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Taking Advantage Of…The Tampa Bay Rays: A Cheerful Offseason Series

The ever-thrifty Rays are looking to shed salary. Alex Colome (L), Corey Dickerson (C), Jake Odorizzi (R) could help the Pirates.

In our previous installments in this series, we looked at teams like the Yankees (trying to stay under the luxury tax threshold), the Marlins (holding a fire sale because of new ownership), and the Diamondbacks (looking at a skyrocketing payroll figure). But today we’re looking at the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that is basically subsisting on revenue sharing and other MLB-centric funds, like the national TV deals, to exist.

It may seem like there-but-for-the-grace-of-God that as a Pirate supporter I’m calling another team paupers, but the Rays really are a barebones team. The prevailing theory on why the Rays never have money is that their stadium effectively has cut off the Tampa portion of their fanbase, due to its location in St. Pete via a bridge that is only slightly easier to get to than the island of Dr. Moreau. Add in the fact that the Trop is probably the worst stadium in MLB (toss up with the A’s, I guess) and that is why their attendance is so bad. The Rays will come up with a site plan and a cool artistic rendering of a proposed stadium every couple of years, but it always falls through. At this point, if the latest Ybor City neighborhood location doesn’t work out, I’d be fine with them moving to a city like Charlotte. Florida is just not a pro sports state, as they support college teams to a much greater degree.

Tampa’s franchise-high payroll was $76M in 2014 and they were said to have lost millions that year in doing so. Last year, their Opening Day payroll was $70M. For 2018, once you factor in their pre-existing salary commitments, their arbitration-eligible players, and the minimum-scale guys to fill out the roster, they’re projected at $84M. Unless owner Stuart Sternberg has a change of heart, it’s safe to say that some pruning to the payroll will be done. Here’s the projected arbitration salaries, via MLB Trade Rumors:

  • Adeiny Hechavarria (5.060) ? $5.0MM
  • Dan Jennings (4.171) ? $2.5MM
  • Corey Dickerson (4.101) ? $6.4MM
  • Brad Miller (4.094) ? $4.4MM
  • Xavier Cedeno (4.060) ? $1.4MM
  • Jake Odorizzi (4.042) ? $6.5MM
  • Jesus Sucre (3.137) ? $1.3MM
  • Chase Whitley (3.099) ? $1.0MM
  • Alex Colome (3.118) ? $5.5MM
  • Steven Souza (3.072) ? $3.6MM
  • Matt Duffy (3.059) ? $900K

The good news for Pirates fans is that the Rays have a whole host of players that could help the team, even after you factor out the ones they definitely won’t deal. Chris Archer would be an upgrade to any rotation in MLB, but the Rays aren’t going to move him. He’s young and cheap with lots of team control (options go out to 2021). Likewise, defensive wizard Kevin Kiermaier would really be intriguing to watch patrol PNC’s center field, but the same theory applies. The Rays aren’t rebuilding, they’re just having a yard sale. Franchise icon, 3B Evan Longoria, is also not going anywhere. Not only is he Mister Ray, but I would be a little leery about taking on his contract that ends in 2022 at $19.7M when he will be in his age-36 season.

JAKE ODORIZZI

At a projected arb-2 salary of $7M, Jake Odorizzi is the Rays’ priciest of their 11 arbitration-eligible players. He’s also coming off a career-worst season in 2017, by pitching only 143 innings over 28 starts (just a shade over 5 innings/start) and had an ERA/FIP of 4.14/5.43. Odorizzi isn’t a game changer in the rotation for the Pirates, but at his best from 2014-16, he was a solid #4 pitcher. Odorizzi is an extreme flyball pitcher (33.7% groundball rate), so that would represent something of a paradigm shift for Neal Huntington.

By adding him to the rotation, while hoping that he can get a bounce going from the AL to the NL, you can bolster the bullpen by shifting either Chad Kuhl or Trevor Williams. If you believe that Odorizzi can equal Kuhl or Williams’ production, then for $6.5M you fix two issues. That’s roughly the same $6.5M, plus or minus a million, it would take you to sign either Tommy Hunter or Anthony Swarzak. Six of one, half dozen of the other.

ALEX COLOME

Alex Colome is only entering his first year of arbitration, but he’s projected to cost $5.5M, due in large part to the 84 saves he’s accumulated in his young career. Since he’s also ‘Rays-pricey’, they may be interested in dealing him for an array of young talent to keep their shoestring operation functioning and turning to someone else as their closer, as they’ve already traded Brad Boxberger to the Diamondbacks.

Colome was a starter all through the minors and has started a handful of games at the Major League level, too, but since becoming a full-time closer in 2016 he’s excelled. The soon-to-be 29-year old has a blazing 95 mph fastball that he complements with a 90 mph cutter to great effect. Colome would immediately step in to the setup role with the Pirates and form a potent combo with Felipe Rivero at the back end of the bullpen.

Because of his already high salary, there’s not a ton of surplus value for Colome, but he’d still require something like SS Kevin Newman and LHP Taylor Hearn as the return. Those are the relatively close to the Majors pieces that the Rays covet. Newman could percolate in the minors in 2018 and then be Adeiny Hechavarria’s direct replacement in 2019 after his team control expires.

COREY DICKERSON

This one gets a little tricky. Aside from my quest to upgrade the backup catcher position, most of the suggestions to improve the Pirates have been focused on pitchers. I do see that there’s a need to boost the offense, but it’s hard for me to see where the Pirates would be willing to do so realistically.

Corey Dickerson could represent an offensive upgrade, but he would require the displacement of either Starling Marte or Gregory Polanco to do so. At $6.4M, Dickerson is getting up there in cost in his second year of arbitration. Would the Rays go for a straight up Dickerson for Polanco swap ? With what looks like the continued absence of Jung-ho Kang, the Pirates could sure use Dickerson’s 27 homers from last year. In 3 of the past 4 seasons, Dickerson has hit 24, 24, and 27 homers. I’d take that relatively proven baseline of power over the potential power of Polanco at this point, who has only crested 20 homers once in his career.

The net savings between Dickerson’s potential $6.4M salary and Polanco’s $4.1M salary in 2017 is a small $2.3M, but the Rays would be gaining a younger asset (Polanco’s 26, Dickerson’s 28) that has more team control out to 2023 with his options. Those are the types of gambles the Rays frequently take.

While their batting averages and on-base percentages are relatively similar, you get more power with Dickerson at the expense of less defense. By putting him in PNC Park’s RF, though, you minimize that issue. Although he primarily batted 1st or 2nd, for some reason, for the Rays last year, I’d put Dickerson in the 5-hole. You could move Marte to either leadoff or 2nd, where his lack of power won’t be an issue and he can utilize his speed more effectively. The McCutchen-Bell-Dickerson 3-4-5 would be intriguing to me.

Nerd engineer by day, nerd writer at night. Kevin is the co-founder of The Point of Pittsburgh. He is the author of Creating Christ, a sci-fi novel available on Amazon.

8 Comments on Taking Advantage Of…The Tampa Bay Rays: A Cheerful Offseason Series

  1. piraterican // December 4, 2017 at 9:26 AM //

    Good article, this site is having a great off season! I love the fact that you are not afraid to suggest which players might make a trade possible. Not saying I agree, but it gets the conversation rolling. I will love for the Pirates to pull something off like the last two trade suggestions. Newman and Hearn might be valiuable enough to bring in Colome, and he will,certainly shorten the game to a seven inning affair. The Dickerson for Polanco idea intrigue me a lot. Have been a fan of Dickerson for a while, and Polanco keeps distancing himself from becoming the player we had hope. Will do both trades in a heartbeat!

    • Kevin Creagh // December 4, 2017 at 10:26 AM //

      Thanks! TPOP has been working out and we’re in the best shape of our career. We think 2018 is going to be a career year for us. But seriously, thanks for the kind words.

      • Piraterican // December 4, 2017 at 3:42 PM //

        Are you gonna set your sights on Detroit next? Nicholas Castellanos will make Nicely fill the whole at 3b if available!

  2. Mark Gaudiano // December 4, 2017 at 9:37 AM //

    Kevin, good article. Archer & Dickerson would be the two guys that i would want. The Pirates could afford both if they were willing to trade prospects especially to acquire Archer. I think that if they are creative, a package of Polanco, Hearn, Newman & Glasnow might be able to secure Archer & Dickerson. Of course Archer is a proven player and the names i named probably would not get it done, but i think the right prospect names and the Pirates could get Archer & Dickerson, this would make the team a little more competitive, then you need to try and acquire Maikel Franco and let him be your third baseman, and the team would look a little better.

    • Kevin Creagh // December 4, 2017 at 10:25 AM //

      I love Archer, too. As I said, he’d be in every MLB teams starting rotation. But unless TB goes full scorched earth, they have adamantly said they don’t want to trade him this offseason. Like most teams (including the Pirates), the Rays are trying to build a team good enough for 84 wins and hope to luck into a few extra to have a shot at the Wild Card. Like it or not, that’s the method of roster construction en vogue right now.

      And I’m going to disagree with you on Franco. He’s not good at all and his conditioning is moving him to 1B.

  3. This Pirates ownership group is in no position to take advantage of anyone. For a team (Rays) that you call “barebones” (and they may very well be), they have been more successful than the Pirates over the last 10 years, with division titles, world series appearance, alds appearances, and a wild card appearance. And this despite having truly abysmal fan/market support.

    When comparing cheapskates, I would give the advantage to the more successful of the two organizations. The advantage goes to the Rays.

    • Kevin Creagh // December 6, 2017 at 8:09 AM //

      It’s disingenuous to compare the past 10 years of the Rays to the Pirates. The two franchises have been on different win cycle paths — in 2008, the Rays became “good” for the first time ever and went to the WS with 97 wins. The year before they had 66. So to compare for the Pirates, you would have to start at 2013 and move forward.
      Yes, the Rays made a WS and 3 other Division Series in the past 10 years. But I still contend that their cheap ownership was what prevented them from actually winning/keeping the talent that they had that could have won multiple WS.

      The Rays had an excellent run of drafting and developing lead up to 2008. Not only did they hit on franchise cornerstones in back-to-back years like Longoria and Price, but they also got great value from Wade Davis (3rd 2004), Jake McGee (5th 2004), Carl Crawford (2nd 1999), and others from outside the 1st round that the Pirates have not done. The Rays were also good at extending their window by trading assets in a fashion that the Pirates have not replicated (see trade to get Matt Garza and trade to get rid of Garza to get Archer).

      Both orgs are cheap, but the Rays are a standard deviation cheaper. They’ve been more successful because of better GM’s like Friedman when he was there.

      • Bob Stover // December 6, 2017 at 9:31 AM //

        I’m really not sure that anyone in Pittsburgh cares about the Rays budget/payroll problems. Needless to say, there will always be a group of fans that think owners should spend money that the team doesn’t generate by spending personal wealth to subsidize a team. The lack of fan interest in baseball on Florida’s Gulf coast is clear. The owners did the Giants a real favor when they vetoed a move there and instead put an expansion team in Tampa. Baseball is not economically viable in its smallest markets. Until owners and players alike understand the scope of the problem and the willingness for a little mutual sacrifice to keep the number of teams at 30, (more jobs for union members), etc., there will be no fixes that make small market teams consistently competitive.

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