Cost-cutting Rays deal ace Snell to Padres

TURNS out that Blake Snell’s contract was like the last game he pitched — the Rays were only going to go so far with him.

In a familiar move for the franchise — the trading of a high-end starter — Tampa Bay reached an agreement with San Diego to trade Snell for four prospects, highlighted by righty Luis Patino.

In the aftermath of arguably their most successful season ever — winning the AL East over the highly favored Yankees and reaching World Series Game 6 before losing to the Dodgers — the Rays have undergone a disassembling of their powerful top of the rotation. Charlie Morton signed a oneyear, $15 million contract with the Braves and now Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young winner, has been dealt to the Padres. That leaves just Tyler Glasnow from their Big Three.

But this is the way of the Rays. They are constantly churning to manage their payroll and keep their organization replete with young talent. Among others, the Rays had previously traded top-ofthe-rotation pieces such as Chris Archer, David Price and James Shields.

In Patino, Tampa Bay receives a pitcher who is ranked the 22nd best prospect in the majors by MLB.com even after his 11-appearance (one start) cameo in 2020 produced a 5.19 ERA. Patino and the rest of the haul (catchers Francisco Mejia and

Blake Hunt, and righty pitcher

Cole Wilcox) add to one of the deepest farm systems in the majors.

It also removes the three years at $39 million remaining on Snell’s deal. That gives the

Rays the chance to further address their major league roster with money if they chose. It also leaves Kevin Kiermaier (two years at $26 million and available) as the only Ray due more than $7 million in 2021.

Snell’s final appearance with the Rays created arguably the biggest controversy of the postseason. The lefty had a one-hit shutout going with one out of the sixth of World Series Game 6. But when No. 9 hitter Austin Barnes singled, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash pulled Snell to stick with the policy of not letting him face a lineup a third time. This though the top three in the Dodgers lineup — Mookie Betts, Corey Seager and Justin Turner — were 0-for-6 with six strikeouts against Snell in the game.

Nick Anderson entered and two batters later the Dodgers had turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead en route to clinching their first championship since 1988.

The Dodgers held off the Padres both in the NL West and in the Division Series. San Diego was dealing with injuries to its two key starters, Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet, in the playoffs and Clevinger is going to miss the 2021 season after needing Tommy John surgery. So the go-for-it Padres were looking for another high-end starter and — as with Clevinger during the 2020 season — used their deep farm system to obtain

one.

In this case, it is Snell, who is just 28 and — in his last start — dominated the Dodgers until the Rays gave him a quick hook. With three seasons left on a fiveyear contract, Snell was removed quickly again by the Rays.