{"id":360947,"date":"2026-08-02T20:09:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T20:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/360947\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T20:09:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T20:09:49","slug":"rays-are-going-to-be-busy-after-missing-out-on-tarik-skubal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/360947\/","title":{"rendered":"Rays \u2018Are Going To Be Busy\u2019 After Missing Out on Tarik Skubal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"72\">The Tampa Bay Rays were one of the teams reportedly in the running for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal before the team traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"75\">That noise you heard was a collective groan from baseball fans knowing the implications of such a move. Skubal heading to the Dodgers is just another reason MLB owners will push for a salary cap during collective bargaining talks.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"78\">At this point, the only thing that may keep a stoppage from occurring is a team dethroning Los Angeles and winning the World Series. The Rays could certainly be that club, especially since they are going to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/rays\/onsi\/three-point-plan-for-the-rays-perfect-trade-deadline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">make a push ahead of the deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7b\">In an update on rumors and intel shared by insiders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/49507316\/mlb-trade-deadline-2025-intel-rumors-updates-buster-olney-jeff-passan-phillies-yankees-mets-red-sox-neto\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Buster Olney and Jeff Passan of ESPN<\/a>, it has been revealed that Tampa Bay is ready to dip into its treasure chest of prospects and get deals done to upgrade the Big League roster.<\/p>\n<p>Rays are going to make moves ahead of the deadline<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kz1n6ap4v8q1yz6k5f.jpg\" alt=\"Tampa Bay Rays general manager Erik Neander.\" title=\"Tampa Bay Rays general manager Erik Neander.\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"7o\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Oct 7, 2021; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays general manager Erik Neander before game one of the 2021 ALDS at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7s\">\u201cThe Rays are going to be busy. They&#8217;ve been in the middle of everything and are looking at starting pitchers and relievers, with another bat an option. Their farm system is loaded, and they will spend prospect capital,\u201d Passan wrote.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7v\">The need for a starting pitcher has increased <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/rays\/onsi\/rays-provide-positive-update-on-shane-mcclanahan-despite-il-trip\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">with Shane McClanahan on the sidelines<\/a>. He was placed on the injured list with a back ailment after exiting his most recent start against the Texas Rangers early.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7y\">Without Skubal on the board, the Rays <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/rays\/onsi\/one-trade-target-the-rays-must-pivot-to-after-missing-out-on-tarik-skubal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">could pivot to Joe Ryan<\/a> of the Minnesota Twins and make an offer they cannot refuse. They have also been linked to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/rays\/onsi\/rays-have-means-to-meet-high-asking-price-for-mets-pitcher\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Freddy Peralta<\/a> and Clay Holmes of the New York Mets.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"81\">While no specific relief pitching targets have been mentioned, the Mets could also be a logical target in that regard. They have Huascar Brazoban and Luke Weaver under control beyond 2026 and a rental such as Brooks Raley available. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/rays\/onsi\/rays-should-look-to-take-advantage-of-tigers-being-sellers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kenley Jansen of the Tigers<\/a> would also make sense.<\/p>\n<p>Impact players available for Rays even with Tarik Skubal off board<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kz1n868fbcmbzq2a72.jpg\" alt=\"Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) walks off the mound.\" title=\"Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) walks off the mound.\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"8e\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) walks off the mound against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8i\">For the lineup, San Francisco Giants second baseman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/rays\/onsi\/rays-reportedly-facing-little-competition-for-luis-arraez\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Luis Arraez<\/a> has been mentioned most prominently. He is the perfect fit for Tampa Bay, which owns the lowest strikeout rate in baseball; he would actually improve that, as he owns the lowest strikeout and whiff rates in the sport.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8l\">His improvements with the glove at second base also fit the defensive-minded approach the franchise takes. On an expiring contract, he would be an ideal pickup for a team that hasn\u2019t been able to replace the production of Brandon Lowe at the keystone.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8o\">Armed with a deep and talented farm system, the Rays are in a position to make multiple trades. Holding off the New York Yankees in the American League East race will require reinforcements, and a Herculean effort will be needed should they win the pennant and match up with the Dodgers in the World Series.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Tampa Bay Rays were one of the teams reportedly in the running for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":360948,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-360947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/360948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}