Nobody was expecting the Tampa Bay Rays to be in the position they are in.
During spring training, the Rays were viewed by many as the fourth- or fifth-best club in the AL East.
Now, they are four wins away from the World Series. Tampa Bay trails the Cleveland Guardians one game to none.
Kevin Cash’s club will always be competitive, and the Rays should be aggressive this offseason.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer predicted that the Rays would trade for Hunter Goodman, an All-Star catcher from the Colorado Rockies.
“A trade for Hunter Goodman would do the trick. He had more home runs this year (41) than the Rays have gotten from the catching position across the last three years (36). Conveniently, the 27-year-old is controlled through 2029,” Rymer wrote.
Goodman would add more power for a Rays team that finished 22nd in the Majors with 169 home runs.
Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda, and Yandy Diaz do most of the damage in the slugging department.
“The Rays were linked to Goodman at the trade deadline, and they’re one of relatively few teams with enough prospect depth to overwhelm the Colorado Rockies,” Rymer added. “Any offer headlined by Grady Emerson or Theo Gillen could get it done.”
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Forming a catcher platoon of Liam Hicks and Hunter Goodman could be the best hitting duo at the position.
Hicks had 18 homers and a .801 OPS in 142 games and is under team control for the next four seasons.
Goodman is one of the top offensive catchers in baseball, and adding him to the Rays lineup could make them even scarier next season.
