News broke late Sunday night that the Tampa Bay Rays traded ace pitcher Blake Snell to the San Diego Padres. The trade (which yielded a strong return in prospects) indicates that the Rays are yet again looking to cut costs. The Phillies could well be looking to take advantage of this.
The Rays are notorious for keeping a payroll so small even Billy Beane would be impressed. In fact, the reigning American League Champions had the third-lowest payroll in 2020. After the COVID-19 pay cuts, the Rays only paid their players $28.