Jul 13, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop
Yunel Escobar(11) throws the ball to first for a double play against the Toronto Blue Jays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Update (5:50 25/08):
It appears as though the Rays will not trade Escobar according to Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
#Rays Maddon says Escobar will not be traded thru waiver claim
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) August 25, 2014
Original:
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Yunel Escobar has been claimed on waivers by the Oakland Athletics.
The two teams now have until 1 p.m. Tuesday to work out a trade. Tampa Bay can also pull Escobar off of revocable waivers thus meaning no trade can be facilitated or they can just let the Athletics take Escobar off their hands without receiving anything in return.
A trade could be feasible for the Rays. Escobar hasn’t played as well as he did last year and is owed $12 million through the next two seasons with a $7 million option in 2017.
If the Rays decided to move Escobar, newly acquired Nick Franklin could be a candidate to replace him. The Rays also have former number one overall pick Tim Beckham (who made his major league debut at the end of last season) as well as Hak-Ju Lee in the minors.
This season, Escobar has a .253/.317/.318 line with four home runs and 31 RBIs. His usually superb fielding has been somewhat suspect this year too as he has 12 errors.