Analysis: Why 40-man Roster Moves for Rays Made Sense
The Rays added four players to the 40-man roster on Friday in pitchers Calvin Faucher and Tommy Romero, as well as infielder Jonathan Aranda and catcher/infielder Ford Proctor. Overall, these seemed liked the right additions, and the way they created 40-man room also was consistent with what they have done in the past. Let’s take a closer look.
Tommy Romero: On the pitching side, Romero was a bulk/starting option that the Rays have really liked, and he was close to big league ready by season’s end, allowing just 13 hits and two runs over his last 35.1 innings at Triple-A Durham. The 24-year-old Romero went 8–2 with a 2.61 ERA over 110.1 innings between Double-A Montgomery and the Bulls. Acquired by the Rays in May 2018 in the trade that sent Alex Colomé and Denard Span to the Seattle Mariners, Romero has consistently been one of the better pitchers in the system. In four minor league seasons, he is 37–11 with a 2.52 ERA over 407 innings. The Florida native has added velocity to a fastball with carry and improved his secondary stuff where his stuff has a good chance to consistently work at the MLB level.
Calvin Faucher: As much as the Rays liked Romero, they also were impressed by Faucher’s (foh-CHAY) development. The 26-year-old was just acquired in July along with Nelson Cruz, and he excelled in Durham. Faucher, who has a high-90s fastball and a breaking ball, made two scoreless appearances for Montgomery before 11 with the Bulls. Overall, slight adjustments that were made worked, and he struck out 30 in 25 innings, allowing just 16 hits and seven walks. When in the strike zone, he could give the Rays someone with high-end stuff that could work multiple innings.
Jonathan Aranda: The MVP for the Biscuits and of the entire Double-A South league, Aranda is a plus bat that can play three positions, first base, second base and third. . With Taylor Walls, Vidal Brujan and Wander Franco, the Rays have three talented infielders, and Aranda gives them someone with a more unique skill set. None of those players works as primarily a corner infielder. The bat profile was hard to ignore, as the 23-year-old hit .330 between Montgomery and high-A Bowling Green with a .961 OPS. He led the Double-A South in slugging percentage but also struck out in only 18 percent of his plate appearances.
Ford Proctor: The Rays had already added Rene Pinto the 40-man, a catcher that was in Triple-A, but Proctor not only offered another catcher, but someone who can play multiple positions. In addition to working behind the plate for 57 games, Proctor made 24 starts at shortstop this season at Double-A Montgomery. He acclimated well behind the plate in his new role, and after a slow start, collected an .800 OPS (with a .381 on-base percentage) and 12 homers. In addition to two premium positions, Proctor also started at second and third base. Proctor was second in his league in on-base percentage, and the way he improved at 24 was hard to ignore. Someone who’s been catching for only a year and a half can play all those spots, and would start in Durham most likely is someone who can soon help the big league club.
Here’s a look at who was removed from the roster via trade or other opportunities:
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Brent Honeywell: The Rays have bulk pitchers/starters in Shane McClanahan, Shane Baz, Drew Rasmussen, Luis Patino, Josh Fleming, and Ryan Yarbrough (that’s six pitchers) plus Yonny Chirinos and Brendan McKay coming back off injury. That’s eight starting/bulk pitchers, with Romero a ninth option. Honeywell showed he was healthy last year after three arm surgeries, throwing 82 innings for Durham, his most since 2017. The challenge was that he is now out of options, and would be better off as a starting option. Trading him to Oakland will give Honeywell that opportunity.
Dietrich Enns: At 30 it was hard to argue that Enns wasn’t a great story, going from independent ball as a player/coach to helping the Rays this year. Before this season, he had made just two MLB appearances, and this year made nine, pitching to a 2.82 ERA. But Enns also was out of options, and had arms in front of him. Tampa Bay did the right thing by allowing him to play overseas next year and make money for him and his family.
Louis Head: At 31, Head was a similar tremendous story, going from selling solar panels to making his MLB debut. In addition, he also went up and down 12 times, working to a 2.31 over 27 outings, mostly in lower leverage. That said, Faucher offers higher-end stuff. In addition, the organization’s reliever of the year Colby White finished the year in Triple-A. While he doesn’t need to be protected, White also gives the Rays some really good insurance that’s close to MLB ready. The Rays also will get a player in return this Spring that does not need to be on the 40-man that will add to a very strong system.
Mike Brosseau: He hit one of the biggest homers in the franchise’s history and like Honeywell, Brosseau was one of the better competitors in the organization and a great teammate. Unfortunately the other infielders in front of him left less of an opportunity at the MLB level for Brosseau. Going to Milwaukee will give Brosseau that chance to re-establish his MLB career, and Tampa Bay got an arm they really like. Reliever Evan Reifert (RIFE-ert) had 103 strikeouts in 60 innings between low-A and high-A this year. It was the 22-year-old’s first season in the minors, so he doesn’t need to be protected for two more years, and he likely begins 2022 in Double-A.
Tobias Myers: Myers was Rule 5 eligible, and probably would have been taken in the draft if not protected. The Rays traded him to Cleveland for minor league infielder Junior Caminero. This is similar to what they did in 2019, when they moved Cristopher Sanchez to Philadelphia for Curtis Mead. Sanchez was someone they didn’t have room for but other teams like him. Mead has quickly become a tremendous hitting prospect in the organization. Myers was in a similar boat after finishing 2021 in Triple-A but wasn’t as effective as Romero. The 18-year-old Caminero hit nine homers in 43 games in the DSL and hit .295 with a .914 OPS. This gives Tampa Bay a talented infielder that they can develop while the Indians add to their pitching depth.
In context, the Rays overall added some players they really valued, move some players that were out of options that will get a better opportunity elsewhere, and also received some players that they like that will have time to develop in their system.
