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:
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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.