I'm sure he looked long and hard, but how could any GM pass on the best player in the draft, Mayer?
BTW, the Rays were not really all that great at drafting pitchers. They were great at trading for some, and trading away their own pitchers just seconds before they declined steeply.
They haven't done poorly, but they haven't done great, either.
1st & Second Round Pitching Picks since 2008:
24. T Guerrieri '12
42. Jeff Ames '11
52. Blake Snell '11
59. Grayson Garvin '11
29. Ryne Stanek '13
31. Drew Rasmussen '17
16. M LIberatore '18
31. S McClanahan '18
36. JJ Goss '19
40. Seth Johnson '19
24. Nick Bitsko '20