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So, that was a fun off day. The Rays made a recently rumored move to go out and upgrade the SS defense, trading minor league OF Braxton Lee and RHP Ethan Clark for slick gloved SS Adeiny Hechavarria.
#Rays Chaim Bloom said on conference call Hechavarria will join team in Pittsburgh tomorrow, expect to activate him soon.
— Neil Solondz (@neilsolondz) June 26, 2017
What does this mean for the Rays current SS Tim Beckham? It certainly sounds like the breakout Beckham still has a big role going forward. However, it may not just be as Hech’s new Double Play partner at 2nd...
#Rays Bloom they consider Beckham as "a gamer" who wants to win, and that he will get a chance to continue to help them win
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) June 26, 2017
Going into spring training, #Rays planned for Beckham to get at-bats as utility INF and in LF (vs. LHPs) so that may be case again.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) June 26, 2017
As for Matt Duffy, it does sound like his tune up at the doc went well, and that the team does indeed still expect him to play this year. When that is, however, is anyone's guess.
Bloom says they are "optimistic" on Duffy return but it will be a while until he can play in games in minors then with #Rays
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) June 26, 2017
Other Links:
- Neil Solondz shares his take on the Hechavarria trade and what it means for the Rays.
- Jeff Sullivan at Fangraphs also shares why he thinks Adeiny Hechavarria is interesting.
- HE LIVES!
For those who've been asking about #Rays Burch Smith - today in GCL opener 3 IP, 4H, 2ER, 4K
— Neil Solondz (@neilsolondz) June 26, 2017
- Keep voting! Dickerson and LoMo 2017!
Corey Dickerson climbed into 2nd place in AL All-Star voting at DH. Hurry! Voting ends Thursday at 11:59 p.m. ET. https://t.co/xd21pMuMpf
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 26, 2017
- The Rays haven’t gone through a traditional “rebuild” phase, and certainly have avoided a Houston Astros or NBA’s Phildelphia 76ers process of tanking. Henry Druschel on Beyond the Box Score has an interesting article about what rules MLB could/should use to shift the incentives for rebuilding teams.