With the Tampa Bay Rays making trades in what will be a crucial offseason for the ball club, the team's name has been involved in some pursuits, with the latest one revealed. While the Rays will continue to make trades to bolster their team, one deal that could have been made was for catcher J.T. Realmuto, who eventually signed back with the Philadelphia Phillies.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, there was “interest” from Tampa Bay in signing Realmuto before he reunited with the Rays. However, it seemed that the deal was not going to happen, as Rosenthal said that Realmuto's three-year, $45 million deal was “unrealistic” for the Rays.
“The Tampa Bay Rays had interest in J.T. Realmuto before the Philadelphia Phillies re-signed the free-agent catcher to a deal that was unrealistic for Tampa Bay: three years, $45 million,” Rosenthal wrote on Saturday morning.
This wouldn't be the first time this offseason that the Rays had interest in star players, but wouldn't get the chance to acquire them as the team had been linked to Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte, according to MLB.com. However, the Diamondbacks had decided that they wouldn't trade the second baseman, per Rosenthal.
“Parting with Lowe, the longest-tenured Rays player, leaves Tampa Bay with a massive void at the keystone spot,” the website wrote last month. “And the Rays are one of the many teams that have been reportedly involved in trade discussions regarding the three-time All-Star. Earlier this month, the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro reported (subscription required) that the Rays and D-backs discussed a deal that included Baz and fellow starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot going to Arizona for Marte.”
At any rate, the Rays look to improve this offseason after finishing with a 77-85 record, which put the team fourth in the AL East.
