I'm not trying to be snarky here, but why would the Rays be interested in a trade if Thompson is going to be moved off the 40 man and have to go through waivers? They can wait.
Just to get this back to Bellinger. I was not that big into him being a "must get" this offseason, but his versatility is huge. Almost more important than the production he brings. He can play 1st if Busch fails and they can slide in PCA or Canario to CF. It's not ideal, but it will work for a year.
Jed has built in a lot of redundancies to make up for the lack of star power.
The psyche of a professional baseball player is so interesting and alien to me. They must really have to complement mentalize their life. Six months of stability and family (if they have one) and then the season. It's quite a change from the beginning of their careers when they know where they are going to be. It's such a tough business.