The Tampa Bay Rays are a small market team looking to trade their ace pitcher. Clearly they aren’t expecting to be any better than .500 in 2017. However, signing all-star catcher Wilson Ramos sends an interesting signal. The Rays lack a starting catcher, so they went out and signed one. That’s how the Rays see it, but it may be more beneficial to their 2017 campaign then they think.
According to reports, Ramos’ torn ACL will have him out until June 2017, so the Rays will have to find a solution at catcher until then. But, when Ramos is ready to take over, he could put the Rays into wild card contention. He is currently coming off of his best season of his career.
2016 offered a WAR of 3.3 for the former Nationals catcher. Despite only appearing in 131 games, Ramos hit 22 homers and drove in 80 runs. For a power hitter like Ramos going to the AL East should boost his numbers even more. His silver slugger bat will fit nicely in the middle of the Rays lineup along with guys like Evan Longoria and Logan Forsythe. However, the Rays depend on their pitching when it comes to success.
Ramos has a career caught stealing percentage of 34%, including 44% in 2015. But, his arm is not his only defensive weapon. The 2016 NL all-star has saved 6+ runs behind the plate each of the last 3 seasons. His range factor is also above league average. However, the tool that will help the Rays’ pitching staff most of all is Ramos’ catcher’s ERA of 3.41.
Sure, Ramos got to catch superstars like Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in DC, but the Rays have talented arms as well. Blake Snell only gave the Rays 89 innings in 2016, but he is an ace in the making after being a top 20 prospect prior to the 2016 season. Alex Cobb is a proven quality starter despite coming off of a 2-year injury set back. Drew Smyly is a southpaw who will pitch 150+ innings. Jake Odorizzi has collected an ERA+ of 110+ each of the last two years. Then of course there is Chris Archer atop the rotation. Borrowing the whole rotation being relatively healthy in 2017, Ramos should solidify their talents into one of the best pitching staffs in the AL.
With Brad Miller hitting 30 home runs in his first season as a first baseman, the Rays have one of the best infields. And their outfield is captained by a two-time gold glover in Kevin Kiermaier. Its been a while since the Rays had a good captain behind the plate. But now Tampa has a definitive player at all three crucial spots: short, catcher, center. Once Ramos comes back healthy he will be the glue the Rays need to be competitive again.
