Three RHB Trade Targets for 2022

With the likely departure of Best-Buy superfan/tech-lover Nelson Cruz and Chris Sale’s dad (Jordan Luplow) being traded away, the Rays are a bit lacking in terms of RHBs.

There are rumblings on social media from fans encouraging the team to sign a free agent to fill the void, and there are some pretty solid names available who would likely fall in the team’s price range.

Andrew McCutchen:

• 168 wRC+ vs LHP in 2021
• Likely a DH with an occasional spot-start in a corner OF position

Tommy Pham:

• Only a 94 wRC+ vs LHP in 2021, but had an uncharacteristically low BABIP of .247
• 135 wRC+ vs LHP since 2019

Donovan Solano:

• 126 wRC+ vs LHP since 2019
• Good bat-to-ball skills (77th percentile whiff rate in 2021)

While these might be good single-season solutions to satisfy the need for a RHB, there are a few hitters I’m high on that would fit into what the Rays are looking for. Here are three lefty killers I’d like to see them acquire via trade:

Garrett Cooper – 1B/OF (MIA)

The big RHB was MIA in MIA for a large chunk of 2021 after a partial UCL tear limited him to just 71 games. The 31 year-old Cooper was having a fantastic season slashing .284/.380/.465 with a 134 wRC+ before his unfortunate injury. He might be a guy the Rays could acquire without giving up too much, and there are many reasons why they might want to take a chance him:

• 1) Cooper is under team control for 2 more seasons, and is projected to make only $3M in 2022.
• 2) For his career, he has managed to hit .293/.341/.510 against LHP with a 6.2 BB%, 24.4 K%, and a 127 wRC+ in 258 PA – which suggests he would platoon nicely with Choi at 1B and as an occasional DH.
• 3) Cooper is a competent defender at 1B and he’s stronger defensively there than at a corner OF position, but he could also DH as needed.
• 4) He also has a 115 wRC+ in 629 PA against RHP, making him a high-floor option even as he’s working his way back from injury.
• 5) Cooper has a knack for making quality contact which is evident in his career .362 BABIP
• He has found his footing as a consistent offensive threat, posting a 133 wRC+ in 2020 (133 PA) and a 134 wRC+ in 2021 (250 PA).

Lane Thomas – OF (WAS)

Another former Cardinals prospect that found a home in another organization, Thomas is on the rise as a well-rounded baseball player who crushes LHP. He has a much smaller sample size than the other two players on this list and is due for some regression, but there’s definitely something special about the 26 year-old OF:

• 1) Under team control until 2026, Thomas found his stride after being traded from St. Louis to Washington DC for Jon Lester during the 2021 season.
• 2) He’s an average defender with good speed who can play in all three OF positions, which would help balance the LHB-heavy outfield the Rays currently have on their 40 man roster.
• 3) In 348 PA across parts of 3 seasons in the majors, Thomas hit .230/.333/.427 with a 12.9 BB%, 24.1 K%, and a 104 wRC+ – nothing overly impressive, but he’s a competent hitter.
• 4) However, since making his debut in 2019, Thomas has SPANKED LHP. He has a 174 wRC+ against them – good enough for 6th highest in all of MLB since 2019 – in a relatively small sample size of 97 PA.
• He’s likely due for some regression given the sample size and a .443 BABIP against LHP, but he still slashed .354/.454/.585 with a 15.5 BB%(!) and a 19.6 K% against southpaws for his career so far.
• What’s interesting is only 2 of his 12 career HRs at the MLB level have come against LHP which suggests there’s still some power he could tap into, so I don’t think there would be too much regression if he can do that.

Chad Pinder – INF/OF (OAK)

Yes, Chad Pinder, hear me out. He’s a versatile RHB who can play a solid corner OF, serviceable 3B, slightly below average SS and 2B, and maybe the Rays could convince him to pick up 1B. Pinder is also coming off a season where he turned a corner offensively, and he’s only due $2.725M before heading to free agency in 2023. I think he’d be the easiest to trade for of the three players I’ve mentioned, and here’s why I like Pinder a lot:

• 1) For his career, Pinder has been the epitome of an average hitter. He has hit .244/.302/.427 with an uninspiring 98 wRC+, 6.5 BB%, and 26.2 K%.
• 2) However, he’s coming off a season where he had career highs in barrel% (16.3% – a few ticks higher than Yordan Alvarez and Giancarlo Stanton), average exit velo (92.6 mph – placing him in the 93rd percentile), and hardhit% (54.2% – putting him in the 97th percentile).
• 3) In addition, he raked against LHP, slashing .291/.360/.524 with a 144 wRC+, 8.8 BB%, and 23.7 K%. This seems somewhat sustainable given his impressive, new and improved batted ball profile.
• 4) His floor is also relatively high given his career 116 wRC+ against LHP, and he’d be in a platoon role anyways.
• For what it’s worth, Steamer projections believe in Pinder the Punisher; they expect him to hit a career high 18 HR in 2022 while maintaining a 104 wRC+.