Robbie Ray is sure to be highly coveted this offseason.
The lefty had a Cy Young caliber season with the Blue Jays in 2021, going 13-7 with a 2.84 ERA. Plenty of teams could use some starting pitching, especially left-handed starters, and Ray is somebody who could fill that void for those teams.
Here are three teams that should try to make a play for the lefty this offseason.
Chicago Cubs
They’ve already started by adding Wade Miley, claiming him off waivers from the Reds. And we’ve discussed it before, but general manager Jed Hoyer has said that he expects to spend big this offseason and get the Cubs back towards contention. Ray would be a great piece to add.
There are plenty of holes, but add him to your rotation and you’ve got a solid top-3 with him, Miley, and Kyle Hendricks. Starting pitching was an area that Chicago struggled in this season, but slotting him next to some high quality arms and some up and comers could help them as they try to retool for 2022.
St. Louis Cardinals
This may be another one of those cases of “if you can’t beat him, get him,” and understandably so. Ray has been a thorn in the Cards side for years now.
But they have been linked to him in the past. There was talk of them potentially adding him at the 2020 trade deadline, though that did not come to pass.
They need a lefty starter. Ray is sure to warrant a bigger contract than he did in 2021, and the Cards have money that’s come off the books. With question marks surrounding Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson, and Miles Mikolas, Ray would provide them with another work horse and someone who can slot atop the rotation with Adam Wainwright.
Los Angeles Dodgers
They just signed Andrew Heaney, and for all the talk of him being “the next Robbie Ray,” according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, would it be so bad if the Dodgers actually added Ray himself to their rotation.
Despite potentially losing Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers aren’t doomed in their rotation. They still have Walker Buehler and Julio Urias, both of whom have built strong postseason resumes in their young careers. A veteran like Ray could help stabilize things and give them a guy who can go deep into games. It would also help that rotation retain its status as one of the best in baseball when healthy.
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