The Rays have a number of players on their roster who could be a fit with the Yankees, which speaks both to how much profit Tampa Bay could stand to make if they decided to sell, and to the limited needs of a Yankees organization with too many holes.
One potential trade target is Pete Fairbanks, the back of the Rays bullpen pitcher who has developed into one of the team’s best closers.
Fairbanks has converted 17 of 19 save opportunities this season for a 3.21 ERA.
The Yankees know they have some holes in their relief corps, which has been riddled with injuries and hasn’t been able to pitch as powerfully as it has in the past.
Fairbanks knows the Rays franchise, which reached .500 on Saturday, could be up for sale by July 30 unless it stays that way.
Fairbanks says he mostly finds out about the rumors by chance — his wife sends him tweets that purport to be “breaking news” but aren’t — but otherwise turns a blind eye.
“There’s no point worrying about the same thing twice,” Fairbanks said in the visitors’ clubhouse before the Rays beat the Yankees 9-1 in the Bronx.
The 30-year-old Fairbanks, who is signed through at least next season and earns a bargain salary of $3.66 million, is the type of power pitcher the Yankees could utilize.
The right-hander throws a four-seam fastball that averages 97.2 mph, with a bottom-dropout curveball being his better weapon.
Last season, he posted a 2.58 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings, and while his stats are down from last season, it’s not a huge drop and the pitching is similar.
“It’s amazing,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s got a great arm with a fastball-curve combination. When he’s on his game, he gets ahead of hitters and strikes them out a lot.”
“He’s pitched a lot of innings that were really important to us, whether it was the ninth inning or any inning in the game.”
Fairbanks had a strong 2020-2022 postseason performance, striking out 19 batters in 15 innings with a 3.60 ERA.
The sixth-year relief pitcher, who appeared in eight games as a rookie with the Rangers in 2019 before being dealt to the Rays, has yet to prove his ability to compete in the big market, but he has proven himself in big games.
“I’ve never shied away from anything,” he said, adding that he believes he could handle it in a bigger city as well.
“I don’t think you necessarily know whether you like it or not until you actually have to deal with it,” he said.
The Yankees could look to Tampa Bay’s relief corps or another member of the starting rotation, and they would no doubt like to see Isaac Paredes play every day as a third baseman, but the bullpen is thin with the likes of Jonathan Loaisiga, Nick Burdy and Ian Hamilton out.
Their relievers have entered the game with a 4.09 ERA since June 1, which is the 12th-worst mark in that span.
Fairbanks is a 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher with an elite pitching style, a fierce competitive spirit and a reputation as an intelligent and thoughtful person.
In an era when advanced data gives the advantage to pitchers with intelligence, Fairbanks is smart.
“I don’t like to brag about my accomplishments, but I accept it when other people say so,” said Fairbanks, a University of Missouri graduate.
He hasn’t had any discussions with the Rays front office about the next few weeks and is trying to stay calm and keep his routine the same as before.
“I’m sure there will be conversations at some point,” Fairbanks said, “but it’s not something that’s particularly pressing in my day-to-day work.”
