Fansided

One offseason move each MLB team needs to make

By Joshua Sadlock

MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 01: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the Miami Marlins during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Marlins Park on October 1, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Miami Marlins via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 01: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the Miami Marlins during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Marlins Park on October 1, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Miami Marlins via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
27 of 30
Next
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – OCTOBER 1: Logan Morrison #7 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks into the stands after striking out during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field on October 1, 2017 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Joseph Garnett Jr./Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – OCTOBER 1: Logan Morrison #7 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks into the stands after striking out during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field on October 1, 2017 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Joseph Garnett Jr./Getty Images) /

Tampa Bay Rays: Find more cheap power

For the Tampa Bay Rays and their limited budget, building a lineup means operating on the margins and finding the best bargains. The Rays have had great success developing young starting pitchers, but the same cannot be said of their position players. Evan Longoria and Kevin Kiermaier were their only full-time starters last year that came up through the farm system. The rest came in either via trade or free agency.

The Rays are left picking through the scraps of the free-agent market, which means they are left signing a player with some sort of red flag. For example, they were only able to sign slugging backstop Wilson Ramos because he was coming off a second major knee injury. That gamble should pay off because Ramos hit well when he finally came off the DL this year. The Rays also struck gold with Logan Morrison, who hit 38 home runs this season on a $2.5-million deal.

Cheap power has never been easier to find around Major League Baseball. It seems everyone is capable of pumping out 20 home runs, and the Rays have built their lineup around the dinger. It is an approach fraught with pitfalls — the Rays were 14th in the AL in runs — but it’s what they have to do.

Keeping trade pickup Lucas Duda in the fold should be a priority for the Rays. He was one of the few hitters on their roster last season who hit well in the second half. In 52 games after coming over from the Mets, Duda hit 13 home runs and drove in 27. It was boom or bust for Duda, however, as he hit only .175. Mark Reynolds is a more consistent power threat, but he may have found a permanent home in Denver. Stealing him away would be a major coup for the Rays.

Home/MLB