The fourth-place Tampa Bay Rays are one of several teams monitoring the trade deadline closely and considering trading their starters. The MLB trade deadline continues to creep closer and closer, and the 40-41 Rays are not far from a Wild Card spot (four games). But Tampa Bay also has a handful of starters they may be willing to part with.
The Rays expect lefty Shane Baz and Jeffrey Springs to return to the starting rotation after dealing with injuries that led them to undergo Tommy John surgery. Baz has completed multiple rehab starts in the minors and is progressing toward Triple-A. Baz, the 25-year-old starting pitcher, has been highlighted as one of the best pitching prospects. He did complete one troublesome start in rehab but has settled down and succeeded in his last five rehab starts. In those outings, he sports a 1.57 ERA across 23 innings pitched.
Rays Could Make Multiple Starters Available On Trade Market https://t.co/fV6T1pr0CJ pic.twitter.com/8Og3oyZTjS
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) June 28, 2024
Rays Are Open to Trading Starters
Regarding Springs, he has been working through rehab starts for a few weeks now but hasn’t pitched a lot. Before the 31-year-old’s Tommy John surgery, he was identified as a hidden gem pitcher for Tampa. Springs came to Tampa with Chris Mazza through a trade where prospect Ronaldo Hernandez was sent to the Boston Red Sox. Through 196 innings pitched with the Rays, he has put up impressive numbers with an ERA of 2.53. a walk rate percentage of 6.3, and a strikeout rate of 29.5%. Due to his successful numbers, they awarded him by signing him to a four-year $31 million contract extension. But in the 2023 season, he only pitched three starts.
Civale and Littell: Hottest Rays Starters on the Market
Of the Rays starters, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, Zack Littell, Taj Bradley, and Ryan Pepiot, Littell and Civale are the hottest trade targets around the league. Littell and Civale have already gone through their second year of arbitration and have possession through 2025. Civale, the former Cleveland Guardian, is earning $4.9 million this season. Littell, who has been a secret weapon and was acquired off waivers from the Red Sox, is only banking $1.8 million.
While Littell has performed better among the two this season, he doesn’t have as much of a sample size. Littell has played as a starter and reliever but returned to the starting rotation in July 2023. In his starter role last season, he made 27 starts with a 3.98 ERA and an appealing 3.6% walk rate. Civale came to the Rays in 2023. While he recorded a promising strikeout and walk rate, he surrendered a lot of home runs. He has also struggled with his ERA. Both Littell and Civale would be cost-effective arms to pick up.
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