Rays Predicted to Trade for Orioles Outfielder

The Tampa Bay Rays firmly sit in postseason contention heading into the MLB trade deadline.

Entering Thursday's series finale against the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay is 44-33 and holds the top American League Wild Card spot.

However, after posting a scorching 34-15 record through May 22, the Rays have stumbled to a 10-18 mark since then. A major reason for that slide has been the lack of production from their outfield.

Chandler Simpson owns a .619 OPS with 15 RBI through 75 games. Meanwhile, offseason signing Cedric Mullins has struggled to a .199/.286/.305 slash line with six home runs and 22 RBIs.

Although Johnny DeLuca recently returned from a right hamstring strain and Ryan Vilade has provided a spark with a .276 average and .796 OPS, outfield remains a clear area of need for Tampa Bay as the trade deadline approaches.

The American League is wide open, with only five teams currently above .500. As a result, the Rays are widely expected to be buyers as they attempt to catch the New York Yankees atop both the AL East and the American League standings.

Ward Predicted as Rays Trade Target

In a June 24 article, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer predicted that the Rays would land Baltimore Orioles outfielder Taylor Ward.

In his first season with Baltimore, Ward is slashing .257/.389/.365 with five home runs and 22 RBI. He has also drawn 64 walks, the third most in MLB. His 13.2 percent chase rate and 17.2 percent walk rate rank among the best in baseball.

"The fit here is simple," Rymer wrote. "The Rays need any kind of impact hitter, and there's no better place for one than in an outfield that has a .653 OPS. And since said outfield skews left-handed, Ward as a fit is too obvious."

That number, among others, supports that assessment. Tampa Bay's outfield ranks 23rd in batting average (.241), 27th in on-base percentage (.298), and last in both slugging percentage (.354) and wRC+ (81).