What prospect Cole Wilcox’s promotion to Triple A says about the Rays

ST. PETERSBURG — The promotion of pitcher Cole Wilcox from Double-A Montgomery to Triple-A Durham was easy to miss last week amid the usual deluge of news and developments at the highest levels.

But it did have a meaning.

Wilcox is the only player left in the Rays organization from the seemingly talented four-man package they acquired from the Padres in December 2020 when they traded starter Blake Snell.

Pitcher Luis Patino, the headliner at the time, went 6-5 with a 5.24 ERA over parts of three seasons with the Rays. He struggled with inconsistency and injuries, pitched more in Triple A than the majors, and was dumped by the White Sox at the trade deadline last year.

Catcher Francisco Mejia enjoyed some success, but eventually fell out of favor and was designated for reassignment in August 2023. He left as a minor-league free agent. (A brief reunion in the spring after being released by the Angels didn’t last long, and he spent the season with the Triple-A Brewers.)

Minor-league catcher Blake Hunt worked his way up from Class A to Durham, but — despite the Rays’ ongoing search for catchers — was dealt to the Mariners after the 2023 season for Class A catcher Tatem Levins. Seattle had Hunt at Triple A and sent him to the Orioles in May.

Wilcox pitched his way to top-10 prospect status with the Rays, but underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in September 2021 and is working his way back. He’s spent all of 2023 and, so far, 2024 in Double A, going 13-12 with a 4.22 ERA. He’s expected to make his Triple-A debut on Sunday.

Snell has won a second Cy Young Award with the Padres since the trade last year, pitched a no-hitter for the Giants on Aug. 2 and will have earned about $62 million at the end of this season.

All of this reminds us that no deal, even one involving the Rays, who are known to be great trade traders, is a sure thing.

For most of this season, prior to their pre-trade deadline weekend sellout, the Rays were largely a .500 team. In the 12 games entering Saturday following the July 26 trades of Randy Arozarena and Zach Eflin , and the subsequent deals of Jason Adam , Isaac Paredes , Amed Rosario and Shawn Armstrong , they were 6-6.

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They hope to have added some key players to the current team, led by infielder Christopher Morel, and significantly improved their farm system by adding 15 prospects, nine of which are already on their top 30 prospect list.

While some Rays fans were upset about the deals, they received positive reviews from industry peers. In a review of the trade deadline that polled team officials without naming them, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand wrote, “Most executives believe Tampa Bay has done a masterful job of navigating the market.”

He quoted an unnamed NL executive who said, “What stood out to me the most was the Rays’ willingness to move so many players while still seeming to focus on the league now and in the foreseeable future. That’s a very tough needle to thread, and I thought they did a great job.”

Initial reviews of the potential catch have also been positive.

Thanks to the influx of prospects acquired through trades and the draft, the Rays rose from seventh in the preseason rankings to second during the season in ESPN and Baseball America’s farm system rankings.

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel wrote: “The Rays are annoying to cheer for because players don’t stay on the big team long, but they are a well-oiled player evaluation and development machine that does the most per dollar of any team in baseball, although the Orioles edge out the Rays.”

Groupthink

Two nice things happened before Friday’s game.

The Rays brought their 20-player draft class, plus four signed free agents, from Port Charlotte to tour Tropicana Field, chat with manager Kevin Cash and other team officials and watch a game as part of their pro ball orientation. Two, second-round infielder Emilien Pitre and 13th-round outfielder Connor Hujsak, are headed to Class A Charleston.

With closer Pete Fairbanks back at the helm, about 10 players donated sneakers to a group of about 20 students from Starting Right, Now, a program that works with local homeless teens. Last year, Rays players donated to the Poynter Institute’s Write Field program.

Walk in wonder

Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of the Wander Franco saga, when allegations first surfaced about an inappropriate relationship with a minor, and it remains unresolved. A preliminary hearing begins Wednesday to determine the merits of charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a minor and human trafficking filed last month by prosecutors in the Dominican Republic.

Rays are messing around

An Olympic mystery: Why was Michael Norman Sr., the father of California-raised American sprinter Michael Norman Jr., in the stands in Paris wearing a Rays cap? … Cards reliever Andrew Kittredge, a Ray from 2017-23, expects the new stadium to be a boost: “One thing they seem to lack sometimes is a fan base. But a new stadium would hopefully bring some excitement. I think the fans that are there are also very passionate. So I think for everyone involved — not just the organization and the players who get to play in a new building — but for everyone in that area, that would be really cool.” … Speedy Cardinals rookie outfielder Victor Scott II had high praise for his good friend and Rays prospect Chander Simpson, who is at Double-A and through Friday had 82 steals, a .360 average and a .413 on-base percentage: “That game that he’s got, it’s transferable anywhere, so I’m definitely excited to see him continue to climb.” … Four of the five current AL Central managers have played and/or coached for the Rays, with new White Sox interim boss Grady Sizemore joining Stephen Vogt (Guardians), Rocco Baldelli (Twins) and Matt Quatraro (Royals). … Longtime Rays minor-league manager and big-league coach Charlie Montoyo, who had been the White Sox’ bench coach, was fired as collateral damage from the firing of manager Pedro Grifol. … Tampa-based MaintenX, a national facilities management/repair company, signed on as team sponsor with eye-catching signage.

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