The Rays’ deadline work included a move that didn’t draw the loudest buzz, but may end up mattering plenty: Tyler Wells is now in Tampa Bay after a trade with the Orioles for right-handed pitching prospect Michael Forret.
The deal sat a step below the bigger-name additions, but the arm the Rays landed could still be a difference-maker. Wells arrived with a recommendation that clearly carried weight inside the organization, and it came from someone who knows him well. Brandon Hyde, now a senior advisor with the Rays after serving as Baltimore’s manager from 2019 through 2025, helped steer Tampa Bay toward the move.
“I’m a big fan of Tyler as a pitcher and a person,” Hyde said. “He’s a huge presence on the mound and extremely competitive.
In his career, he’s been versatile and has had success in different roles. He’s a great teammate, well-liked by all, and will fit in well to the Rays’ winning clubhouse and culture.”
Hyde’s familiarity with Wells goes back a few years, and for most of that stretch the right-hander worked as a starter. Over three of Hyde’s four seasons managing him, Wells made 50 starts and posted a 4.11 ERA across 249.1 innings with 216 strikeouts.
The path wasn’t perfectly smooth from there. Wells dealt with another UCL injury in 2024, though he was able to avoid a second Tommy John surgery. He got back on the mound in 2025 and made four starts for Baltimore before shifting back to the bullpen for the 2026 season.
That move put him in a role he had already handled well as a rookie in 2021, when he logged 44 appearances, 57 innings, four saves and a 4.11 ERA. This year, he took that relief job and ran with it. In 43 appearances for the Orioles, he put up a 2.67 ERA with four saves and 53 strikeouts.
He didn’t waste time making an impression in Tampa Bay, either. In his Rays debut against the Colorado Rockies, Wells worked 1.1 innings, walked one batter and struck out every out he recorded.
For Kevin Cash, he now looks like another strong late-inning option, someone who can help connect the work of the staff to All-Star closer Bryan Baker, his former teammate, at the back end of the bullpen.
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