Kansas City Royals: Offseason trade targets from NL Central
By Cody Rickman
Milwaukee Brewers
Corey Ray, Outfielder
Corey Ray, the 25-year-old outfielder, had dreadful season split between Rookie/AA/AAA appearing in only 69 games.
Ray, formerly a first round draft pick, put together fine numbers in 2018 at AA hitting .239/.323/.477 with 27 dingers, and 39 extra base hits (37/44 SBs). Ray still possesses exceptional talent, but he hasn’t been able to make consistent contact against advance pitching with a career K% around 30%.
Ray is a power and speed combination prospect, who has the ceiling of an above average everyday player and the floor of a fourth outfielder. He is an above-average defender with an above average arm capable of playing each of the outfield positions.
Ray has plus speed to steal 25+ bases per year and projects to have an average hit tool and plus power to generate a .250 average and 19-22 home runs per year. There’s some swing and miss to his game, but he has enough plate discipline to generate an OBP 60 points above his batting average.
The Brewers prospect is Rule 5 draft eligible this offseason and Milwaukee may be disappointed in the lack of development Ray has shown in the minors to protect him on the 40-man roster. The Brewers also need to address their pitching staff and may consider packaging Ray in a move to acquire a starter.
Possible trade offer: Danny Duffy LHP (no salary retention)