The Rays' Way: Trades, more trades, and some trades after that

TORONTO - Erik Neander didn't anticipate getting much sleep in July.

The Rays' president of baseball operations has been working nonstop, lighting fire to Tampa Bay's roster ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.

"There's some draft hangover, recovering from that, but the calendar's not going to wait for you," Neander told theScore in Toronto last week. "This time of year, you're kind of on overdrive. It's a time of year where these really significant decisions are made for every organization, and we relish and appreciate the responsibility that comes with that."

Neander's made significant decision after significant decision lately.

This season hasn't gone as Tampa Bay hoped. Injuries wiped out almost its entire starting rotation, leaving the club well back in the AL East. It's selling at this deadline.

"(The trade deadline is) a lot more fun when you have a stranglehold on the division," Neander admitted.

Though 2024 hasn't gone to plan, there's no denying the fact Tampa Bay's been one of the most successful teams in the last five years. Despite operating with one of MLB's lowest payrolls, the Rays reached the postseason in each of the last five seasons, even advancing to the 2020 World Series. They never ranked higher than 23rd in payroll in that time.

Neander's built success by blurring the lines between buying and selling. No player's ever untouchable, and the constant roster churn allows the organization to remain competitive on a forever-tight budget.

Never rebuilding, but always tinkering.

"We make a lot of trades," Neander said.

The 41-year-old speaks the truth.

Days after my conversation with Neander, he shook up the deadline, trading Randy Arozarena, Zach Eflin, Isaac Paredes, and Jason Adam in separate moves.

Tampa Bay's deadline strategy is obvious: take advantage of a market devoid of top-level talent. The Rays cut close to $40 million in future payroll over the weekend while acquiring 11 players they hope will turn into future building blocks, like others before them.

"Trades (or the) draft - it doesn't matter where players come from," Neander said. "We have an incredible staff here."

The Rays never want to be stuck in the middle, and would rather maximize a player's value in a trade than risk waiting too long to move him. They're honest with where they're at - the 2024 roster wasn't going to win a World Series.

However, despite the team's success, there's an argument to be made that constantly trading away established players can cause tension within the organization. It's easy to forget players are people, and continuously trading away impact players can lead to a lost clubhouse. But speaking with some of the Rays' longest-tenured players, there's an understanding. There's buy-in that there's a method to the madness.

"When we traded (Willy) Adames, there were tears," Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe admitted to me. "Everybody was upset to see a guy like that go. We traded (Austin) Meadows, (Blake) Snell, (Tyler) Glasnow. Every single time, you're upset to see guys go because you develop a certain brotherhood, but you never question the talent we're getting back in return."

'He's earned every bit of our respect'

Under Neander, the Rays have become somewhat of a bogeyman around baseball when it comes to trades. But 2019's top MLB executive is self-deprecating when asked about his success.

"I feel like one of our greatest gifts might be everyone forgetting about the trades that we'd like to have back," Neander joked. "Some have worked out well for us. Some have not worked out well for us. And many have been mutually beneficial to the needs of two clubs. Really, that's the goal."

Brandon Lowe's seen turnover like no one else in Tampa Bay. Drafted in the third round by the Rays in 2015, he's spent his entire seven-year MLB career with the organization and watched countless core members and close friends be shipped out and replaced with the next wave of talent.

"I mean, at a certain point in my career - it might have been my second year in the big leagues - I stopped worrying about what the trade was and who we got," Lowe said. "I was always sad to see a guy go.

"(Neander) deserves and has earned a certain amount of respect. What he's done with the organization, what he continues to do, he's earned every bit of (it)."

The trade to acquire Arozarena perfectly encapsulates who the Rays are and what's made them so successful in the Neander era. Arozarena was acquired in 2020 from the Cardinals and became a Rookie of the Year, All-Star, and ALCS MVP during his five seasons in Tampa Bay. The Rays' front office identified Arozarena - St. Louis' 10th-ranked prospect at the time - as a player who'd excel despite not even being the headliner of the trade (José Martínez).

There are countless other examples.

Tampa Bay received Glasnow, Meadows, and Shane Baz for Chris Archer at the 2018 trade deadline. Glasnow and Meadows were key contributors before the Rays flipped them again. Glasnow was traded last winter to the Dodgers for Ryan Pepiot and Jonny DeLuca. Meadows was moved to Detroit in 2022 for Paredes.

"Honestly, I think I take it for granted at this point, where you just expect whoever comes in is going to perform," reliever Pete Fairbanks said. "There's obviously a method to the trades that our front office goes after and it's on (the players) to give the new guys a comfortable place to be themselves and let those traits flourish."

"You can play Monday morning GM or whatever you want to call it, and there's moves sometimes that maybe we raised our eyebrows at, but at the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding," reliever Jason Adam told me last week - days before he was traded to San Diego. "They've shown to be very successful at what they do.

"We were bummed to lose Glasnow, but (the reaction) was universal, like: 'I can't wait to see what Pepiot is,' because they don't make a trade they think is a bad trade. They're pretty good at evaluating it. They've earned our benefit of the doubt."

Adam was traded for a three-prospect package, headlined by pitcher and 2022 first-round pick Dylan Lesko. It'll be years before the deal can truly be evaluated, but it's already unsurprisingly being heralded as another Tampa Bay success:

Neander's 2022 Meadows trade was the most shocking deal of his tenure - and one of his best. Meadows was an All-Star in two of his three full Rays seasons and was coming off a 27-home run campaign. Paredes had two home runs across 57 games over two seasons with the Tigers.

"I always look at the Meadows and Isaac trade," Lowe said. "Meadows is one of my best friends. My wife and his wife are really close. So, I mean, us trading him, personally, I lost a brother. And then you look at the numbers and everything. (Meadows) had 100 RBIs; we must really see something in this Isaac guy. And now you look at what Isaac's done, and he's delivered in spades. It's incredible."

Paredes saw his Rays life come full circle Sunday. He went from an underachieving unknown in Detroit to an All-Star in Tampa Bay, and was then flipped for a premium when his stock was at its peak.

'The most exciting call for me'

I can tell it means a lot to Neander when I relay what Lowe and Adam said about trusting the front office. Running a major-league club means making tough decisions that disrupt lives, uproot families, and change careers. The magnitude of Neander's choices isn't lost on him.

"It means a lot in the sense that we respect that this is all about the players," Neander said. "First and foremost, they're the priority, and I have an endless amount of respect for the requirements of their job.

"You can simultaneously pour yourself into supporting the players you have, while also acknowledge that at any time, there are decisions that could impact them and their families - that's really difficult. But I think I just own it. That's the job that I have. That's my job description. There's tough decisions or requirements of my job and I just never really shied away from. Treat people with respect, treat them honestly."

Neander believes those morals play a part in what's made the Rays so successful. He also credits his coaching staff and player-development group for helping players "find their confidence."

Fairbanks was acquired from Texas in 2019 and became one of MLB's best relievers in Tampa Bay. He credits a number of factors: transparency, openness, a clear plan, and the organization's pitching philosophy.

"They find people that fit what they believe in," Fairbanks said.

Adam was attracted to that pitching philosophy. After playing for three different clubs in four years and struggling as a reliever, the Rays' interest in him in 2022 was monumental.

"I was an up-and-down guy, had good stretches, and had really bad stretches," Adam said. "When they called, it was the most exciting call for me. They have really good pitching, so they must see something, they must have something they think could help benefit me. So it was a huge factor in me (signing)."

Adam shared a funny story about the Tampa Bay way. He said the club didn't explicitly tell him to stop throwing his curveball when he was acquired, but he noticed his curveball was missing when he was shown how his arsenal was to be deployed as a Ray.

"It was like, 'We'll talk about that later.' And we (never did). I think we joked about it for the first time earlier this season."

The Rays are again entering another new era thanks to all the trades Neander's made over the last several days, with more likely coming before Tuesday's deadline. While it's certainly frustrating for Rays fans to again watch some of their favorites depart, new faces will take advantage of opportunities - it's the Rays' way.

Doubt their process at your peril. Players don't.

"There was a ton of excitement coming in," DeLuca said about being traded for Glasnow, "because I knew this organization: a lot of guys get opportunities here, especially young guys. There's comfort (knowing) I'm going to get a shot.

"This organization is renowned for letting players be themselves, and (getting) the best out of (them)."