If the Rays are going to compete in the beast that is the A.L. East, they can’t afford to knowingly expect a sub-par performance both offensively and defensively at any position. Before I explain how much of a down year 2015 was for Loney, I want to point out that over the two previous seasons he did manage a 2.6 WAR (2013) and 0.8 WAR rating (2014). So any team looking to trade for him would be doing so based on his potential to return to those levels and not solely on his 2015 season.
Per Fangraphs, Loney’s 2015 was *cough* not the best season, and explaining why isn’t exactly going to sell him as a trade chip, but here it goes.