Turns out Blake Snell’s contract was the same as the last game he pitched – the Rays only went so far with him.
In a well-known move for the franchise – trading a high-end starter – Tampa Bay reached an agreement with San Diego to trade Snell for four potential customers, highlighted by the rightful Luis Patino.
In the aftermath of arguably their most successful season ever – winning the AL East of the all-time favorite Yankees and reaching World Series Game 6 before losing to the Dodgers – the Rays have undergone a teardown of their mighty top of the league. rotation. Charlie Morton signed a one-year $ 15 million deal with the Braves and now Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young winner, has been handed to the Padres. That only leaves Tyler Glasnow from their Big Three.
But this is the way of the Rays. They are constantly churning to manage their payroll and keep their organization full of young talent. The Rays, among others, had previously traded masterpieces such as Chris Archer, David Price and James Shields.
In Patino, Tampa Bay hosts a pitcher ranked 22nd best prospect in the majors by MLB.com, even after his 11-appearance (one start) cameo in 2020 produced a 5.19 ERA. Patino and the rest of the trek (catchers Francisco Mejia and Blake Hunt, and right-wing pitcher Cole Wilcox) contribute to one of the deepest ranch systems in the majors. It also scraps the $ 39 million three years left from Snell’s deal. That gives the Rays a chance to further tackle their Major League-roster with money if they so choose. It also leaves Kevin Kiermaier (two years for $ 26 million and available) as the only Ray to pay more than $ 7 million in 2021.
Snell’s last appearance with the Rays caused perhaps the biggest controversy of the post season. The left wing had a one-hit shutout with one out of the sixth of World Series Game 6. But when number 9 batter Austin Barnes singled, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash forced Snell to stick to the policy of not against a setup. a third time. This even though the top three in the Dodgers line-up – Mookie Betts, Corey Seager and Justin Turner – were 0-for-6 with six strikeouts against Snell in the game.
Nick Anderson came in and two batters later, the Dodgers had turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead on their way to their first championship since 1988.
The Dodgers stopped the Padres in both NL West and the Division Series. San Diego suffered injuries to its two main starters, Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet, in the playoffs, and Clevinger will miss the 2021 season after operating on Tommy John. So the go-for-it Padres were looking for another high-end starter and – like with Clevinger in the 2020 season – they used their deep farm system to get one
In this case, it’s Snell, who is only 28 and – in his last start – dominated the Dodgers until the Rays gave him a quick hook. With three seasons remaining on a five-year contract, Snell was quickly removed by the Rays again.