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This Rays Star Slugger Would Be 'Perfect Fit' For Red Sox, Insider Says
This Rays Star Slugger Would Be 'Perfect Fit' For Red Sox, Insider Says

Newsweek

time2 days ago

  • Sport
  • Newsweek

This Rays Star Slugger Would Be 'Perfect Fit' For Red Sox, Insider Says

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Tampa Bay Rays might play a major role at the MLB trade deadline, and one of the game's most connected insiders believes the Boston Red Sox could take advantage. The Rays, despite contending in the American League East and wild-card races just about all season, have fallen on hard times. Tampa Bay has lost three in a row and seven of its last 10. Kevin Cash's team is just one game above .500 and is closer to the last-place Baltimore Orioles than it is the first-place Toronto Blue Jays. That puts the Rays in a very tough spot ahead of Thursday's deadline. Despite the first-half success, it's not an overly talented roster, and it might be in the organization's best long-term interests to sell off pieces before the deadline. If they were to go that route, their best position player asset might be first baseman Yandy Diaz. BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JUNE 28: Yandy Díaz #2 of the Tampa Bay Rays bats against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 28, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty... BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JUNE 28: Yandy Díaz #2 of the Tampa Bay Rays bats against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 28, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by) More As ESPN's Buster Olney pointed out, Diaz would be a great fit for the division rival Red Sox. "Yandy Diaz would be an absolutely perfect fit for the Red Sox," Olney tweeted Sunday morning. "He's making $10 million this year (the Red Sox would be on the hook for about a third of that), and he has a very attractive $12 million option for 2026." Diaz does check a lot of boxes for the Red Sox. The former batting title winner plays first base and hits from the right side; Boston could use help in both areas. He's having another fine season, too, hitting .286 with 18 home runs and 61 RBIs with a 128 OPS+. The Rays have primarily used him as a designated hitter this season, but he played 112 games at first base in 2024 and 118 games at the position the year before. He could also play third base in a pinch with 290 career appearances at the hot corner. That's an attractive option for the Red Sox, too, given the recent injury to Marcelo Mayer and the cautious approach being taken with Alex Bregman and his tender quad. There are two questions the clubs would need to answer, though. The first is whether Tampa Bay would want to deal within the division. Erik Neander has done so in the past, so it presumably wouldn't be an issue, but perhaps that calculus changes with someone like Diaz who's not strictly a rental. That ability to keep him under contract in 2026 leads to the other big question: Is this the sort of player for which the Red Sox would be willing to part with top prospects? Diaz's skill and controllability will not come cheap but given the uncertainty around injured first baseman Triston Casas (and to a lesser extent, Bregman's contract), it does seem like a good option for Boston to at least consider. Some might say perfect. More MLB: Red Sox Trade Rumors: Insider Gives Most 'Likely' Jarren Duran Outcome

De la cruz's clutch single lifts reds to 6-2 win over the rays
De la cruz's clutch single lifts reds to 6-2 win over the rays

Al Arabiya

time2 days ago

  • Sport
  • Al Arabiya

De la cruz's clutch single lifts reds to 6-2 win over the rays

Elly De La Cruz hit a two-run single in the seventh inning to break open a tie game, and the Cincinnati Reds went on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 on Saturday night. The Reds won their third in a row, while the Rays have lost 12 of their last 15 on the road, including six straight. With the score tied 2-2, De La Cruz's bloop single off Garrett Cleavinger with the bases loaded put the Reds ahead 4-2. Graham Ashcraft (6-4) pitched the seventh for the win, and Emilio Pagán pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 22nd save. Yandy Díaz led off the sixth with his 18th home run to put the Rays ahead 1-0. It was one of two hits off Reds starter Andrew Abbott, who walked three and struck out seven in six innings. Rays starter Ryan Pepiot, an Indianapolis native who grew up a Reds fan and was facing them for the first time, allowed two runs in six innings, but neither was earned. The only hit off Pepiot through 5 1/3 innings came when left fielder Christopher Morel misjudged De La Cruz's fly ball in the first, allowing it to sail over his head and bounce into the stands for a ground-rule double. With two outs in the sixth, Austin Hays' ground ball went under Taylor Walls' glove for an error, allowing two runs to score and putting the Reds ahead 2-1. Bryan Baker (3-4) took the loss. Key moment: Reds manager Terry Francona was ejected in the seventh inning by home plate umpire Willie Traynor for arguing balls and strikes. It was Francona's 53rd career ejection, third this season. Key stat: Abbott has allowed one earned run or fewer in 14 of his 17 starts this season. Up next: Rays RHP Shane Baz (8-6 4.66 ERA) faces Reds RHP Brady Singer (7-8 4.84) in Sunday's series finale.

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