The Tampa Bay Rays are expected to finalize a few deals by the end of Tuesday and according to one report the Cubs have been in engaging in trade talks for pitching with the AL East team.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweeted Sunday night that the Cubs, along with the Reds, Mets and Angels have been in contact with the Rays, having trade discussions for a few of their pitchers.
Tuesday night is the deadline for teams to protect minor league players from the Rule 5 Draft. The Rays have a handful of players who will get a considerable bump in pay through arbitration and face a roster crunch, as they’re facing the possibility of not being able to add some of their talented prospects to their 40-man roster. So, that’s why it’s no surprise to learn that they’re working hard to deal a few of their current players to open up some spots on their 40-man roster.
Morosi has been all over the Rays trade talks in the last week, pointing out left-handed first baseman Ji-Man Choi as a possible trade candidate and then he was dealt to the Pirates.
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The Rays have a boatload of arbitration-eligible players, but the name you should probably keep an eye on is 32-year-old reliever Shawn Armstrong.
Bleacher Nation writer and Cubs On Deck podcast co-host Bryan Smith brought up why Armstrong may be the name the Cubs are discussing with the Rays.
According to MLBTR’s arbitration projections, Armstrong is estimated to make $1.3 million in 2023.
The right-hander appeared in 50 games for the Marlins and Rays in 2022, throwing a total of 61.2 innings to the tune of a 4.38 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. He was pretty good with Tampa Bay, posting a 3.60 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 55 innings.
It’s always scary trading with the Rays, but if Armstrong is the guy the Cubs are looking at, then the price will not be something that will cause initial panic. That said, it’s the Rays, so any unknown prospect could turn into a good player down in Tampa. That organization sure does know how to get the most out of their players.
Anyway, there is a small chance that maybe the Cubs are asking about right-handed starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow. The 29-year-old returned from Tommy John surgery at the very end of the 2022 season for the Rays, who signed him to an extension through 2024. Back in the summer of 2021, the Cubs reportedly had trade talks with the Rays about Glasnow, who at the time was injured but still didn’t know if he needed the elbow surgery.
A trade for Glasnow? Now, that would be scary, but also very exciting because his stuff is nasty and if healthy would look great in the Cubs’ rotation. But for Glasnow the Cubs would have to give up something substantial and that would be frightening because once again NEVER TRADE WITH THE RAYS!
Or maybe do because the Cubs have been pretty good at turning above-average pitchers to good with their new pitching infrastructure.
So, expect a few trades involving the Rays the next two days and maybe one of them is with the Cubs.
