earlier than my comfort level. But we thought it was a really good return and a good trade for everyone. So we did it.' The draft begins Sunday. In a corresponding move, the Orioles selected the contract of catcher David Bañuelos from Triple-A Norfolk. After a dreadful start that brought the May dismissal of manager Brandon Hyde, the Orioles have steadied under interim skipper Tony Mansolino, playing to a 21-14 record since a loss to St. Louis on May 28. Baker was a solid part of that, posting a 3.52 ERA, striking out 49 batters and posting a 1.096 WHIP in 38 1/3 innings as the setup man for closer Felix Bautista. 'This is a team that is moving in the right direction, and we still have a lot of time left before the deadline, but this was a trade with the draft coming up in a couple days that we had to make a decision on,' Elias said. 'We didn't want to pass up on the opportunity. Hopefully, we can use the pick wisely, bring a lot of value back, and Bryan's going to a good place.' Mansolino is also hoping his team will get replenishments in the form of players eventually returning from the injured list. That sizable group includes several possible starting pitchers: Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder), Albert Suarez (shoulder), Tyler Wells (elbow) and Kyle Bradish (Tommy John surgery). Meanwhile, Baltimore will now have four of the first 37 and seven of the first 93 draft picks. 'All the drafts are important, but when you have this amount of picks, it becomes more important, there's no question about it,' Elias said. 'There's just a much bigger opportunity ahead of us, and the draft is a lifeblood for our franchise.'
Washington Post
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Orioles trade reliever Bryan Baker to Rays for 37th pick in draft
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles traded right-handed reliever Bryan Baker to AL East rival Tampa Bay on Thursday in exchange for the 37th overall pick in the 2025 MLB amateur draft, a sign that one of baseball's most disappointing clubs could be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline. Orioles GM Mike Elias wouldn't completely commit to that idea. Speaking to reporters before Thursday's split doubleheader against the New York Mets, he cited the 2024 Detroit Tigers, who traded players off their major league roster but held on to ace Tarik Skubal and then surged into a playoff spot. Elias did, however, acknowledge the possibility of selling on a day that began with last-place Baltimore (40-50) sitting 12 1/2 games behind division-leading Toronto and seven out of the final AL wild card spot. 'I think it's a step in that direction,' said Elias three weeks before the July 31 deadline. 'There's no way around that. The timing of the draft, and when you have draft picks involved in the trades, kind of frontloads these decisions, and it's earlier than my comfort level. But we thought it was a really good return and a good trade for everyone. So we did it.' The draft begins Sunday. In a corresponding move, the Orioles selected the contract of catcher David Bañuelos from Triple-A Norfolk. After a dreadful start that brought the May dismissal of manager Brandon Hyde, the Orioles have steadied under interim skipper Tony Mansolino, playing to a 21-14 record since a loss to St. Louis on May 28. Baker was a solid part of that, posting a 3.52 ERA, striking out 49 batters and posting a 1.096 WHIP in 38 1/3 innings as the setup man for closer Felix Bautista. 'This is a team that is moving in the right direction, and we still have a lot of time left before the deadline, but this was a trade with the draft coming up in a couple days that we had to make a decision on,' Elias said. 'We didn't want to pass up on the opportunity. Hopefully, we can use the pick wisely, bring a lot of value back, and Bryan's going to a good place.' Mansolino is also hoping his team will get replenishments in the form of players eventually returning from the injured list. That sizable group includes several possible starting pitchers: Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder), Albert Suarez (shoulder), Tyler Wells (elbow) and Kyle Bradish (Tommy John surgery). Meanwhile, Baltimore will now have four of the first 37 and seven of the first 93 draft picks. 'All the drafts are important, but when you have this amount of picks, it becomes more important, there's no question about it,' Elias said. 'There's just a much bigger opportunity ahead of us, and the draft is a lifeblood for our franchise.' ___ AP MLB:
