Rays roster following the Austin Meadows trade

The Rays made a late pre-season trade last night, moving OF/DH Austin Meadows to the Detroit Tigers in return for a young infielder Isaac Paredes and a draft pick. That infielder goes to the minors, but in a compensating move the Rays will promote top position player prospect OF Josh Lowe.

Here’s what that does for the defending AL East champions:

The Rays prefer to get all of their bench players into the game, but in a simple projection, it’s striking how many players have full-time roles despite a reputation for platooning: Mike Zunino, Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz, Wander Franco, Randy Arozarena, Kevin Kiermaier, and Manuel Margot all look to have primary roles.

Reflecting on the most recent…