On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays announced reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell will miss at least a month after undergoing elbow surgery to remove a loose body. While injuries are never welcome, the timing of Snell's is particularly poor for the Rays, who remain without Tyler Glasnow and are now a half-game out of the wild-card race. With the trade deadline days away, it's fair to wonder how Snell's injury will impact what the Rays do ahead of July 31.

Presently, Tampa Bay is fielding a rotation (and we're including bulk pitchers) of Charlie Morton, Yonny Chirinos, Ryan Yarbrough and Jalen Beeks. In theory, the Rays could turn to an internal option during Snell's absence. That could mean Brendan McKay, the top pitching prospect in the system; or Jose De Leon, a former top-100 prospect who has pitched in relief in two of his last three appearances; or Anthony Banda, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery; or, perhaps even, Jake Faria, whose days in the organization appear numbered.

With options like those (McKay notwithstanding), you can understand why the Rays are said to have canvassed the league for pitchers over the past month -- even before it was known that Snell would miss most (or all) of August. According to league sources, Tampa Bay has checked in on basically any and every available arm, including some of the top starters on the market, like Mike Minor of the Texas Rangers and Trevor Bauer of Cleveland. 

The rub is that it's hard to see the Rays pulling off a deal for a Minor or Bauer-type pitcher because of their self-imposed budgetary restraints and their trademark unwillingness to trade top prospects. The Rays have the lowest payroll in baseball by roughly $10 million, and entered the season with a payroll more than $15 million below last year's Opening Day figure. Already this trade season, the Rays lost out on Edwin Encarnacion due to their monetary request. 

Perhaps the Rays decide this is the time to spend what they can and/or consolidate their prospect surplus into an impact-level move. But it seems likelier the Rays will target a lower-cost starter -- maybe Zack Wheeler if his injury scares off others, or an off-the-board type, like Alex Wood, who has yet to make a big-league start this year and is an impending free agent. The Rays are known to be open to moving outfielder Jesus Sanchez, and could fill out a package using various youngsters who are either Rule 5 eligible or on the fringes of the 40-man roster.

It's also possible the Rays just stand pat, but that would seem to be a miscalculation. Yes, the Rays have an impressive crop of youngsters and they should maintain competitive aspirations for at least the next few years. But the American League East is going to remain a beast while the wild-card races grow more competitive in the coming years. The Rays don't feel the same market pressures other squads do, yet there is something to be said about upshifting in an attempt to make the postseason for the first time since 2013, and for the first time since Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon left the franchise for greener pastures.

That the Rays have checked in on so many potential additions suggests they'll do something over the coming days. We'll see if it's enough to offset the loss of Snell, or if they'll play it safe and hope they're still in the race when he comes back.