An easy to overlook moment in the Rays offseason thus far might be the early acquisition of utility player Ryan Vilade from Cincinnati for cash considerations.
Vilade has an interesting set of tools that could make him a valuable role player on a Rays team with playoff aspirations. Should the team decide to roster him, Vilade would provide a right-handed option who can play passable defense at several positions with above average power and a fringe average hit tool.
Part of the reason Vilade was available
and affordable is because he is out of options and there was a surplus of right-handed depth at his previous three organizations. Prior to joining the Tigers’s AAA affiliate in 2024, Vilade amassed an underwhelming 95 wRC+ in over 2,700 PAs across every level of the minor leagues. Where he did succeed was in being able to develop into a capable defender at LF, RF, and 2B. He’d be stretched a bit at 3B and CF but could play in those spots if in an emergency situation. I haven’t seen enough of Vilade at 1B and you’d generally want better offensive production from someone in that spot, but he seems capable of playing there too.
Before the 2024 season began, Vilade changed his swing by adding a leg kick. He previously relied more on his upper body and hands to spray the ball to all fields – although it was often on the ground. Vilade’s production immediately improved when he changed his swing, but it’s the underlying data he showed in AAA that could make him a valuable major league asset.
What’s most impressive is how Vilade has unlocked above average power as a result of his swing change without sacrificing any contact ability or becoming overly aggressive in his pitch selection.
This newfound power also looks like it will play in the majors; Vilade has shown above average bat speed that should allow him to handle big league velocity. Additionally, the path of this fast and powerful swing is geared for line drives. This isn’t just big EVs being launched into the ground like early career Yandy Diaz; this is above average power that will play-up even more when he runs into a ball pull-side. Without the swing change, we could look at how his barrel rate tripled (3% in 2023 to 9% in 2024-2025) and write it off as noise, but the eye-test and mechanical adjustments support the change in data.
There is a similar lesson in reviewing Vilade’s launch angle as well:
Like average exit velocity, looking at average launch angle tells us basically nothing in isolation, but can tell a broader story when considering the change in swing. In short, his batted ball distribution is more favorable now than in the past, and the average LA on his hardhit BBEs is up to 11 degrees over the last two years from 6 degrees in 2023. Most of his BBEs — including his hardest hit BBEs — are line drives instead of ground balls.
So if you’ve been reviewing the Rays 40-man roster and were surprised to see Vilade survive when others like Tristan Peters were recently designated, don’t be.
Ryan Vilade’s defensive versatility, roster fit as a right-handed bat, and his late-blooming but sustainable power could make him a valuable piece for the Rays’ big-league team in 2026. I’d like to see him fill a RH utility role if the front office decides to keep him instead of looking outside of the organization for more platoon help.
