RaysUp - Rays & Yankees - All-Star Game - Trade deadline Targets

BaseballBiz On Deck: Rays Up EditionMark Corbett and Mat GermainThe Rays Are RollingTampa Bay leads the AL East by four games over New York, sits 17+ games above .500, and has essentially locked up a playoff spot. Their Low-A and High-A affiliates have already clinched. The system ranks top 10 in baseball. Four players are headed to the All-Star Game: Brian Baker, Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz, and Drew Rasmussen.Game Night: Rays 3, Yankees 0Recorded live during a dominant Wednesday night win. Shane McClanahan: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 0 ER. Yandy Diaz: 3-for-3, including an inside pitch he turned on that had no business being a hit. Brian Baker closed it with trademark intensity. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was ejected in the process.Players to WatchTaylor Walls has quietly become a legitimate two-way contributor after hip surgery. Feduccia is delivering from the nine hole. Richie Palacios is on a tear. Johnny DeLuca is back. The bottom of the lineup is producing when it counts.Trade Deadline TargetsThree names Mat would pursue before the deadline:Zach Neto (Angels) as a shortstop upgrade with power and speed. Cost: Carson Williams and pieces.Hunter Goodman (Rockies) as a power catcher whose away numbers are actually better than his Coors numbers. Could be the playoff bat they lack.Freddy Peralta (Mets) as a reclamation starter who needs a change of scenery and would benefit from Kyle Snyder's coaching.Drew Anderson (Tigers) as a multi-inning reliever with swing-and-miss stuff, built for October.Playoff-Ready Depth at AAAThe Rays have assembled a rare Triple-A roster of MLB-tested veterans: Gavin Lux, Carson Williams, Jake Fraley, Jake Cave, Jacob Melton, Nick Madrigal, Homer Bush Jr., Oliver Dunn, and Austin Slater. It functions like an expansion team safety net heading into September.MLB Draft: Second Overall PickTop candidates: Roch Cholowsky (SS, UCLA), Grady Emerson (SS, high school), Vahn Lackey (C, Georgia Tech). If the White Sox take Emerson first, Cholowsky may fall to Tampa. A college-ready shortstop who could slot next to Caminero for a decade is hard to pass on.Evan Longoria WeekendUpper deck tickets available on StubHub from $30-44. Lower bowl sections reaching $900. Mat and Mark urge fans to show up. Longoria was crushed when he was dealt, gave everything to this city, and deserves a full house.The Only Missing PieceA stadium deal. Everything else is in place: the manager locked for five years, the GM, the pitching coach, money to spend at the deadline, a loaded system, and a team winning right now. Get it done.Also discussed: Dylan Cease's near no-hitter for Toronto, ex-Rays All-Stars (Arozarena, Wacha, Christopher Sanchez, Riley O'Brien, Joe Ryan), attending minor league and college games, and the Durham Bulls leading their division.