Ahead of Wednesday’s MLB Trade Deadline, the Tampa Bay Rays have moved early for a player in the opposite dugout this afternoon: utility man Eric Sogard.
Even a cursory glance at Sogard reveals a very Rays-type of player, having covered Second and Third Base, Short Stop, and Left and Right Field this season. With the Rays having their starting Second and Third basemen injured, he can slot right in.
There also appears to have been a bidding war for Sogard, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan who reported the news. The bespectacled, left handed hitter has had balanced, positive results against both hands of pitching this year, batting a 127 wRC+ vs LHP (which would rank sixth best on the Rays) and 121 wRC+ against RHP (tied for fifth on the Rays).