Rays Your Voice: Offseason Recap with Jim Turvey

Opening Day was supposed to be over a month ago, so it feels strange doing an offseason recap podcast, but here we are. On this episode of Rays Your Voice, I’m joined by Jim Turvey to talk about the past winter for the Rays.

There were some “typical” Rays moves, such as trading Tommy Pham to the Padres in exchange for a cheaper outfield option in Hunter Renfroe and a promising middle infield prospect in Xavier Edwards. There were also some atypical moves, like when they dealt left-handed pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore to the St. Louis Cardinals for Randy Arozarena and Jose Martinez. While Jim and I both agree that if these trades work out in favor of the Rays, they could have huge payoffs, but they could also be deals that the Rays front office and fans alike look back on in dismay.

The Rays also signed a marquee free agent this offseason, bringing Yoshi Tsutsugo stateside. The Japanese left-handed hitting outfielder was a fan favorite as a member of the Yokohama Bay Stars, hitting 205 career home runs with a .910 OPS over 10 seasons. I felt quite bad for Bay Stars fans when the Rays signed Yoshi, but seeing their favorite players introduced at press conferences for new teams is a feeling Rays fans know all too well. Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of him.