The Tampa Bay Rays are one of MLB’s smartest organizations. Someone in the Rays’ dugout has an idea of who belongs at the other end of the spectrum.
After the red-hot Isaac Paredes socked his 13th home run of the season in Saturday’s 11-5 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays, he returned to the dugout to congratulations that included backslaps, fist pounds and interesting comment.
“Hey, the Tigers are f–king idiots,” someone told Paredes in a moment picked up by a hot mic. It is unclear which player or coach said it.
Parades hit two home runs combined over 172 at-bats in 57 games for the Tigers during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The 23-year-old utility infielder was traded to the Rays for 2019 All-Star outfielder Austin Meadows on April 5 in a deal that seemed like a salary-dump and a win for Detroit.
Few things are as they seem when it comes to the Rays, however.
Paredes has found his power stroke, with eight home runs in his last 11 starts, beginning with a three-homer game to fuel a 5-4 win against the Yankees on June 21. Meadows is hitting .250 with zero home runs in 36 games for the Tigers.
“We knew we were trading a good player. We knew we were getting back a good player,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “Just because you trade a guy doesn’t mean you don’t think he’s a good player.”