When Joey Wendle made the Opening Day roster in spring of 2018, DRaysBay managing editor Danny Russell was distraught. Wendle wasn’t just a slick-fielding utility infielder who probably couldn’t hit: he was a symbol of everything that was wrong with a Rays team that had lost its way and given up on its window.
The Rays had sent catcher Jonah Heim to Oakland as the PTBNL to acquire Wendle, but in Danny’s mind they had chosen Wendle over Corey Dickerson. They had broken up a core that should have competed but never quite did, and rolled with Wendle instead.