Nov. 18 was an important day for the Tampa Bay Rays because it was the deadline to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to the 40-man roster. It led to a flurry of moves being made.
In a move that many saw coming eventually, Christopher Morel was designated for assignment. He was viewed as a non-tender candidate this winter, but things didn’t even get to that point with the Rays opting to move on now.
Along with him, the team decided to also designate Jake Fraley for assignment. His time with the franchise was short-lived, being claimed off waivers from the Atlanta Braves on Nov. 6 and being removed from the roster not even two weeks later.
Rays protect three prospects from Rule 5 Draft