Rays could trade veterans soon

Off to just a 4-12 start, the Tampa Bay Rays could become sellers in the near future, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

This news comes in the wake of an injury to center fielder Kevin Kiermaier that will sideline him into July. The 27-year-old outfielder torn a thumb ligament just a few days ago. Without their best offensive player, Topkin suggests that the Rays could look to deal some of the Veterans in an effort to start a youth movement in Tampa.

Already off to a slow start, the Rays currently sit 9.5 games behind the first place Boston Red Sox, who currently have the best record in baseball. The Rays have a number of veteran players that the club could receive a respectable haul of prospects and young players for in the event that they decide to make some moves.

One suggestion Topkin has for the Rays is that they call the Mets to see if there is any interest in catcher Wilson Ramos. The Mets just recently lost Travis d’Arnaud for the season, as well as backup catcher Kevin Plawecki for a significant amount of time. Opposite of the Rays, the Mets are off to a fantastic start, the best in franchise history, and they may look to fill this void immediately to stay ahead of the Nationals.

Additionally, the Rays have closer Alex Colome, reliever Sergio Romo, and outfielders Denard Span and Carlos Gomez at their disposal. All of these established veterans would likely receive a decent amount of interest if they were put on the trade block. And of course, the teams still clings to ace Chris Archer, though the club would likely wait for his price to become incredibly high at the trade deadline.

In the meantime, the Rays will look to regain ground in the AL East. It has long been said that no club can win anything in April, but a team can certainly lose in April. If this deficit becomes an even steeper hill to climb, the Rays could be the first team to officially pin themselves as sellers as we head into the summer.