5 years after Rays stole Caminero from Guards, the question remains: HOW?

As the Tampa Bay Rays face the Cleveland Guardians in the ALCS, focus has returned to Tampa Bay's lopsided November 2021 trade for Junior Caminero. Acquired when he was only 18 years old in exchange for right-hander Tobias Myers, Caminero initially wondered if he had done something wrong to warrant the deal. Cleveland's front office quickly regretted the move, with president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti later calling it a bad trade.

The Rays secured Caminero after heavily scouting the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League when other teams did not. Scouting executives Kevin Ibach and Jeff McLerran quickly realized Caminero possessed elite hitting talent, noting that his bat made a distinctly different sound. Caminero has since developed into a two-time All-Star and MVP candidate, establishing himself as a foundational superstar for Tampa Bay.