Rays in Contact With Giants Relievers

The Rays have been in contact with the Giants regarding some of their relievers, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

The Rays are currently 57-47, and being two games out of a Wild Card spot, they could use an extra push to make it to the postseason. The Giants, meanwhile, have gone on a tear recently just to get 51-50, where they are still 15.5 games behind the first-place Dodgers and 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. They looked like obvious sellers earlier in the season, but with their latest run, they could have a tough decision to make.

Regardless, the Rays are still holding out hope that the Giants do decide to deal some of their valuable relief options, most notably lefties Will Smith and Tony Watson. Morosi noted the Giants’ recent surge makes them more likely to hold onto starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner, but they may still be willing to move a reliever.

The Rays could potentially move an infielder in a deal for a reliever, such as Joey Wendle or Mike Brosseau. Wendle has struggled this year with a .541 OPS in 41 games after he batted .300 with a .789 OPS last year, but Brosseau has posted a .954 OPS in the Majors and a .998 OPS in Triple-A this year. So, these are two options that could help the Giants infield while strengthening the Rays bullpen for a potential playoff run.

Rays Interested in Jesus Aguilar and Nicholas Castellanos

The Rays are looking to bolster their lineup as well, with reported interesting in Jesus Aguilar according to Mark Feinsand and Juan Toribio of MLB.com. After a breakout season last year for the Brewers in which he posted an .890 OPS, Aguilar has regressed to a .713 OPS this season. He has, however, been hot recently, with a 1.080 OPS in July.

Earlier on Tuesday, it was also reported by Jon Heyman of MLB Network that the Rays had interesting in the Tigers’ Nicholas Castellanos, a similar slugger who is having a much better season than Aguilar (.822 OPS) and has a longer track record. Heyman also mentioned that the Cubs have been tied to Castellano’s name as well.

Cardinals Looking at Lefty Relievers

On a recent episode of Dan McLaughlin’s podcast, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak mentioned that while he feels confident in the current bullpen, he would ideally like to add at least one lefty reliever to complement Andrew Miller.

This could very well include the Giants’ Smith and Watson, while the Cardinals could also go after less-heralded options like Jake Diekman and Roenis Elias.

Mozeliak did mention, though, that he would prefer to acquire relievers with options to give the club some flexibility. Some of the names out there that fit that bill include Paul Fry, Jarlin Garcia, and Tim Mayza, to name a few.

Yankees Among Teams to Contact Diamondbacks About Robbie Ray

The Yankees, as well as several other teams, have had discussions with the Diamondbacks regarding left-handed starting pitcher Robbie Ray, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Ray has logged a 3.95 ERA and 11.9 K/9 in a league-leading 22 starts this season. He has a 3.52 ERA and 12.0 K/9 since the start of the 2017 season, so despite his occasional issues with walks and home runs, he wold be a very good get for any rotation.