The A’s had Money ball. The 76ers had The Process. And now the Rays have … well we don’t have a name for it yet (somebody get on that). But whatever this unnamed thing is, it’s weird … and I like it.
But not everyone is enjoying the Rays’ grand experiment. Zack Cozart, for one, thinks it’s blasphemy. “I feel like teams have an ulterior motive when they are doing this,” said the Angels third basemen, referring to Tampa Bay’s decision to start Sergio Romo, a reliever by trade, on consecutive days last weekend. “Less starting pitching means you don’t have to pay guys as much.” Cozart may have a point, but let’s not get hung up on the final ramifications of Tampa Bay’s new, upside-down brand of baseball. Strategically, it makes perfect sense.
Last weekend when Romo debuted as the league’s first-ever “opener,” the Rays were in Anaheim for a four-game set against the Angels. If you’ve followed the Angels this year, you’ll know the top of their lineup is excellent. They have Zack Cozart, an All-Star with Cincinnati last year, hitting out of the lead off spot followed by future Hall of Famer Mike Trout with Justin Upton rounding out the top three. That’s a tough way to start things off, especially for a youngster like Ryan Yarbrough, who has just three big league starts to his name. So here’s a million-dollar idea—let the veteran Romo handle the big boys in the first so Yarbrough can start the second inning with a clean slate? Not bad, right?
Starters, the good ones at least, can usually get through a lineup once without much issue. The hitters haven’t seen the pitcher’s cards yet, so he has the advantage. The second time through is more challenging—the hitter can learn from whatever mistakes he made in the first at-bat and apply that knowledge to at-bat No. 2. The third time through a lineup is when starters tend to come undone. Whatever aura of mystery the starter once had has evaporated. You know, unless you’re Justin Verlander or something.
Not to mix sports metaphors but I compare it to the Celtics’ plan for covering LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals. Slowing down LeBron, the best player in the league since Michael Jordan, is a near-impossible task and not just because he’s a 6’8’/260-pound behemoth who can lift a Jeep over his head—it’s because he’s smart as a whip. But by constantly switching defenders on LeBron, giving him different looks every trip down the floor, it’s harder for him to gain a tactical advantage. Similarly, the Rays have staggered their relievers in a way that Trout could conceivably see a different pitcher in every one of his at-bats. Trout is bound to win some of those battles—if baseball had an equivalent to LeBron James, he’d be it—but if there’s a way to beat The Millville Meteor, it’s by throwing the kitchen sink at him.
The Rays’ opener experiment last weekend went well enough for them to try it again in their upcoming series with Baltimore. Romo will open Friday and Sunday’s games with Ryne Stanek, another reliever, sandwiched in between. Obviously, Tampa Bay is hoping to neutralize Manny Machado, who has been absurdly hot in the early going with 15 homers and 44 RBI.
The Rays won’t be in the playoff hunt this year, but they’re hovering around .500, which is better than most expected. And they’re doing it with a team full of no-names, squeezing the absolute most out of their limited roster by embracing forward-thinking strategies, particularly in regards to pitching. It’s not exciting per se—I’m sure fans won’t be flocking to Tropicana Field to watch the Rays bombard Baltimore with an endless stream of relief pitchers. But even if it’s not aesthetically pleasing, give Tampa Bay credit for having the stones to try something new and different.
Fire Sale Coming?
As bad as it’s been for Kansas City this year—they enter Friday’s action at 17-33—it’s about to get a whole lot worse. According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Royals are putting up a “for sale” sign, letting teams know they’re open for business. It’s the right move but also a year late. The Royals were either in deep denial or overly nostalgic last season, holding onto the last remnants of their World Series team even when they had little chance of making the postseason. KC got draft-pick compensation for losing Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain in free agency, but both players, particularly Hosmer, would have fetched a king’s ransom at the trade deadline.
It would seem the Royals have finally acknowledged their mortality. It was a good run but the World Series days are over. Now everything must go. That includes closer Kelvin Herrera, who has gotten off to a blistering start with 10 saves and a 0.96 ERA over 20 relief outings this year. Relievers make all the difference in the postseason, which is why Herrera would be an ideal fit for Houston. I detailed the Astros’ ninth-inning instability in a Daily Dose earlier this month and while things seem to have settled down in recent weeks, Herrera would be an obvious upgrade on Ken Giles, who struggled to a dismal 11.74 ERA during last year’s playoffs. By contrast, Herrera holds an elite 1.26 ERA over 22 postseason appearances.
The Royals’ other big-ticket item will be Mike Moustakas. The 29-year-old was greeted by a frigid free agent market this past winter, but teams were likely scared off by the draft-pick compensation attached to his qualifying offer. Ultimately, he wound up back in KC, where he currently leads the Royals in both home runs (10) and RBI (31). With Moustakas on a one-year deal, trading him in July was always a possibility. Now it’s a near-certainty.
Heyman also named Whit Merrifield, Jon Jay and Lucas Duda as players the Royals would consider shopping. Like Herrera and Moustakas, Jay and Duda are both impending free agents, which should motivate Kansas City to trade them before July 31. Merrifield, however, is the most interesting of the three and would surely garner the biggest return should the Royals make him available. A .285 lifetime hitter, the 29-year-old broke out for 19 homers and 78 RBI last season while leading the American League with 34 steals. In addition to his enticing power/speed blend, Merrifield also offers positional versatility. This year alone he’s started at four different positions including first base, second base, center field and right field. Still in the pre-arbitration phase of his contract, Merrifield is due a shockingly reasonable $569,500 salary in 2018. Merrifield’s inexpensive salary could be a reason the Royals end up keeping him, though it’s also what makes him appealing to other teams.
If Kansas City’s rumored fire sale comes to fruition, it’s going to be a pretty bleak summer for the Royals (not that they’ve been much of a crowd pleaser early on). But if the Royals milk the trade deadline for all it’s worth, at least they’ll have a loaded farm system to show for it.
AL Quick Hits: Dustin Pedroia will return from the disabled list on Friday following a seven-month recovery from knee surgery. The All-Star second baseman hit just .071 (1-for-14) during a five-game rehab stint at Triple-A Pawtucket … Nathan Eovaldi will make his Rays debut Monday or Tuesday against the Athletics. The right-hander hasn’t pitched in the majors since undergoing his second Tommy John surgery in 2016 … Rumors surfaced on Wednesday but now it’s official—Welington Castillo will serve an 80-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs after testing positive for the hormone Erythropoietin. Assuming the White Sox don’t bring in another backstop, Omar Narvaez will handle most of the catching duties during Castillo’s absence … Lucas Giolito’s struggles continued on Thursday as the right-hander allowed six hits, three walks and seven earned runs while recording just four outs in a loss to Baltimore. White Sox manager Rick Renteria said the team has no plans to demote Giolito despite him posting a sluggish 7.53 ERA in 10 starts this season … Carlos Rodon had a scare during Thursday’s rehab start for Triple-A Charlotte, leaving after taking a line drive off his head. Rodon wasn’t hurt and only left the game as a precaution. The left-hander has been out all year while recovering from arthroscopic shoulder surgery … Dylan Bundy went the distance Thursday against the White Sox. The right-hander registered a career-high 14 punch-outs as Baltimore rolled to a 9-3 victory … Shohei Ohtani was slated to go against Masahiro Tanaka in a matchup of Japanese hurlers Sunday at Yankee Stadium, but the Angels have decided the 23-year-old won’t pitch this weekend. Ohtani, who reached base four times in Thursday’s win at Toronto, could still face Tanaka as a hitter on Sunday … Miguel Sano was activated from the DL Thursday after missing 24 games with a strained hamstring. The 25-year-old slugger should be in the Twins’ lineup for Friday’s series opener at Seattle … According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, Roberto Osuna could be facing a “significant” suspension following an assault arrest earlier this month. The Blue Jays closer has spent the past two weeks on administrative leave … Alex Gordon was a late scratch Thursday versus Texas. Gordon felt stiffness in his hip and neck after coming down with a great catch in Wednesday’s win at St. Louis … Rangers hurler Bartolo Colon celebrated his 45th birthday on Thursday. Cake was involved.
NL Quick Hits: The Brewers activated Ryan Braun from the DL on Thursday. He missed the minimum 10 days with middle back tightness … Austin Meadows, the subject of my Daily Dose last Friday, stayed hot with three hits including a two-run homer in Thursday’s loss to Cincinnati. The 23-year-old has hit a ridiculous .440 with three round-trippers since his call-up last week … Jeurys Familia blew his league-leading fourth save against the Marlins on Wednesday but still has the support of Mets manager Mickey Callaway. “If you look at the numbers, he’s been our best reliever,” said Callaway. “He’s the best version of himself he’s ever been.” Despite all the blown saves, Familia still carries an impressive 2.35 ERA for the season … Mac Williamson will be activated from the DL on Friday. The Giants left-fielder has spent the past month recovering from a concussion … Are you guys ready for Alex Reyes? The talented right-hander struck out 13 over seven innings of one-hit ball Thursday in a rehab start for Triple-A Memphis. Reyes, who sat out last year while recovering from Tommy John surgery, has racked up an incredible 44 strikeouts in only 23 innings during his four-game rehab assignmen
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