Tampa Bay Rays Trade Rumors: Tracking Hot Updates, News and Reaction

Tampa Bay baseball in the post-David Price/Ben Zobrist/Joe Maddon/Andrew Friedman era was supposed to be painful to watch. But someone forgot to tell that to new skipper Kevin Cash and the rest of the Rays, who are in the thick of the playoff picture in the American League.

Finances remain tight for the club, which limits its ability to add pieces at the trade deadline. This year, the club could use some additional firepower on offense. Whether they'll be able to find that available bat—and convince another team to pick up the bulk of the money left on that player's contract—is the big question.

You'll find the answers to that question and the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the Rays, along with analysis and everything else that comes with it, right here. While the post date will always show as July 15, simply click to the next slide to see the latest from the rumor mill as the Rays look to surprise the baseball world yet again down the stretch.

Done Deals

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

July 28: Traded OF David DeJesus to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for RHP Eduar Lopez

July 31: Traded RHP Kevin Jepsen to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for RHP Chih-Wei Hu and RHP Alexis Tapia

Rays Are Listening on Nate Karns

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Thursday, July 30 at 11:43 a.m. ET

In what can only be called a surprising development, Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan says that not only are teams calling Tampa Bay about 27-year-old righty Nate Karns, but the Rays are thinking about moving him.

The 27-year-old has been very good for in 2015, pitching to a 3.37 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 106 strikeouts over 115 innings of work. While he's battled control issues at points—his 12 wild pitches lead the American League—Karns is just entering the prime of his career and still has five years of team control left.

Presumably, it would take a massive package of controllable pieces for the Rays to actually pull the trigger on a deal, but with controllable pitching in demand, it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Tampa Bay Will Likely Trade at Least One Reliever

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Archer isn't going anywhere, but the same can't be said for Brad Boxberger.

Friday, July 24 at 9:40 a.m. ET

The Rays are expected to move at least one reliever as the trade deadline approaches, according to The Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin. As you'd expect, the three most discussed names with other teams have been veteran Kevin Jepsen, Jake McGee and All-Star Brad Boxberger.

All three are under team control for at least another year, with Jepsen and McGee due sizable raises through arbitration this winter. That makes them the most likely to be moved, given Tampa Bay's yearly fiscal issues, though Boxberger, who isn't arbitration eligible until 2017, is probably the most valuable trade chip of the three.

Things Figure to Be Relatively Quiet in Tampa Bay as the Deadline Approaches

Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday, July 21 at 10:33 a.m. ET

While acknowledging that the team could become last-minute sellers if things suddenly fall apart, Tampa Bay owner Stuart Sternberg told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that it's likely to be business as usual for the Rays as the deadline approaches.

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People say, 'Buyer? Seller?' It will be no different than we've done in years past," he said. "I think we're in almost precisely the same spot we've been in every year since '08. Which is, we're close, we feel we have a really good team. We'd like to see our team on the field all at once. And we'll try to be opportunistic.

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Adding some pop to the lineup wouldn't be a bad thing, but that could come from within as Richie Shaffer, the team's first round pick in the 2012 draft, is currently crushing Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .636 slugging percentage and 1.001 OPS.

He could easily slide into the lineup as a full-time designated hitter or supplant the underwhelming James Loney at first base.

Could Ryan Howard Become Tampa Bay's Full-Time DH?

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

You're probably wondering how in the world a cash-strapped team like the Rays could afford to take on one of the most overpaid players in baseball, but Philadelphia has let it be known for quite some time that it's willing to pick up the bulk of the money left on Ryan Howard's contract to facilitate a deal.

That's surely part of the thinking behind CBS Sports' Jon Heyman naming Howard as a potential trade target for Tampa Bay.

A rough estimate would put the money due to Howard through 2016 at $48 million, according to Spotrac—the balance of his $25 million salary in 2015 ($12.5 million), $25 million in 2016 and $10 million to buy out a $23 million team option for 2017.

If the Phillies were willing to pick up, say, all but $5 million of that number, it'd certainly make Howard a viable target for the Rays. And while he's an all-or-nothing player—he either goes deep or strikes out—Howard's power would be a welcome addition to a lineup that ranks 24th in baseball with 332 runs scored.