Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Rays are taking offers on right-hander Jake Odorizzi. The Orioles, Twins, Brewers, Cardinals, Yankees, Cubs and Angels are said to be involved in trade discussions, though no clear frontrunner has been named just yet.
Odorizzi, 27, is coming off of a down year with the Rays, one in which a bout of hamstring tightness and a back strain cost him just over a month on the disabled list. The righty produced a 10-8 record in 28 starts with a 4.14 ERA, 3.8 BB/9 and 8.0 SO/9 over 143 1/3 innings. It’s not difficult to see his appeal, however: he’s only one season removed from the sub-4.00 ERA, 2.0+ fWAR numbers he posted in 2016 and is slated to remain under team control for another two years before hitting free agency in 2020.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times points out that Odorizzi still needs to complete the arbitration process with the Rays. He filed for $6.35 million last month and was met with a counteroffer of $6.05 million from the team. The two sides are scheduled to meet on Monday. Topkin adds that club owner Stuart Sternberg is still focused on reducing payroll this offseason, but isn’t likely to entertain offers for Odorizzi (or anyone else) unless the Rays are guaranteed prospects or organizational depth in the deal.