At the conclusion of the 2016 season, Tampa Bay Rays President of Baseball Operations Matt Silverman and manager Kevin Cash both concurred that they were hellbent on getting the team back into playing meaningful games in September and beyond.
Those meaningful games were not only meant for the 2017 season, but for the future as well and the work to make that happen needed to start during this offseason. Being cost-conscious, the Rays needed to find ways to improve at that would come at a price, meaning trades would be necessary that could include a starting pitcher or two, or a positional player.