Here's how recent trades shake up Rays' roster

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays made a pair of interesting trades on Friday, sending Luke Raley to the Mariners for infielder José Caballero then dealing Andrew Kittredge to the Cardinals for outfielder Richie Palacios.

Those moves looked a bit like the other major trade they made this offseason: They removed proven talent from their Major League roster but also brought back big league talent in return.

In most cases, Tampa Bay even acquired one-for-one replacements. Tyler Glasnow and Ryan Pepiot are right-handed starters. Manuel Margot and Jonny DeLuca are right-handed-hitting outfielders. Raley and Palacios are lefty-hitting outfielders with experience in the infield. You could even say the Rays offset losing Kittredge by bringing back righty reliever Chris Devenski, their only Major League free agent signing so far this offseason.

Where does that leave the Rays with more than a month to go before pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training? Younger, cheaper, less experienced, still talented and balanced as they were before, with more time to tweak their roster.

“We feel good about where we’re at. There’s nothing that we feel we need to do. We believe this club, as it is, will be a good one,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “But it’s our job to make the most of the time that’s available, and there’s still plenty of time on the clock.”

Here are three other takeaways from Friday’s moves:

1. A solution at shortstop
This is the most obvious angle. The Rays don’t know what will happen with Wander Franco, who remains under investigation by MLB and authorities in the Dominican Republic. Neander also revealed it’s “unlikely” Taylor Walls will be ready for Opening Day after undergoing right hip surgery this offseason; Tampa Bay won’t want to overwork him upon his return, either.

We said last week the Rays could create some clarity at shortstop, and they did that by acquiring Caballero, a lesser-known player but one whom the Rays talked about acquiring at last year’s Trade Deadline and liked even before then. He can play multiple positions and provides value with his defense, baserunning and willingness to find ways to get on base.

Right now, Caballero looks like the Opening Day shortstop. That puts less pressure to rush Walls’ rehab, young infielder Osleivis Basabe or top prospect Junior Caminero.

2. Pathways to playing time
The Rays were encouraged by what they saw Palacios do with the Cardinals, both at Triple-A and in the Majors. If he continues that, he’s a natural substitute for Raley.

But there’s an internal option, too: Jonathan Aranda.

If everyone’s healthy, the Rays have a starting outfield trio in Randy Arozarena, Jose Siri and Josh Lowe. DeLuca could back up anywhere or platoon with Lowe. That might have left Raley in more of a platoon DH role while occasionally spelling team MVP Yandy Díaz at first base.

Now, those at-bats could go to Aranda, not an outfielder but a left-handed hitter like Raley. The Rays wanted to create an opportunity for Aranda to prove himself after he dominated Triple-A the past few years. But consistent playing time is difficult to come by in their crowded infield, especially considering some of Aranda’s defensive limitations. He should see more playing time now, though.

Don’t be surprised if a similar situation plays out to create more of a role for Curtis Mead, too. The Australian rookie bounced around the infield near the end of last season, but he is MLB Pipeline’s No. 34 overall prospect for a reason -- and the Rays believe in his bat. Dealing Harold Ramírez, an arbitration-eligible trade candidate, would free up some right-handed at-bats in Tampa Bay’s DH/infield mix.

“Much like Luke Raley last year, Josh Lowe last year, [catcher René] Pinto last year, they took that big step forward after getting limited opportunities prior,” Neander said. “When you look ahead to next year, some of this is about creating a little more space for [Aranda, Mead] and Caminero.”

3. Roster flexibility
Raley and Kittredge are out of Minor League options, and Kittredge is set to become a free agent at the end of the season. Caballero has three option years remaining, while Palacios has one. Both join the Rays with six years of club control.

These are hardly exciting concepts, but they are important for the Rays as they balance the present and future.

With Kittredge, the bullpen would have been light on optionable pitchers, which would have made it more difficult to churn the roster for fresh arms as they often feel the need to do. Similarly, a more static group of position players would have made it challenging to create paths for deserving younger players like Aranda and Mead, and eventually Caminero and others, to “take on a little more if it’s earned,” as Neander put it.

The Rays’ hope is that their moves this offseason will preserve the balance of their roster while also creating competition and flexibility within it, allowing the best players to earn those opportunities.