Should the Rays Add More Pitching? Sonny Gray Makes Sense

· Yahoo Sports

Could the Tampa Bay Rays make a trade this summer for even more starting pitching depth?

It shouldn't be ruled out. 

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Although the team's strength this season has easily been the starting rotation, the Rays are in a position to make a deep run into the postseason, and they need to make sure they have everything covered heading into the fall.

With Drew Rasmussen being named to his second All-Star Game this weekend, and Nick Martinez likely to find his way there as an alternate, Tampa Bay might have the best 1-2 punch in the American League at the moment. 

Kevin Cash has succeeded in his most recent experiment by moving both Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour back into the rotation from the bullpen, but who knows if that will work for a full season. 

That's why Eric Neander and the Rays front office should entertain some ideas from franchises that are already in trade now mode. After firing thier manager Alex Cora earlier this season, it is almost certain that the Boston Red Sox will be sellers by the time the August 3rd deadline rolls around. 

With that prediction a very likely scenario, would they entertain moving on from veteran pitcher Sonny Gray?

If they do, they may be able to get a proven pitcher at a bargain. It was reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Sunday that Boston would likely be willing to pay his $10 million mutual option to help move on from him this summer. 

This would essentially require the Rays to pay whatever remains of his $11 million contract for this season, as well as any prospects needed to make the trade a reality. Gray has a $30 million mutual option for next season that both he and the Rays would have to agree on if they wanted to keep him around for longer than a half season rental.

So far this season, he has a 2.61 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and has reached a quality start in 67% of his starts this year. His numbers are similar to those of Martinez, and would instantly improve an already loaded rotation. 

If they could gain one more pitcher for the second half of the season, the Rays could either run a 6-man rotation, keeping their bigger arms more fresh down the stretch, or easily push Jax or Seymour into a long reliever role. 

The biggest reason they should make a move for more pitching depth is Shane McClanahan. Although he is off to a great start this season after missing almost two full seasons, it's the injury itself that explains why the Rays should be cautious about being aggressive this next month. 

McClanahan was injured in 2023, the last time the Rays sat atop the American League standings with a ton of optimism heading into the postseason. It quickly went away after the injury to him, and Tampa Bay was eliminated in the first round by the Texas Rangers. 

Not saying an injury to McClanahan will happen again, but the Rays can't leave anything to chance. If they want to push for the first World Series win in franchise history, they need to pull out all the stops this upcoming trade deadline. 

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