The postseason is just weeks away. This postseason, like always, separates the contenders from the pretenders, and these three players seem like pretenders.
The Tampa Bay Rays were set for a deep playoff run, but due to some suspensions and injuries, they could be eliminated early if they can't step up.
No. 3 Tampa Bay Ray playing their way off the postseason roster: Jonathan Aranda
Jonathan Aranda has not been good since debuting in 2022, but he has been consistent—consistently bad. While he is just 25 and has much potential, you can't have him in the postseason because he doesn't have experience and hasn't been good enough to risk.
Aranda has only been able to hit .194 in 2023. It would be common to hit that if you often hit home runs, but Aranda has only hit one home run in 2023 with six RBIs. He holds an OPS+ of 74, meaning he is 26 percent worse than the average player while also not being good defensively.
Aranda has been able to walk more but is striking out at a career-high of 32.1 percent, while he has made that up with a 14.8 percent walk rate. He has still been a terrible contact-hitter with no power, who chases the ball often. Aranda also has no speed and can't play defensively, as well as being a terrible hitter.
Hitters should have a high average against fastballs, but in 2023, Aranda has not been able to hit fastballs at all. Pitchers know he can't hit a fastball, so they've been throwing them to him at a rate of 66.3 percent. He has only been able to hit .114 against it. He has been a dominant breaking and off-speed pitch hitter but doesn't often see those.
His main problem with the fastball is he isn't a good sweet-spot hitter. He keeps getting under or over fastballs, leading to a whiff rate of 36.4 percent. By comparison, his whiff rate on breaking balls and off-speed pitches is 26.2 and 20.7 percent respectively.
No. 2 Tampa Bay Ray playing their way off the postseason roster: Osleivis Basabe
Osleivis Basabe is currently only with the Tampa Bay Rays because of Wander Franco getting suspended. Since debuting, he has been a subpar hitter who should be replaced by other top prospects like Junior Caminero.
While he has been good defensively, he has massively struggled offensively in MLB and has not been able to find his groove yet. In 26 games, he has only hit .213 with a home run and 13 RBIs, but he doesn't often reach base, with an on-base percentage of just .280. He also holds an OPS+ of 67, meaning since debuting, the average player is 33 percent better than him.
Most hitters thrive on fastballs thrown to them, but Basabe can't hit them to save his life. He currently holds a .175 average against fastballs, but any breaking or off-speed pitches, he has been doing well against, with at least a batting average of .250.
Basabe isn't anything special; he doesn't reach base often, he doesn't hit the ball hard, and he doesn't walk and often strikes out. His main skill is his speed, but he doesn't steal bases often, with only 16 stolen and six caught in 94 Triple-A games. He is only on the team still because they don't want to call up others.
No. 1 Tampa Bay Ray playing their way off the postseason roster: Taj Bradley
Taj Bradley started his career off well and was ranked as one of the Rays' top prospects, but he hasn't been good recently and doesn't deserve to make the postseason roster with his recent performances.
They decided to call him up from Triple-A despite struggling very much. In 10 minor league games, he pitched 37.2 innings and had a 6.45 ERA with 20 walks and 37 strikeouts. He has been getting called up and down and has struggled each time.
In his recent four MLB starts, he has a 0-0 record and has given up an ERA of 4.29. His main struggles have been to find the strike zone and has walked 11 in those 22 innings he pitched in the last four.
He started his career 3-0 with a 3.52 ERA. In June and July, he struggled, pitching around 20 innings each month with an ERA of 6.26 and 7.89. He started well with good control and a low ERA, but he hasn't been able to walk less than 10 per month, while only walking five the first two months.
Bradley has one of the most dominant fastballs with an average speed of 96.1 mph. His potential is unmatched as a former top prospect in MLB. But he has been consistently giving up hits and walks despite that arm power.
The only reason Bradley is still in the majors currently, despite getting called up and down multiple times, is because of injuries. He is a huge strikeout guy, but he can't stop giving up runs. His potential is unmatched, but he hasn't shown it recently. He is only starting games because Jeffrey Springs, Drew Rasmussen, and Shane McClanahan are all out for the season.
The Tampa Bay Rays' starting rotation and bullpen have been hurt consistently, so they would take any pitchers in the majors, even if they aren't good.