Tampa Bay has all kinds of starting pitching depth, leading to speculation that they’ll try to cash some of it in for lineup help at some point.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times examined all the rotation options and concluded that Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann are the most likely starters to be traded by the Rays, while stud prospect Matt Moore and Rookie of the Year winner Jeremy Hellickson are basically untouchable.
James Shields falls somewhere in between, as he’d be the most obvious way for the Rays to add an impact hitter but is also one of the league’s best right-handers and under team control for three more years at a total of $29 million.
Davis (through 2017) and Niemann (through 2014) are also under team control for years to come, but with high-upside starters coming up through the system there isn’t room in the rotation for everyone long term.
