By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The list of suitors for Philadelphia Phillies reliever Pat Neshek is growing, as his time with the Phillies appears to be waning.
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Tampa Bay Rays are another team that has some level of interest in the 36-year-old:
#Rays were in on Doolittle. Also have heard them linked to Neshek. Clearly intent on upgrading bullpen. https://t.co/7fNXrebNPr
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 17, 2017
Adding a veteran presence in Neshek, who can become a free-agent after the season, might make sense for a Rays team thing on playoff experience. Rosenthal did note prior interest in Sean Doolittle (more on him in a minute) and Mark Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reported this afternoon that the team has serious interest in Justin Wilson of the Tigers. That leads you to believe that their No. 1 priority is adding a left-handed reliever, so they don't seem to be the most likely team to actually trade for Neshek.
This report makes the Rays the third American League East team to be connected to Neshek, as Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe had previously noted that the in addition to the Kansas City Royals, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox were scouting the 2017 National League All-Star. Rob Bradford of WEEI Sports Radio went as far as saying that the Red Sox have 'keen' interest in Neshek.
Previously, Rosenthal had mentioned the Washington Nationals as a team that was also interested in Neshek. The Nationals did acquire Doolittle and former Phillies closer Ryan Madson from the Oakland Athletics Sunday, leading some to believe that they were out on Neshek. However, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported this afternoon that the Nationals will continue to pursue upgrades for their bullpen, so perhaps they are still a team to watch.
After being acquired from the Houston Astros this past offseason, Neshek is having the finest season of his career. In 40 games, he's got a 1.21 ERA, a 2.10 FIP and a 3.31 xFIP (per FanGraphs). An anonymous general manager told Heyman earlier this month that Neshek is the only veteran on the Phillies with relevant trade value.
