Tuesday, August 04

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DENVER -- There were times over the last few days, Erik Neander admitted, when he wasn’t sure the Rays would get much done before Monday’s Trade Deadline.

There were a lot of teams looking to add and fewer sellers than usual. Asking prices were high. It was a “sleepless” week or so for Tampa Bay’s front office executives, the Rays’ president of baseball operations said, and they occasionally wondered if it might end with little to no activity.

“There were times where we thought there was a real chance that we might just roll with what we have, and we were going to be OK with that,” Neander said. “This group itself does have the best record in the American League as is.”

Instead, the Rays found ways to improve their roster. They added a potential frontline starter in Freddy Peralta. They picked up a left-handed-hitting catcher who fits their lineup perfectly in Liam Hicks. They landed another high-leverage reliever in Tyler Wells. And they picked up some Triple-A depth in the form of outfielder Jack Suwinski.

“To be able to add to [the roster] the way we did, yeah, really satisfied with it,” Neander said.

Here are three takeaways from the Rays’ Deadline activity.

1. They didn’t get the biggest names, but they found the right fits.

If you could have created a shopping list for the Rays two weeks ago, it likely would have included a starting pitcher with a strong track record, a left-handed hitter who could lengthen their lineup from a premium defensive position and a high-leverage righty reliever.

In your imagination, that might have been Tarik Skubal, Luis Arraez and Mason Miller. It wound up being Peralta, Hicks and Wells. The names aren’t the same, but they still addressed the Rays’ biggest needs and set them up well for the rest of the season.

“They don't have to be the most famous players going to be good,” Neander said. “I actually have no idea how the moves have been received. I know they've been popular internally, because they know how good these players are -- and they know how good a team we have and what we might be able to accomplish this year.”

2. They leveraged their incredible organizational depth.

The Rays dealt away eight Minor Leaguers who were ranked among the organization’s Top 30 at the time they were traded, an impressive feat and a real testament to the depth of the Rays’ system.

They didn’t have to dip into the elite tier of players that includes Theo Gillen, Nathan Flewelling, Caden Bodine, Cooper Flemming, Brody Hopkins and others, but they made additions by aggressively including others like right-hander Michael Forret (the top-ranked prospect they traded), outfielder Aidan Smith and infielder Brayden Taylor.

It’s entirely possible that several of the prospects they traded turn out to be impactful Major League players. Maybe they all will. But you have to give up talent to get talent in return, and the Rays did that without burning down the farm.

“That's a credit to our staff for putting us in a position to have a deep system, to have a lot of desirable talent,” Neander said. “Feel like we have a lot of blue-chip talent that remains in our system. We still think it’s really deep. Not as deep as it was, but … that was the right time to make that kind of trade-off.”

3. They kept the clubhouse in mind

The Rays have been saying since the beginning that this is a tightly knit team, a group that may be outperforming expectations due in part to the incredible chemistry and unity they’ve displayed since Spring Training. Yes, the “power of friendship” is real.

They didn’t want to disrupt that, and it doesn’t seem like they did. Peralta, Wells and Hicks are joining the Rays with excellent reputations as teammates, and the only Major League player they immediately took off the roster was catcher Hunter Feduccia, who said his emotional goodbyes in the clubhouse on Monday afternoon.

“You’re always looking for talent, right? You’ve got to keep that there," said Neander. "But [we] have been disciplined, especially with this group, to make sure that what you’re bringing in fits into what’s going on. This group is as connected, top to bottom, as any that I’ve experienced, and we’ve been fortunate to have some really good ones. It was never lost on us.”

• After being traded, Peralta is ready for a fresh start with the Rays. Read more >>

• In Hicks, the Rays got a catcher … and maybe a cleanup hitter? Read more >>

• Wells earned rave reviews from former manager Brandon Hyde and teammate Bryan Baker. Read more >>

• Craig Kimbrel was designated for assignment. Read more >>

• Want to review every deal that went down before the Trade Deadline? Read more >>

The Rays found themselves caught between catchers on Monday. They acquired Hicks from the Marlins, but he couldn’t get to Denver until Tuesday. They traded Hunter Feduccia to the Dodgers, but he’d been scheduled to start the series opener at Coors Field. 

Enter Kenny Piper. 

Piper made his unexpected Major League debut in the Rays’ 13-9 romp over the Rockies, coming up straight from Double-A Montgomery to catch all nine innings and pick up his first Major League hit.

"Surreal, man. It's a blast to play with these guys,” Piper said afterward. “That moment was unlike any that I've ever felt before. … When I got that first hit and the crowd was cheering for me and my teammates were cheering for me, that moment was one that I'll never forget.”

It was a temporary arrangement, and Piper was made aware of that. After playing for Montgomery on Sunday, he was told to fly to Colorado and stay at the Rays’ team hotel … but he hadn’t been called up. Not yet, anyway. He was on standby.

Then the call came. It was around 4 p.m. when manager Kevin Cash buzzed Piper’s phone and asked, “Where are you?” Piper was at the hotel, as instructed, with his wife and 1 1/2-year-old daughter. “Get over here,” Cash said.

Just like that, he was in the visitors' clubhouse at Coors Field, hugging his teammates. Then he was in the starting lineup, working with longtime batterymate Ian Seymour on a night he’ll never forget.

“We were all super pumped for him, because he's been such a special player in the organization for quite some time,” Cash said. “We all know him very well, and he got an opportunity and made the most of it.”

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