Junior Caminero’s first organization stands between him and another step toward the World Series. The Tampa Bay Rays meet the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Championship Series beginning Monday.
Cleveland signed Caminero as an international free agent, then traded him to Tampa Bay in November 2021 for pitcher Tobias Myers. Caminero was 18 and had played only part of a season in the Dominican Summer League.
Five years later, the deal is a major part of the ALCS background. Caminero has become a central hitter for the Rays, while Cleveland faces the prospect of trying to contain the player it once moved.
In MLB.com’s account of the trade, Caminero recalled wondering whether he had done something wrong when he learned he was changing organizations so quickly.
The Rays saw a different possibility. Their staff’s early evaluations focused on the quality of his contact and the sound of his batting practice, before he became a familiar name in the majors.
The trade’s consequences now have a direct postseason setting. Cleveland is coming off a five-game comeback against the White Sox, while Tampa Bay advanced by sweeping the Yankees. The clubs arrive through different Division Series paths but face the same best-of-seven task.
The matchup will be decided by the present rosters and pitching decisions. The 2021 transaction explains how one of Tampa Bay’s most important bats reached this point, and why his appearances against Cleveland carry a history beyond the immediate at-bat.
Game 1 is Monday at Tropicana Field. Foster Griffin will start for Cleveland against Drew Rasmussen.
More coverage: TSP’s MLB section.
