Rays Must Address Catcher Before the MLB Trade Deadline
· Yahoo Sports
The Tampa Bay Rays have proven they can overcome a lot of weaknesses this season.
Plenty of slumps, injuries, and some players just not living up to the hype they were expected to carry heading into the season. But through all that, they still have the best record in the American League and have a great chance at making a deep postseason run if they are smart over the next month.
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That's why upgrading at catcher should not be one they continue to ignore.
With the MLB Trade Deadline now just weeks away, reports continue to connect the Rays to the catching market, and it makes perfect sense. This has been one of the organization's biggest offensive holes for several seasons, and if Tampa Bay believes it has a legitimate opportunity to make another deep postseason run, finding an upgrade behind the plate has to become a priority.
Nick Fortes has been solid defensively and has given the Rays respectable production compared to what they've received at the position in recent years. Hunter Feduccia has filled his role as well, but neither player changes the lineup's outlook.
The numbers tell the story. Although they do a great job with the Rays pitching staff, and that should not go unnoticed, neither of them is currently over a .700 OPS, showing there is much more room to improve at that position in the batting order.
That is why Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers continues to make so much sense.
Jeffers is currently working his way back from a hamate injury, but when healthy, he has quietly developed into one of baseball's better offensive catchers. Dating back to 2023, he has consistently produced above-average numbers at the plate while also providing legitimate power. He would immediately give Tampa Bay another dangerous bat in the middle of a lineup already featuring Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda.
Although the sample size is small this season, across 37 games and 122 at bats, Jeffers has a .949 OPS, 7 homers and 26 RBIs. Putting that into context, Fortes and Feduccia have 4 homers in 118 games combined this season.
The problem is they likely will not be alone.
The New York Yankees have also been linked to Jeffers, setting up the possibility of an AL East bidding war if Minnesota decides to move him before the deadline. Another reason why Eric Neander and the Rays front office can not wait around and must be aggressive before some of the other bigger market teams get involved.
If Jeffers doesn’t work out, Tyler Stephenson from the Cincinnati Reds could be seen as a candidate, but the upgrade isn’t nearly as good as what they could get if they made a trade with Minnesota. Stephenson does give the position more power, but has high strikeout potential and, like the two Rays catchers on the roster currently, a sub.700 OPS.
If the Rays were to be extremely aggressive and could get the Colorado Rockies to bite, adding Hunter Goodman to their roster could make them instant World Series favorites heading into the second half of the season. He currently has 27 home runs, more than Junior Caminero and a .863 OPS on the year. A major upgrade to the position and the middle of the batting order.
Regardless of who Neander chases, he has to chase and acquire at least one of these top catching targets before the August 3rd deadline passes.