The Tampa Bay Rays have traded LHP Jeffrey Springs, a key piece of the Rays rotation in 2022 that missed the vast majority of 2023 and 2024 on account of harm, to the Oakland Athletics.
Among the many beginning pitchers to deal, Springs made probably the most sense financially as he was set to make $10.5 million in 2025 and 2026, with a staff choice. These greenback quantities for one in all baseball’s greatest whiff-rate starters additionally offered respectable worth on the commerce market.
The A’s are finalizing a commerce to amass left-hander Jeffrey Springs from the Tampa Bay Rays, sources inform ESPN. A number of gamers are getting into each instructions, however with the A’s trying to spend, they get a rotation piece in Springs beneath membership management for 3 extra seasons.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 14, 2024
Jeffrey Springs’ tenure with the Tampa Bay Rays was notable on account of his transformation into from a fringe reliever into a high quality starter after being acquired in a January 2021 commerce of depth items with the Boston Pink Sox.
Springs shined in 2022, posting a breakout season with a 2.46 ERA throughout 33 appearances (25 begins), cementing his place within the Rays’ rotation. Armed with a misleading changeup and pinpoint management, he excelled at limiting onerous contact and practically led baseball in Chase% that season, turning into an important piece of Tampa Bay’s pitching depth.
The Rays rewarded his progress by signing him to a four-year, $31 million extension in January 2023; nonetheless, Springs’ 2023 marketing campaign was minimize brief on account of an elbow harm that required Tommy John surgical procedure after simply three stellar begins. He returned late in 2024 with seven begins that have been sufficient to point out he’s on observe to kind. Regardless of the setback, his general success with the Rays displays the group’s capacity to develop unheralded gamers into key contributors.
Additionally going to the Athletics can be LHP Jacob Lopez, who was traded to the Rays in 2019 for Triple-A depth outfielder Joe McCarthy. A starter all through his minor league profession, the Rays added Lopez to the 40-man for the 2023 season, however used him sparingly as a reliever. Over two cups of espresso, he picked up 22.2 IP permitting 19 hits, 9 walks, and 12 ER. Among the many Rays deep pitching depth, he was unlikely to get the decision rapidly. Transferring him to the A’s will certainly give him extra main league alternatives down the street.
Springs Commerce Return
The Athletics can be sending primarily 4 gamers again to the Rays in RHP Joe Boyle, 1B/3B/OF Will Simpson, RHP Jacob Watters, and the Athletics Comp-A draft decide, which falls between the primary and second spherical of the approaching draft.
Boyle is the important thing return, made his MLB debut in 2023 and exceeded rookie limits in the course of the 2024 season as a starter. To this point he’s had some severe management points — he fairly actually had the worst BB% amongst certified pitchers at 17.7% final yr, and consequently the bottom Chase fee at 19.3% — however he has huge stuff. When batters did swing, he had a stellar, 84th percentile 30.2% Whiff fee, and never many pitchers throw more durable.
Drafted as a 6’7” reliever out of Notre Dame, the now 25-year previous tops out at 100 mph on his fastball, and has a slider and curveball that additionally grade within the 60’s on the 20-to-80 scale. Conventional prospect protection would presume he’s destined for the bullpen, however he ought to break Rays camp among the many starters.
By way of worth, I’d subsequent rank the draft choice, which at the moment lands at No. 34 general however may transfer up if groups forfeit any draft picks by means of free company penalties. The Rays already possessing the No. 14 and No. 32 within the 2025 draft, with their very own Comp-A decide sitting two slots forward of this acquired choice.
Nook infielder Will Simpson is an influence hitting prospect drafted as a senior out of College of Washington, and he’s hit at each stage, even after making the dreaded leap to Double-A on the finish of final yr, with a 155 wRC+ and a couple of HR over 47 PA to finish the yr. Regardless of not having a transparent defensive residence — I’d think about the Rays add some outfield to his repertoire — he fills a necessity within the Rays system as they have been trying to purchase in Mac Horvath on the commerce deadline: a robust RHH profile.
Watters, a 2022 fourth spherical decide from West Virginia, struggled along with his outcomes and was despatched again to Excessive-A final season, the place the outcomes nonetheless weren’t there for him. Finest guess is the Rays pitching group love his breaking ball, and suppose he’s definitely worth the lotto ticket on the finish of this commerce.
