A previous article mentioned three players that the Tampa Bay Rays should target and trade for ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. However, the Rays might take another approach at the deadline and become sellers, given the difficulty of the AL East and the mediocre season they’ve had so far. If that’s the case, they have quite a few players that have high trade value, which could land them some good prospects that would help the team long-term.
Here are some players that the Rays could be looking to trade away ahead of the July 30 deadline.
Tampa Bay Rays: 3 Players to Trade Away Before the Trade Deadline
Randy Arozarena
Once the best player on the team, outfielder Randy Arozarena has had the worst season of his career so far in 2024. In fact, he’s been on a steady decline ever since his rookie season in 2021; he hit .281 in 2021, then .274 in 2022, .254 in 2023, and now .159 in 2024. He continues to be a great power hitter, and his 23 home runs in 2023 were enough for his first career All-Star selection, but it doesn’t change the fact that every time we see fewer base hits from a player who can’t seem to get out of the slump he started the season on.
If Arozarena is to be traded away this season, the Rays should demand a moderately sized package in return. His bad season will certainly hurt his trade value, but his good production for the past few seasons should not be overlooked. He’s a good power hitter who can immediately fill the cleanup spot in almost any lineup.
Isaac Paredes
Like Arozarena, third baseman Isaac Paredes is a great ballplayer who has been struggling so far. He started the season on a roll, reaching .314 around mid-May, but hit a slump shortly after, bringing his average down to .295. It’s still a very solid batting average though, and the Rays should be able to get a good return for him if they decide to trade him.
Besides his recent struggles, the reality is that there are players on the trade block who are far more talented than him and would be great additions to the Rays roster. As mentioned in a previous article, Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is one of those players, and the Rays should make a push to trade for him ahead of the deadline. He’ll definitely be more expensive than Paredes but might be worth it considering the Rays’ need to upgrade their roster heading into the second half of the season.
Aaron Civale
The Rays acquired former Cleveland Guardians starter Aaron Civale at last year’s deadline in a deal that sent an infield prospect to Cleveland. Since then, he hasn’t performed like he was expected to: after six seasons in Cleveland, in three of which he had a sub-4.00 ERA, he finished the 2023 season with a 5.36 ERA since being traded and has a 5.72 ERA in 2024 so far. It’s safe to say the trade didn’t pay off, and both the Rays and Civale would benefit from parting ways with each other.
Moreover, the Rays have their ace, Shane McClanahan, and Zach Eflin on the injured list, ready to pitch again when they recover completely. Out of all of the Rays’ starters, Civale has performed the poorest so far this season. The Rays shouldn’t expect to get anything out of Civale if they decide to trade him, but they should get rid of him to open up rotation spots for when McClanahan and Eflin come back from the injured list. As it was mentioned before, it would benefit both parties; it would open up a roster spot for the Rays, and it would help Civale get a fresh start in his attempt to revive his now-struggling career.
Main Image: © Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
