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The Tampa Bay Rays have performed at such a high level that they have put themselves in a position to aggressively pursue upgrades ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
There has been a lot of success thus far, but plenty of work remains.
The Rays have a few areas of their roster they could certainly use an upgrade at, with a lot of people pointing to their lineup as needing a little punch.
Third baseman Junior Caminero, designated hitter Yandy Diaz and first baseman Jonathan Aranda are doing all the heavy lifting in the lineup.
Adding one more slugger to the mix would help, but a bat isnt their only need.
Tampa Bay needs some reinforcements on the pitching staff, specifically a starting pitcher who can help eat innings.
They address that need in a hypothetical trade proposal shared by Mitch Bannon of The Athletic (subscription required).
Rays land Shane Bieber from Blue Jays in trade proposal He has proposed a deal with their American League East rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Rays would acquire starting pitcher Shane Bieber in exchange for utilityman Ryan Vilade and right-handed pitcher Joe Boyle.
That proposal has been compared to one completed between two other divisional rivals, the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers, in 2024.
Frankie Montas headed from the Reds to the Brewers in exchange for infielder Joey Wiemer and pitcher Jakob Junis.
This is certainly an intriguing proposal for Tampa Bay.
Any time the opportunity presents itself to add a former Cy Young Award winner to the mix, a team has to consider it.
Bieber has performed at incredibly high levels at points of his career and would raise the teams ceiling.
In his most recent start on July 18 against the Chicago White Sox, he had a vintage performance, throwing six shutout innings with six strikeouts, needing only 80 pitches to get through his outing.
A few more starts like that, and Bieber is going to be in high demand on the trade market.
The upside he possesses is undeniable, and he would bring invaluable experience to the Rays.
However, he has made only five starts this season, seven in 2025 and two in 2024 before having to undergo Tommy John surgery.
The injury risk is high, which is a concern for a Tampa Bay squad that needs a reliable starting option with Shane McClanahan, Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour likely all being on inning limits.
Surrendering Vilade, who has been a useful utility man, would certainly hurt because the offense is already questionable enough.
Boyle has the kind of upside the Rays franchise has been able to develop time and time again.
However, flipping them for an established starting pitcher would make a lot of sense.
Boyle has been passed over in the pecking order as an option for the rotation.
Vilade has multiple years of team control remaining, but things could get crowded in a hurry off the bench if Tampa Bay can acquire a starter for their lineup, whether it be the middle infield or corner outfield.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism.
During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News.
Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network.
He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker.
Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage.
You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at [email protected].