Busy Rays Trade Christian Arroyo, Hunter Wood To Indians

Image credit: Christian Arroyo (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

The Rays were exceptionally busy Sunday, acquiring Eric Sogard from the Blue Jays for two players to be named later and trading reliever Ian Gibaut to the Rangers for another player to be named later.

The Rays made one final move later in the day, trading infielder Christian Arroyo and reliever Hunter Wood to the Indians in exchange for minor league outfielder Ruben Cardenas and international bonus money.

The trade of Arroyo and Wood opens up roster space for Sogard. At the time of the trade, the Rays were tied with the Red Sox and Indians for the second American League wild card spot.

INDIANS ACQUIRE

Christian Arroyo, INF
Age: 24

A one-time top prospect acquired by the Rays from the Giants in the Evan Longoria trade prior to last season, Arroyo has been hampered by injuries and is currently on the 60-day injured list with right forearm tendinitis. Arroyo shows the ability to get the barrel to the ball and provides defensive versatility with the ability to play third base, second base and shortstop. He hit well at Triple-A Durham this year and spent time in the majors for the third straight season. Arroyo is not prolific at anything, but with full health he has a chance to contribute as a complementary infielder and is young enough to still grow into more.

Hunter Wood, RHP
Age: 25

Wood emerged as a solid contributor to the Rays’ bullpen last year and continued this year, posting a 2.48 ERA in 19 appearances while bouncing up and down between the majors and Triple-A Durham. Wood’s fastball sits at 93 mph and a mid-80s slider is his swing-and-miss pitch. He also has a changeup that is effective against lefties. Wood will begin his Indians career at Triple-A Columbus and provides bullpen depth down the stretch.

RAYS ACQUIRE

Ruben Cardenas, OF
Age: 21

Cardenas entered last year a promising draft prospect out of Cal State Fullerton, but a disappointing season and concerns over a previous back injury dropped him to the 16th round in 2018. His first full season as a professional was off to a strong start this year at low Class A Lake County, ranking among the Midwest League leaders in slugging percentage (.475, third), OPS (.818, fifth), triples (six, tied for fifth), RBIs (54, fifth), extra-base hits (35, third) and total bases (152, tied for third). Cardenas is a physical, righthanded hitter whose above-average raw power is his calling card. When right, he hits the ball hard consistently, but at times he sells out for power and gets caught tinkering with his swing too much. Cardenas is a fringe-average runner with a slow motor who is strictly a corner outfielder, so he’s going to have to mash.