Rays Add Catching Depth in Rocky Gale

There’s only one trade deadline this year, and with that, teams have felt increased pressure to make depth-related moves that would normally have occurred in August. The Rays did just that on Wednesday, acquiring catcher Rocky Gale from the Dodgers for cash, as The Athletic’s Robert Murray first reported.

Gale, 31, was outrighted off of the Dodgers’ 25-man roster on July 31. He appeared in five games for the major league club, totaling two hits in 15 at-bats. Gale has caught in four different seasons but has seen limited action in each, posting a .108/.108/.189 (-29 wRC+) slash line across 37 career plate appearances. In 109 PA at Triple-A Oklahoma City this season, he has slashed .250/.303/.370.

The Rays’ catching has been rather solid, especially with the mid-season addition of Travis d’Arnaud (1.7 WAR). Mike Zunino also sits on the 25-man roster, though he has been relegated to the backup job. Michael Perez and Mac James are also potential catching options for Tampa Bay, and Gale will likely slide in alongside them at Triple-A Durham.

If nothing else, today the Rays added a catcher (with a phenomenal name, I might add) to provide depth. While it’s not the most flashy move, it’s one that gives them more options behind the plate. With only one trade deadline this year, these types of acquisitions must be made now, and the Rays did just that.





Devan Fink is a Contributor at FanGraphs. You can follow him on Twitter @DevanFink.

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BenZobrist4MVP
4 years ago

Does he take up a spot on the 40-man roster?