ATLANTA — The Tampa Bay Rays’ aggressive Aug. 3 trade deadline produced three acquisitions now reshaping the club’s playoff push, headlined by catcher Liam Hicks, who is slashing .313/.398/.475 with three homers, 14 RBIs and more walks (10) than strikeouts (nine) in his first 26 games with the team.
Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said after the deadline that the club saw Hicks as a bridge between the “Big Three” atop the order — Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero — and the contact-oriented bottom of the lineup. The former Marlins backstop has turned that trio into a “Big Four” for opposing pitchers, and early reviews of his work behind the plate have been positive despite questions about his defensive readiness after Miami used him mostly at first base and DH.
Reliever Tyler Wells, acquired from the Orioles, has been equally transformative for manager Kevin Cash’s bullpen. The 32-year-old right-hander is 2-0 with two saves, a 1.69 ERA, a 0.69 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 16 innings over 12 appearances. Wells proved his value this past weekend in Texas, picking up a save Friday and working two innings to earn the win Saturday after All-Star closer Bryan Baker was unavailable due to illness and lefty Garrett Cleavinger landed on the injured list. Wells has worked more than one inning in five of his 12 outings, giving Cash another high-leverage weapon alongside Baker, right-hander Kevin Kelly and left-hander Cam Booser.
Starter Freddy Peralta, jettisoned by the Mets, endured a rough Rays debut at Coors Field on Aug. 4, surrendering seven runs on nine hits in just 3 2/3 innings. But the right-hander has steadily rebuilt his delivery and confidence, allowing just one run over 12 innings in his two most recent starts against the Tigers and Mets. Tampa Bay’s decision to deepen its rotation has proven prescient after Shane McClanahan’s recent injury, keeping the Rays from scrambling for a fifth starter down the stretch.
The Rays now carry postseason rotation depth that includes Peralta alongside Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez, Griffin Jax and McClanahan if healthy. Tampa Bay continues its road trip in Atlanta before returning home, with October positioning on the line for a club whose deadline investments look stronger by the week.