The Tampa Bay Rays were looking to clear at least one 40-man roster space before midnight, and it looks like that space belonged to an All-Star, as the Rays according to Craig Mish of MLB.com have traded infielder Joey Wendle to the Miami Marlins in exchange for minor-league outfielder Kameron Misner.
Wendle made his first All-Star team in 2021, hitting .265/.319/.422 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI in 136 games, playing second base, third base, and shortstop. He spent four seasons in Tampa Bay after being acquired by the Rays from Oakland in December of 2017, compiling a .274 batting average, 27 homers and 167 RBI in 400 games.
Misner is ranked as the 21st best prospect in the Marlins organization by MLB Pipeline, and was a first round pick of the Marlins in 2019 out of the University of Missouri. He spent 2021 playing in 102 games between High-A Beloit and Double-A Pensacola, hitting .253/.355/.433 with 12 home runs and 59 RBI.
Tampa Bay needed to clear a 40-man roster spot in order to add pitcher Corey Kluber, who reportedly agreed to a one-year contract on Sunday.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
