The Tampa Bay Rays have had an active several months when it comes to trading pitchers. Last deadline, they dealt Matt Moore to the San Francisco Giants. Earlier in the winter, they moved Drew Smyly to the Seattle Mariners. Yet the Rays might not be done.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Rays are still talking trade -- and fireman reliever Erasmo Ramirez could be on the move:
Sources: #Rays could trade from pitching depth. Strongest candidate to go: Erasmo Ramirez. $3.2M salary, 3 years control, start or relieve.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 21, 2017
Trading Ramirez would make a lot of sense for the Rays, who have a full rotation and a number of younger arms en route -- including top prospects Brent Honeywell and Jose De Leon. A Ramirez trade would also net the Rays something while freeing a roster spot for a non-roster pitcher -- be it Shawn Tolleson or Tommy Hunter. Chase Whitley, acquired off waivers from the Yankees in 2015, could slot into Ramirez’s multi-inning role.
Something worth considering: Ramirez might appeal to teams in need of a back-end starter. Remember, he had been mostly a starter before 2016, albeit to shaky results because of a lacking breaking ball.
There’s no word on which teams are interested in acquiring Ramirez.
