The Tampa Bay Rays capped off an aggressive trade deadline by acquiring former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson. In return, the Cardinals received reliever Shawn Armstrong from the Rays, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.
‘Cardinals are getting right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong from the Rays for Dylan Carlson, sources tell ESPN.'
The Rays, who were one of the biggest sellers this deadline, continued that trend by offloading the 33-year-old Armstrong for Carlson, the Cardinals' former top prospect.
Since finishing third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2021, Carlson has struggled to replicate that level of production. This season has been a low point in Carlson's five year career. He's batting just /198/.275/.240 with zero home runs and 11 RBI through 59 games.
Armstrong is also having a down year. Through 46.2 innings, he has a 5.40 ERA compared to the 1.38 ERA he had last season.
The Rays finished off a trade deadline that saw them send star outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners, All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Chicago Cubs, super-utility man Amed Rosario to the Los Angeles Dodgers, reliever Jason Adam to the San Diego Padres and starter Zach Eflin to the Baltimore Orioles.
The only veterans who remain on the Rays roster are first baseman Yandy Diaz, second baseman Brandon Lowe, reliever Pete Fairbanks and starter Zack Littell.
The Cardinals on the other hand, were buyers. They were able to acquire starters Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham from the Chicago White Sox in a three team deal that also included sending super-utility man Tommy Edman to the Dodgers.
Can Dylan Carlson turn it around in Tampa Bay?
Tampa Bay seems like the perfect place for a player like Carlson, who had shown so much promise earlier in his career, to try and get back on track. The Rays are known for their player development, and with the team selling so aggressively at the deadline, there will be lots of opportunities for playing time and very little pressure throughout the rest of 2024.
Carlson should slot into Arozarena's former spot in the outfield and be in the lineup every day for the Rays going forward. Still just 25 years old, Carlson still has time to turn his career around.
If he is able to become the type of players the Cardinals thought he would be when he was their top prospect in 2020 and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2021, then the Rays got a steal. While Armstrong could be a solid piece on a contender, he had no place on a Rays team that is committed to the future. Once again, the Rays have shown that they have one of the best front offices in all of baseball.
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