The Tampa Bay Rays have hit rock bottom. Or have they?
The Rays are 8-17 over the last 30 days, the worst record in the MLB. In the 30 days before the July swoon, they had the second-best record in the MLB at 19-10. Well, it was fun while it lasted.
Just think, it wasn’t that long ago that we were all ready to print World Series tickets, so sure that this would be the year. The Rays quickly went from the outhouse to the penthouse after getting swept by Cincinnati this past weekend, continuing their precipitous fall. Rays fans are beginning to know what Colorado Rockies fans feel like.
It won’t get any easier for the Rays this week. They will play against the reigning AL Champion New York Yankees in the Bronx before coming home for a quick three-game homestand against the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Despite their 4-6 record over the last ten games, the Rays are 54-53, just 2.5 games out of a wildcard spot.
With the trade deadline coming up on July 31st, should the Rays be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?
The Rays have already made a trade, moving catcher Danny Jansen to the Milwaukee Brewers for 21-year-old prospect Jadher Areinamo. The infielder is hitting .251 at Class A Wisconsin with 11 homers and 51 RBI’s.
The Rays also announced that they have acquired catcher Nick Fortes from the Miami Marlins in exchange for outfielder Matthew Etzel.
The Rays signed Jansen to a two-year contract during the offseason. However, the option was worth $13 million, and the likelihood of the Rays picking up that option was slim to none. Thus, the trade for Nick Fortes. The Rays have gotten horrible offensive production from their catchers the last two seasons.
What will Fortes bring to the Rays? He has a strong arm, quick release, and is excellent at blocking pitches. He has also improved his framing to help pitchers get more strikes. Since joining the Marlins in 2023, Fortes has worked hard on the mental aspect of his game, managing pitchers, calling games, and becoming an overall team leader. Fortes is hitting .240 this season with two homers and ten RBI’s. Fortes is an excellent defensive catcher, just don’t expect much offensively.
Zack Littell is the most talked-about player for the Rays on the trade market. Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe have also heard their names mentioned in trade talks, but if the Rays should trade one or both of those sluggers, where will the home runs come from? That would leave Junior Camienero and Jonathan Aranda to fill those shoes.
If the Rays lose the upcoming series to the Yankees, you can expect them to be sellers, and all bets are off the table. If the Rays can win some games in New York, though, look for the Rays to stand pat, or maybe try to add some depth pieces.
The most significant need for the Rays is bullpen help. What was once a strength of the team has turned into a huge liability. It doesn’t help that Manny Rodriguez, who has been out for the last two months, will have Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of this season and most of the 2026 season.
The next few days will be telling. It will tell us if Tampa Bay’s management thinks this team can be a playoff team, or if they will give the team a vote of no confidence and conduct a fire sale.