Last night in the wee hours of the day, the Rays made a trade with the Padres (new uniforms are garbage btw) sending Tommy Pham and his 8.6 million dollar contract out West for Hunter Renfroe (.216 batting avg 2019, GROSSSS) and slick fielding, leadoff prospect Xavier Edwards.
At first, with all Rays trade, I’m left scratching my head and cursing at my stuff Raymond doll. Once I cool down, I take a step back and say to myself. Juice we’ve been through this before. The Rays and their general manager are smarter than you and your 1050 SAT score.
Listen, there’s no denying Tommy Pham was a huge reason for the team’s success the past two seasons. His record since joining the club is 117 – 88. He’s a savvy veteran and a leader in the clubhouse for young players to look up to. But analyzing everything that’s in play, we have to remember ONE we’re saving money. I know for a organization that’s always counting pennies, this doesn’t help convince its fanbase they’re trying to win a World Series. But it could free up money to sign some one (preferably a serviceable catcher).
Two, as much as I loved Pham and his consistent bat in our lineup, he wasn’t much of a defender. His skills in the outfield were subpar and we are getting an immediate upgrade with Renfroe.
The offense production is still going to be major topic of conversation. But as Rays fans (all 300 of you) we have to trust the front office. Renfroe is still only 27. And although I admit I never see him being a .270 hitter or better he can be a perfect middle of the order guy to smash 25+ homeruns (think Carlos Pena). An outfield of KK , Reinfroe and Meadows is not sexy but it gives us room to try other guys like Brendan/Nate Lowe. The Rays have the best farm system in the Majors and when you delve into the offensive side of it, you’ll notice most our prospects are infielders. Naturally guys are going to move around. And why not pay a cheaper younger better homerun hitting Renfoe than Pham who is some what stuck in a position the Rays need to evaluate for the very near future of this organization.