Tampa Bay Rays

Wander Franco hasn't made his major league debut, but his rookie card is already pulling in the big bucks. 

A signed 2019 Bowman Red Refractor graded PSA 10 sold for $198,030 on Saturday. It's one of just five copies.

Franco, who is playing for Tampa Bay's Triple-A affiliate, is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in MLB. 

The infielder has appeared in 16 games for the Durham Bulls this season, hitting .269/.333/.493 with three home runs and 10 RBI. He had not played above the High-A level since he signed with the Rays in July 2017. 

The 2018 Appalachian League MVP spent the 2020 season at the team's alternate training site and was a member of the taxi squad during Tampa Bay's run to the World Series (where they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers). 

On Friday, Tampa Bay traded shortstop Willy Adames to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of a package that netted the Rays a pair of pitchers, which could soon make room for the 20-year-old Franco in the big leagues—though the team called up his current teammate Taylor Walls instead.

Even without Franco on the roster, the Rays have managed to edge their way past the New York Yankees into second place in the AL East at 28-19, one game behind the first-place Boston Red Sox.

When Franco does finally get the call, interest in his key rookie cards will undoubtedly reach a fever pitch.

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier left Saturday's 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays after suffering a scratched left eye because of his eyelash. 

Kiermaier told reporters it felt like he had sand in his eye:

"A couple minutes in, I was like, dang it, I got an eyelash in my eye. There was an eyelash in there and then we rinsed my eye, and then it disappeared or kind of went into one of these crevices or whatever. Once that happened, everything took a turn for the worse."

"I don't know how or if we scratched, that's definitely what it feels like. I keep telling people it just feels like a piece of sand on the inside of my eyelid. Every time I blink, just pressure, irritation, a scratching feeling."

Injuries have been a fairly common occurrence for the three-time Gold Glove winner. Upon becoming an MLB regular in 2014, he made 150-plus appearances once through his first six years. He then missed 11 games in the shortened 2020 campaign.

Most recently, Kiermaier sprained his left wrist in the Rays' 6-3 defeat to the Oakland Athletics on May 8. He was sliding into second base on an attempted steal when his left arm came to an abrupt stop on the knee of A's third baseman Matt Chapman.

By and large, Kiermaier has been a below-average hitter in MLB. He has a .309 career weighted on-base average and a 96 weighted runs created plus, per FanGraphs.

Tampa Bay will miss the 31-year-old's presence in center, though, because he remains one of baseball's best defensive outfielders. Going to Brett Phillips, who replaced Kiermaier after the sprained wrist, represents a clear downgrade in that regard.

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier left Saturday's game against the Oakland Athletics with a sprained wrist, the team announced. X-rays were negative. 

Kiermaier was removed from the game as he held his left wrist after he slid into second base on a steal attempt in the top of the second inning at the Oakland Coliseum.

Injuries have been a persistent theme throughout Kiermaier's career. He made 150-plus appearances just once in his first six seasons upon becoming a regular for Tampa Bay, missing an average of almost 49 games per year.

The 31-year-old was absent for 11 of the Rays' 60 games during the shortened 2020 campaign. He largely struggled at the plate, finishing with a .683 OPS. He continued to be an elite fielder, though, even if he wasn't a Gold Glove finalist at his position.

This season has seen Kiermaier continue to struggle at the plate. He was hitting .217/.289/.290 with no homers and five RBI in 22 games entering Saturday. 

With Kiermaier unavailable, Brett Phillips took over in center field and Manuel Margot moved into right field for the Rays. 

The Tampa Bay Rays are optimistic that starting pitcher Chris Archer won't miss an extended period of time after leaving Saturday's start against the New York Yankees in the third inning. 

Archer told reporters after his team's 4-0 win that the injury is "nothing serious."

Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays placed Archer on the injured list and called up Brett Honeywell from the alternate site. 

Topkin noted that Honeywell will be used as the opener for Sunday's series finale against the Yankees. 

Archer missed the entire 2020 season after undergoing surgery in June for thoracic outlet syndrome. 

The Rays signed Archer to a one-year deal in free agency worth $6.5 million. He previously played for the organization for six-plus seasons before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in July 2018. 

Tampa Bay's pitching staff has been ravaged by injuries to start the season. Chaz Roe, Oliver Drake, Nick Anderson, Jalen Beeks, Yonny Chirinos and Colin Poche are all on the 60-day injured list. Pete Fairbanks was placed on the 10-day IL on Friday with a strained rotator cuff. 

Archer was pitching well with four strikeouts and no runs allowed on three hits in 2.1 innings against the Yankees before being removed from the game. Tampa's bullpen allowed just two hits over the final 6.2 innings. 

The Rays are in the midst of 13 games in 13 days, so they will have to get the most out of what remains of the starting rotation. Their next scheduled day off is April 22. 

Tampa is off to a 4-4 start and has won back-to-back games after losing four straight from April 3-7. 

Wendy's brought the heat on social media Thursday, and former Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell took notice.

The fast food chain, which is known for roasting Twitter accounts, responded to a request from the Rays to "absolutely roast us" by saying, "We're surprised you didn't pull your social media manager in middle of writing that great tweet."

It was clearly a reference to manager Kevin Cash's decision to pull Snell from Game 6 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers even though he was cruising with just two hits and no runs allowed with nine strikeouts through 5.1 innings.

The southpaw, who has since been traded to the San Diego Padres, appeared to appreciate the tweet:

Things fell apart for Tampa Bay after Cash removed Snell, as Nick Anderson allowed a double to Mookie Betts, a run on a wild pitch (that was charged to Snell) and another run on a fielder's choice.

Suddenly, the Rays' 1-0 lead turned into a 2-1 deficit. They lost the game 3-1, which ended their championship dreams.

As Marcell Ozuna continues to hold out for a contract this offseason, the Tampa Bay Rays are reportedly putting their hat into the ring for the two-time All-Star. 

Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, the Rays have shown interest in signing Ozuna. 

Ozuna is the best unsigned position player still available. He played last season on a one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves to rebuild his value coming off a disappointing 2019 with the St. Louis Cardinals. 

The move paid off for Ozuna and the Braves. He finished sixth in National League MVP voting after leading the NL with 18 homers, 56 RBI and 145 total bases in 60 games. The 30-year-old also set career-highs with a .338 batting average, .431 on-base percentage and .636 slugging percentage. 

Despite those offensive numbers, there are limitations to Ozuna's game that may be contributing to his extended wait in free agency. He's posted below-average defensive value totals in four of the past five seasons, per FanGraphs. 

With no universal designated hitter expected for the 2021 season, Ozuna's best bet to find a home could come in the American League since he wouldn't have to worry about playing in the field. 

The Rays are always looking for potential bargains in free agency. Their primary designated hitter last season was Yoshi Tsutsugo, who hit .197/.314/.395 in 51 games. 

Ozuna's offensive upside would bring more balance to a Tampa Bay roster that's loaded with pitching. 

The Tampa Bay Rays are bringing pitcher Chris Archer back on a one-year, $6.5 million deal nearly three years after trading him to the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Archer enters the 2021 campaign as a bit of an unknown after missing the entire 2020 season following surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. In his last full season on the mound, Archer twirled 119.2 innings for the Pirates with a 5.19 ERA, 1.412 WHIP and 143 strikeouts with 55 walks.

In six previous fulls season with Tampa Bay, Archer's ERA only finished above 4.10 just once, while he earned Cy Young votes during a stellar 2015 (212 IP, 3.23 ERA, 1.137 WHIP).

It's that type of production the Rays will look to rediscover in their former Ace. How they plan to do so remains a mystery for the time being. Tampa has a history of tinkering both with its pitchers' mechanics and usage.

Whether that means Archer will see time as an opener, closer or somewhere in between is unclear. Here's a look at how he fits into the team's starting rotation as the Rays attempt their next reclamation project.

Tampa Bay Rays Starting Rotation

1. Tyler Glasnow

2. Ryan Yarbrough

3. Michael Wacha

4. Chris Archer

5. Josh Fleming

Archer was traded to the Pirates for a package highlighted by Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows. Now he'll get to play alongside them.

Archer's signing puts Tampa's 2021 payroll at $50.2 million, per Spotrac—good for the fifth-lowest, ahead of only the Miami Marlins, Pirates, Cleveland and the Baltimore Orioles.

If Archer is able to revert back into the pitcher who dominated in Tampa Bay early in his career, the Rays may have found themselves a bargain once again.

Chris Archer is going back to his first Major League Baseball team.

On Tuesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the right-hander and Tampa Bay Rays agreed to a one-year, $6.5 million contract pending a physical. Archer pitched for the Rays from 2012 until 2018, when they traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Archer, who missed the 2020 campaign after undergoing surgery for neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, was at his best when he was in Tampa Bay.

He was an All-Star in 2015 with a 3.23 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 252 strikeouts in 212 innings and made his second career All-Star Game in 2017 when he finished with a 4.07 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 249 strikeouts in 201 innings.

He also finished with an ERA below 3.40 three straight years from 2013 through 2015 and was one of the best pitchers in a daunting American League East.

The Rays could use production like that again as they look to defend their American League pennant. They traded Blake Snell to the San Diego Padres this offseason, leaving a glaring need for a top-notch starting pitcher in 2021.

It may be too much to ask of Archer for him to perform like he did in his prime considering he missed last season and posted a 5.19 ERA in 2019 for the Pirates, but he is familiar with the organization and is still just 32 years old.

He also won't have the pressure of being the staff ace with Tyler Glasnow on the team. Ironically, Tampa Bay originally acquired Glasnow in the trade that sent Archer to the Pirates.

Fresh off a World Series berth with the Tampa Bay Rays, new San Diego Padres ace Blake Snell is ready to return to baseball's biggest stage with his new club. 

The 2018 American League Cy Young-winner joined 97.3 The Fan's Gwynn & Chris show shortly after his blockbuster trade was completed and set the bar high for his arrival. 

"Being able to to come to San Diego with this team, and the front office making moves the way they're making them, it's hard not to be excited for what's going to happen the next couple years here," Snell said. "This team is definitely bound to get a World Series. It's something that's right in front of us and we've got to start working."

Aside from Snell, the Padres are reportedly close to completing a second deal for top-of-the-rotation arm in Yu Darvish from the Chicago Cubs—who's fresh off finishing second in NL Cy Young voting after a stellar 2020. 

It's clear San Diego is all in on winning now. It just doesn't entirely take the sting away from Snell after Tampa Bay developed him.

“They really raised me and groomed me,” Snell told Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. “I was a kid when I got there and they turned me into a, I’d like to say, a good man. So, yeah, there’s a lot to be thankful for there. There’s a lot I’m going to be appreciative of. A lot of relationships that I’m very happy I was able to make. But, you know, with all that said, it prepared me for when they traded me to the Padres to be ready for this opportunity and to take advantage of it.”

Speaking to Gwynn and Chris, Snell said he expected the Rays to attempt to move him next year, when he had just one year remaining on his deal, as opposed to now. But he's seen Tampa Bay move elite talent at the height of their trade value before and wasn't surprised to find out the Padres were able to pry him from the Rays.

Snell started 108 games over five years with the Rays and compiled a 3.24 career ERA with a 1.237 WHIP over 556 innings. Most indicative of his skills are the 648 strikeouts he's racked up with just 232 walks. 

Now he'll get to showcase that talent in San Diego where the Padres look to surge past the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and deliver the first title in franchise history.  

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier is on the trading block, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Kiermaier, a three-time Gold Glove winner who has spent his entire career with the Rays organization, hit .217 with three home runs and 22 RBI last season. He has two years and $23.3 million remaining on a six-year, $53 million contract that includes a team option for 2023, per Baseball Reference.

The Kiermaier report comes one day after the Rays reportedly reached an agreement with the San Diego Padres to trade staff ace Blake Snell to the San Diego Padres for pitching prospects Luis Patino and Cole Wilcox and catchers Francisco Mejia and Blake Hunt, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. That trade is pending medical reviews.

Kiermaier has been featured in the Rays outfield since 2014. The lifetime .248 hitter has hit 71 home runs and driven in 257 runs for his career. The 30-year-old has also stolen 97 bases, with a career-high 21 in 2016.

Tampa Bay selected Kiermaier in the 31st round of the 2010 MLB draft out of Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois. He took four years to advance through the Rays' farm system before reaching the bigs for good in 2014.

Per Baseball Reference, Kiermaier has finished top 10 in defensive WAR in the American League each of the last six years, holding down the No. 1 spot in 2015 and 2016. He also led the AL in center-field assists last season with six and in 2015 with 15. In addition, Kiermaier did not make an error during his 2020 campaign over 49 games.

Kiermaier played an integral role in Tampa Bay's run to the 2020 World Series and dominated at the dish in the Fall Classic with a .368 batting average and a pair of home runs.