Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline is July 31 and, despite the competitive summertime record, most signs point to the Tampa Bay Rays being sellers.
Wednesday’s 3-0 loss in Miami dropped the Rays to 43-43. They trail the American League East-leading Boston Red Sox by 15 games and second-place New York Yankees by 14. The current second wild card spot is held by the Seattle Mariners, 12 games ahead of Tampa Bay.
The Rays began unloading veterans in the offseason and have continued that process since Opening Day. Infielder Brad Miller, outfielder Denard Span and closer Alex Colome already got dealt and more are expected to follow.
One of those higher-priced vets on the block is shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. He’s on a one-year deal worth $5.9 million and becomes a free agent in 2019. That’s not exactly a break-the-bank deal, but it’s the Rays and … you know.
Tampa Bay began the process of integrating prospects into their lineup and pitching staff, including shortstop-of-the-future Willy Adames. If the separation between its record and a wild card berth were slimmer or if the team was in the mood to compete this year, retaining Hechavarria this year and shifting Adames to second base could be an option. But the Rays seems content with Daniel Robertson and Joey Wendle at second for the remainder of the season.
So instead of completing a fifth straight playoff-less season and then getting nothing in return for Hechavarria, dealing the slick-fielding Cuban to a current contender is probably the way to go.
The 29-year-old is a Gold Glove-caliber fielder with a mediocre bat. He’s batting .262 this season, which is slightly higher than his career .255 average. With only 25 home runs and a .291 on-base percentage in 2,685 career at bats, his value comes in the form of runs saved as opposed to runs produced.
Who could that trading partner be, though?
Hechavarria has played all but 26 of his 763 MLB games at shortstop. During his 2012 rookie season, he played 18 games at third base with the Toronto Blue Jays and, following a trade, eight others at second base with the Miami Marlins.
One thing to be considered before checking out future destinations for Hechavarria: Manny Machado. If the courtship of the Baltimore Orioles star results in a trade this season, that most likely takes one trade partner off the board. But that’s still playing itself out.
Top AL contenders are all set at shortstop: Xander Bogaerts in Boston, Didi Gregorius in New York, Francisco Lindor in Cleveland, Carlos Correa in Houston and Jean Segura in Seattle. If Oakland and Los Angeles are in the market to upgrade, the Angels are set with Andrelton Simmons. The Athletics – only 7.5 games out of the second wild card spot – start baseball’s most error-prone shortstop in Marcus Semien and could use depth. But that requires the infrequent occasion of the A’s being buyers.
Current National League contenders are pretty strong at short, as well. The Arizona Diamondbacks (Nick Ahmed) and Philadelphia Phillies (Scott Kingery) have been mentioned in Machado trade rumors but could put Hechavarria to good use while shifting other options around at second and third.
Another variable to consider is the league’s big spenders. The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees of the MLB world could view Hechavarria as a high-quality backup or late-inning defensive replacement.
If a deal happens, the haul is going to be a prospect or two. A veteran-for-veteran outcome would be the most shocking result of any trade involving Hechavarria, catcher Wilson Ramos or anyone else for that matter.
