Identifying Starting Pitching Trade Targets For The Rays

The starting rotation is generally getting the job done this season. Having said that, it’s a group that won’t knock your socks off or one of the top rotations in baseball. If the Rays keep playing a winning brand of baseball, the front office should be adding reinforcements. The reinforcement does not have to be a pitcher in the mold of Sandy Alcantara. Instead, a mid-rotation inning-eater could be just what the doctor ordered.

Adding An Arm to The Rotation

The same five starters have all posted ERA’s within the 3-4 range (except Drew Rasmussen’s incredible 2.22). Rasmussen may be benefiting from a .233 BABIP and a few other worrying peripherals, but a recent scoreless streak of 23 innings is nothing to sneeze at. Since the Rays feel good about their offense continuing to reach new heights, the belief is that any additions will come on the pitching staff. Without further ado, who are some starting pitching trade targets for the Rays?

1. Erick Fedde

Fedde is pitching for a St. Louis Cardinals team that is on the fence about buying and selling at the trade deadline. The Cardinals were a popular pick to enter a rebuilding phase this season, but their play demonstrates that they may have the bones of a contender. Fedde is a player that the Cardinals can trade because he is a free agent at the end of the season.

His salary is valuable for a Rays team that is never keen on absorbing too much additional salary. Plus, trading him would allow the Cardinals to continue opening up opportunities for younger pitchers. Fedde’s Savant page is not that exciting, but he’s coming off a 2024 in which he posted a 3.30 ERA in 177.1 innings with a 3.86 FIP. He spent the 2023 season pitching in Korea, but he has pitched at least 127 innings in the three seasons sandwiched around that stint. His strikeout and walk rates aren’t phenomenal, but his numbers could improve just in time for the trade deadline.

2. Zach Eflin

Why not a reunion with an old friend? The Baltimore Orioles are one of the most disappointing teams and should be fielding calls on several players, including Eflin. The native of Florida is a free agent at season’s end and is pitching to a 4.08 ERA in 9 games started because of a correct lat strain suffered in April. However, he is 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA in his last 3 games, and the Rays know what they are getting with this guy.

The owner of the largest free-agent contract in Rays history, Eflin posted a 3.72 ERA in 287.2 innings for the Rays. He won a career-high 16 games in a Rays uniform. Rays fans can forget about his bad start in the 2023 AL Wild Card series if he posts decent innings for a club poised to be a factor in this year’s playoff race.

3. Andrew Heaney

Heaney is currently sporting a 3.33 ERA over 14 games. Heaney has turned his career around after a disastrous recent stint with the Yankees and Angels before that. It started with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022 and continued when he was a reliable arm with the Texas Rangers for two seasons. His $5.25 million salary will be prorated if the Rays end up acquiring his services.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will not be going to the postseason and are in the market for young players. Heaney is exactly the type of player the Pirates love to market. Heaney has been traded several times in the last few years, yet remains a pitcher who has averaged 150 innings per season in the previous two years.