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Rays agree to trade Wil Myers in 11-player, three-team deal

 
Outfielder Wil Myers, who was expected to be a middle-of-the-order slugger for years to come, instead is headed to San Diego after two seasons with the Rays.
Outfielder Wil Myers, who was expected to be a middle-of-the-order slugger for years to come, instead is headed to San Diego after two seasons with the Rays.
Published Dec. 18, 2014

ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays had hoped to see more out of Wil Myers after a disappointing second season. Instead they decided they had seen enough of him.

The Rays have a deal in place to trade Myers, the 2013 American League rookie of the year, and starting catcher Ryan Hanigan to San Diego as part of an 11-player, three-team trade that, pending medical reviews, is expected to be announced today.

Of the five players the Rays will get, the biggest pieces that will have the most immediate impact are power-hitting outfielder Steven Souza, who was the Triple-A International League MVP playing for Washington's Syracuse team, and catcher Rene Rivera, who emerged as San Diego's starter last season and hit .252 with 11 homers.

The Rays also will get right-hander Burch Smith, who has some big-league time with the Padres and is likely to join the Triple-A Durham rotation, and two young prospects, first baseman Jake Bauers from the Padres and left-handed pitcher Travis Ott from the Nats.

The Rays also sent two low-level minor-league pitchers, Jose Castillo (to whom they gave a reported $1.55 million bonus in 2012) and Gerardo Reyes, to San Diego. The Nats got pitching prospect Joe Ross from the Padres and a player to be named that is expected to be San Diego's 2014 first-round pick, shortstop Trea Turner.

The biggest question about the deal is why the Rays gave up so soon on Myers, who is only 24, won't make much money for at least the next two seasons, isn't eligible for free agency until 2020 and has the potential to provide the kind of power the Rays are seeking to bolster the league's least productive offense.

Team officials won't comment until the deal is official. But it would seem they had enough concerns about him reaching the potential projected when they acquired him from Kansas City two years ago (in the much-analyzed deal for James Shields and Wade Davis) that they felt it was better to maximize the value he still had in getting several promising players in return.

Myers was called up in June 2013 and hit .293 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs in 88 games on his way to top rookie honors. He got off to a poor start last season, missed three months with a right wrist fracture (and said his left one was also sore) and wasn't much better after his return, hitting .222 with six homers and 35 RBIs in 87 games.

Myers — who tweeted in the midst of the daylong rumors, "Another workout in the books. #offseason" — declined comment until today.

Souza, 25, could turn out to be what the Rays expected Myers to be: a corner outfielder with speed and power. He hit .350 with 18 homers, 75 RBIs, 26 steals and a 1.022 on-base plus slugging percentage in 96 games for Triple-A Syracuse, then .130 with two homers in a 21-game stint with the Nationals. He made a lunging, over-the-shoulder catch to preserve Jordan Zimmermann's Sept. 28 no-hitter.

Baseball America, which ranked him Washington's No. 5 prospect, describes the 6-foot-4, 225-pound right-handed hitter as a "physical specimen with multiple loud tools" who overcame "maturity issues" early in his pro career to take advantage of "tantalizing raw talent."

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Rivera, 31, is somewhat of a career journeyman who took advantage of an opportunity for regular playing time with the Padres, posting solid offensive numbers (with a .751 OPS) and throwing out 36 percent of basestealers.

Rivera is three years younger than Hanigan, who hit .218 with five homers while limited to 84 games due to two stints on the DL. Rivera, projected to make $1.3 million via arbitration, is also considerably cheaper as Hanigan was owed at least $8 million — a $3.5 million salary he was to get this coming season, $3.7 million in 2016 and an $800,000 buyout on a $3.75 million option for 2017.

Interestingly, the Padres also have one of the top young catching prospects in the game in Austin Hedges. But he is still a year or two away, and the Rays opted for immediate help.

Smith, 24, made it to the majors in 2013 (making a rough debut at the Trop against the Rays) and going 1-3, 6.44 in 10 games (seven starts). He missed most of the 2014 season due to a forearm strain, making only two April starts, but is now considered healthy.

Bauers, 19, was a 2013 seventh-round draft pick who hit .296 with eight homers and 64 RBIs at Class A Fort Wayne in his first full pro season, with an impressive .376 on-base percentage and .789 OPS. He tweeted Wednesday: "Hey hey Tampa Bay!" Ott, 19, was 1-4, 3.93 with two Class A teams.

Since Matt Silverman, the Rays' president of baseball operations, took over for Andrew Friedman in October, the Rays have dropped catcher Jose Molina and traded outfielder Matt Joyce, infielder/outfielder Sean Rodriguez and pitchers Jeremy Hellickson, Joel Peralta and Cesar Ramos.

Contact Marc Topkin at mtopkin@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Rays.

Rene Rivera

Pos.: C Age: 31 Ht./wt.: 5-10, 215

Has been in majors for parts of six seasons, became a regular last season for the first time and batted .252 with a .319 on-base percentage and a .432 slugging percentage in 103 games. … Career numbers are .228/.279/.358 in 224 games. … Excellent defensive catcher who threw out 36 percent of opposing basestealers in 2014, 39 percent for his career. … Considered one of the best pitch framers in baseball.

Jake Bauers

Pos.: 1B Age: 19 Ht./wt.: 6-1, 195

Seventh-round pick in 2013 draft. … Rated Padres' No. 14 prospect by mlb.com. … Spent last season at Fort Worth of the Class A Midwest League, batting .296 with a .376 on-base percentage and a .414 slugging percentage in 112 games. … High-makeup player with good bat-to-ball skills, average power potential and plus defense.

Burch Smith

Pos.: RHP Age: 24 Ht./wt.: 6-4, 215

14th-round pick in the 2011 draft. … Rated Padres' No. 16 prospect by mlb.com. … Debuted in majors in 2013, going 1-3, 6.44 in 10 games, including seven starts. … Forearm tendinitis ended 2014 season after two Triple-A outings. … When healthy, shows a mid 90s fastball, solid change and curve; some questions about command.

Steven Souza

Pos.: OF Age: 25 Ht./wt.: 6-4, 225

Third-round pick in 2007 draft. … Rated Nationals' No. 5 prospect by mlb.com. … Spent most of 2014 at Triple-A Syracuse and had a huge year, batting .350 with a .432 on-base percentage and a .590 slugging percentage in 96 games and winning International League MVP. … Also stole 26 bases in 33 attempts. … Went 3-for-23 in 21 major-league games. … Minor-league career slowed by injuries, 2010 suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. … Exciting power-speed combo who has steadily cut down his strikeouts. … Likely rightfielder for Rays but can handle center.

Travis Ott

Pos.: LHP Age: 19 Ht./wt.: 6-4, 170

25th-round pick in 2013 draft. … Went 1-2, 3.05 in 10 starts for Auburn of short-season A New York-Penn League, then 0-2, 7.59 in three starts at Hagerstown of South Atlantic League. … Projectable lefty whose velocity has ticked up into the low 90s since high school, also throws curve and change.