As for the Rays, I've talked about this before: 25 of the 26 teams to win the World Series in the wild card era ranked in the top half of MLB in opening day payroll. To amass both the stars and depth needed to win—not just make—a World Series, it costs money.

This move does not bring the Rays any closer to winning a World Series. It takes them further away from that goal, less than three months after they got there.

If you're not willing to spend, and trade away top players the moment they get even remotely expensive, you are actively harming your chances of winning a championship.

It's not just about developing or acquiring stars. It's about keeping them.

Luis Patino is very promising. Francisco Mejia hit .297/.349/.494 after he became the Padres primary catcher in 2019 (was limited by thumb injury in 2020). Wilcox and Hunt are good prospects.

But Snell makes them a better team. Instead of moving forward, they took a step back.