After consecutive early playoff exits in 2021 and 2022, the Tampa Bay Rays began the 2023 MLB season with a determined fervor. The Floridians began the year by winning 12 straight games and have barely slowed down since, as they sit at 42-19 — the best record in baseball.
Manager Kevin Cash was always going to get the best out of his pitching staff, as the mastermind skipper utilizes long relievers, single-inning openers, and just about every trick he can to keep opponents off-balance. But the Rays also lead MLB in stolen bases and home runs.
Yet even with this impressive start, the Rays have just a four-game lead at the top of a treacherous AL East. In order to keep this cushion, these are some trade targets Tampa Bay must start considering.
Rays: 3 early 2023 MLB trade deadline targets for Tampa Bay
Michael Lorenzen (SP), Detroit Tigers
Thanks to their frequent use of openers instead of traditional starters, the Rays have used 12 different pitchers to start a game this season. While the few Tampa pitchers who have operated exclusively as starters have been wildly successful — including Shane McClanahan and Zach Eflin — the Rays have sent just as many arms to the doctor's table.
Tampa Bay currently has five pitchers on the injured list, including Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen — both of whom were dominant to begin the campaign. Springs is out for the year while Rasmussen has at least two more months on the IL.
In Detroit, Michael Lorenzen has quietly put up a strong start in his first year with the Tigers, posting a 3.21 ERA across nine starts. This comes after a lengthy tenure of almost exclusively relief work with the Cincinnati Reds. Lorenzen doesn't have filthy swing-and-miss stuff, but he generates a lot of spin on his fastball and cut his walk rate from a year ago in half, making him a smart Rays trade pickup.
Eli Morgan (RP), Cleveland Guardians
The Tampa Bay Rays have long had one of the best bullpens in baseball — that's the popular belief anyways. After finishing with the seventh-best bullpen ERA in 2022, the Rays are eighth-worst in that category this year. But the team's real struggles come in the ninth inning.
Rays relievers have picked up just 62 saves in 111 opportunities (55.9%) since the start of 2022. Yet if there is one thing we know about the Rays organization, they won't address this problem directly. Kevin Cash is going to stick with his closer-by-committee method, even if it hasn't worked out.
Eli Morgan hasn't pitched in a ton of high-leverage situations in Cleveland, but the righty boasts an impressive 1.93 ERA and one of the lowest average exit velocities in the league. Morgan has the ability to pitch multiple innings as well, giving the Rays another flexible arm out of the pen.
Andrew Nardi (RP), Tampa Bay Rays
In continuing with the pitching-heavy theme, the Rays have the second-worst bullpen WAR (-2.4) in MLB. The Miami Marlins meanwhile have a 16-4 record in one-run games. With names like Dylan Floro and A.J. Puk putting up great seasons for Miami, there is no shortage of available arms in South Florida.
Perhaps the best reliever in Miami — and a guy getting almost no attention — is Andrew Nardi. The lefty ranks in the 98th percentile in average exit velocity to go with a 2.79 expected ERA. The 24-year-old is having a breakout season, coming out of nowhere after his rookie year ERA approached 10.00 in 2022, and is an affordable player still on his rookie deal. A perfect Rays trade target.
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