I'm not sure Rays trade Rasmussen, as he has 2 more years left on new contract but if so, I figure there would have to be a slight overpay. The Cubs need to go all in for SP (as I'm not sure they will resign Tucker or not.... I hope they do).

It will be an interesting trade deadline for the Rays. They are walking a very thin line right now as far as being a legitimate playoff contender. If they decide to sell, Ras will surely be available, but only at a higher trade value than he has right now. The Rays don’t have to trade him after all, and they surely won’t at an all in cost of $10MM per year (including his trade value). When total scrubs are signing multi-year pacts for $18-20MM AAV, I suspect the Rays will be able to get more for Ras than $10MM ($5MM salary plus $5MM trade cost). There is a heightened injury risk with Ras, but a lot of teams are willing to overlook that in the search for talent. Whether that’s an extra $5MM more per year or an even greater amount I couldn’t say, but a $30 MM trade cost sounds about right. Then comes the tricky part of finding the right return, because the Rays general MO when trading a top pitcher is to get 3-5 guys in return, including a top pitching prospect. Throw in the general uncertainty regarding a 2027 lockout and I suspect the Rays will prefer guys in AA or below. That’s my expectation at least and I don’t think this trade will get it done.