The Rays and their fans may be mere October spectators in 2018, but the team’s future looks bright. This is largely thanks to several years of rebuilding the prospect pool, with the Rays recognized as one of the top organizations across baseball.
But if the Rays are successful in 2019 and 2020, it may be thanks to two deadline trades. The trade of Chris Archer to the Pirates, with pitchers Shane Baz and Tyler Glasnow along with outfielder Austin Meadows as the return, was somewhat expected.
Getting outfielder Tommy Pham from the Cardinals (for several well-regarded prospects) was, in contrast, a complete surprise.