Kevin Kiermaier slams Rays’ roster moves

The Tampa Bay Rays’ recent moves have not gone down well with a key member of the team.

Outfielder Kevin Kiermaier made no secret of his displeasure on Monday, admitting that he didn’t get what the Rays were doing after trading pitcher Jake Odorizzi and designating outfielder Corey Dickerson for assignment.

“I am 100 percent frustrated and very upset with the moves. No beating around the bush,” Kiermaier said, via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. “It’s one of those things that makes you scratch your head, you don’t know the reasoning why. And then you see the team’s explanation and still it’s just like, okay, well, so be it.”

Kiermaier is something of a team leader, and he admitted that he and his fellow players have no choice but to put their heads down and get to work.

“With that being said it’s my responsibility, and now the team’s responsibility, to move on,” Kiermaier said. “It’s over with. It’s done. Got to move on from it. We can not sit here and dwell on it. We can sit here and feel sorry for ourselves. Chatter amongst each other. But it’s over with, it happened. We still have a really good team in here, got a lot of good guys. I believe in these guys.

“We lost two great players. It’s terrible. At the same time, life goes on. We still have to do what we have to do to go out there and get as many wins as possible.”

Odorizzi was a quality starter, but designating Dickerson for assignment after he was an All-Star last year was particularly surprising as the Rays looked to cut payroll. Kiermaier’s comments aren’t all that different from those made by a former Rays player who watched these events from afar.