The Tampa Bay Rays squeezed one more move in just before the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, and this one came with a bit of a head-scratcher attached.
Tampa Bay is acquiring Jack Suwinski from the Los Angeles Dodgers to add to its outfield mix, according to Marc Topkin. Going back to the Dodgers is catcher Hunter Feduccia.
The timing fits with the Rays’ other recent move behind the plate. After landing Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins, Feduccia suddenly looked like the odd man out. Hicks is expected to share catching duties with Nick Fortes, with Hicks handling right-handed pitching and Fortes taking on lefties.
The Suwinski deal, though, is the kind of move that will draw a second look. The Rays already have plenty of bodies in the outfield picture, with Cedric Mullins, Chandler Simpson, Jonny DeLuca and Victor Mesa Jr. all on the depth chart, along with the flexible Ryan Vilade and Richie Palacios.
It would also be difficult to argue Suwinski belongs ahead of Jacob Melton at this point. Melton has been scorching at Triple-A Durham since coming back from injury and has clearly put himself in line as the next outfield option.
Still, Suwinski does bring a left-handed bat and some insurance for Jake Fraley. He signed a one-year deal this past winter after being non-tendered, but a setback during his injury rehab has delayed his return to the big league club.
Mesa has made the most of his chance with Tampa Bay, but extra depth never hurts. Even so, plenty of Rays fans probably would have preferred to see the front office target the infield instead, where second base has been a problem spot.
Suwinski hasn’t appeared in an MLB game in 2026, but there is some power in his profile. His home run rate sits at 4.2%, better than the league average of 3.0%. That number has trended down each season in the majors, though, dropping from 5.2% as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022 to 1.7% last year.
At Triple-A Oklahoma City, he has been producing. Suwinski owns a .291/.386/.562 line with 21 home runs, 25 doubles and 72 RBI across 402 plate appearances.
That makes it two straight years of strong Triple-A numbers for Suwinski, even if that success has yet to carry over once he’s been in the majors.
In Other News...
Rays Linked To An All-Star Bat Who Could Change Everything
A familiar trade-market name is starting to surface again, and it makes sense for a Rays club always looking for ways to squeeze more offense out of its roster. According to USA Todays Bob Nightengale, Tampa Bay is viewed as the heavy favorite to land a three-time batting champion from San Francisco, with the Giants expected to sell and several contenders monitoring the situation.
The appeal is obvious for a Rays team that values contact, versatility and run creation in the margins. Philadelphia, Boston and Texas are also said to be in the mix, so Tampa Bay is not alone here, but any move that adds that kind of bat would reshape the conversation around the lineup in a hurry. For now, it is a matter of whether the Rays can turn a strong position into an actual deal. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Catching Picture Just Got A Lot More Interesting
The Rays have been busy reshaping the roster, and their latest move adds another layer to a catching mix that already had some intrigue. According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, Tampa Bay has landed Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins, continuing a stretch of aggression that also brought in starter Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets.
Hicks is expected to give the Rays more flexibility behind the plate and in the defensive alignment, while also adding some offense to a lineup that can always use another productive bat. For a club that has spent the week making clear it wants more depth and more options, this is the kind of move that could matter in more ways than one, especially once the full catching picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Just Missed On A Deadline Target That Could Sting
The trade deadline brought another aggressive move in Philadelphia, where the Phillies continued adding to their roster by landing second baseman Luis Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian from the Giants for starting pitcher Ramon Marquez and reliever Marty Gair. They also separately added pitcher Brooks Raley from the Mets, underscoring how active they were in the final stretch before the deadline and how quickly the market can move when contenders start picking off available talent.
For the Rays, the larger takeaway may be less about what the Phillies gained than where this particular player ended up. Arraez had been a name on Tampa Bays radar, and for a while the club looked like it had a real shot to bring him in before the deal swung in another direction. In a deadline market built on thin margins and fast decisions, missing on a target like that can linger, especially when the player fits so neatly into the kind of lineup the Rays like to build. [Read more 🡒]