Rays Acquire Ruben Cardenas
According to Marc Topkin, the Tampa Bay Rays have dealt pitcher Hunter Wood and infielder Christian Arroyo to the Cleveland Indians for outfielder Ruben Cardenas and international slot money.
Who is Ruben Cardenas
21-year-old Ruben Cardenas is currently playing in his second year in the minors. The young outfielder has played well at the plate. Over his two years, he owns a batting average of .292, 10 home runs, and 84 RBI.
This year, Cardenas is playing for the Lake County Captains in Class A and has a batting average of .284, 10 home runs, and 54 RBI. As for his fielding, he has six errors over 84 games played with 242 putouts. This is probably one thing he can improve on, but at such a young age, it is not a major concern.
Cardenas has played in right, left, and center, with the majority of the time being in right field. His versatility makes him an excellent utility player and can help out a team’s depth.
How Cardenas Fits with the Rays
This is a great pickup for the Rays from both a depth perspective and a hitting perspective. Cardenas has been batting in the .300s for most of his career and has shown this year he has the power to go deep. The Rays have struggled with getting runs in, and Cardenas could help them do that in the near future.
As far as depth goes, the Rays only have four outfielders listed on their depth chart, with Kevin Kiermaier hurt. While Cardenas will not be able to make an immediate impact, it is still always a great idea to add depth.
Overall
Rays fans have a lot to look forward to from this young outfielder. He has a great bat and can play any position in the outfield. While only in Class-A now, he still has lots of time left to work his way through the ranks.
The Rays have only added to an already stacked farm system. Cardenas will have a bright future and a lot of other young stars to work with.
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