Josh Lowe on Trade to Angels: “It’s a Fresh Start. Now It’s Time to Be Me.”
Josh Lowe didn’t see it coming. While some of his former Rays teammates had trade winds swirling around them for a while-Pete Fairbanks knew he was likely out when Tampa Bay declined his option in early November, and Brandon Lowe had been living in the rumor mill for years-Josh’s move came as a genuine surprise.
“I was shocked,” Lowe said, reflecting on the three-team deal that landed him with the Angels. “I’ve been in the organization for what was nine years… I made a lot of great relationships-some of them I’ll cherish forever, of course.
So, shocked. But now it’s settling in for me, and I’m just super excited for the new opportunity.”
Lowe’s journey with the Rays started back in 2016, when he was drafted 13th overall straight out of high school. He climbed the ladder step by step, even sharing the field with his older brother Nathaniel at a couple of stops. In 2021, he finally cracked the big leagues, and by 2023, he had a breakout season that hinted at long-term promise.
But the last two years were a grind. Injuries and inconsistency crept in, and the Rays, looking to retool their outfield and fill a hole at second base left by Brandon Lowe’s departure, made a move. Josh was shipped to Los Angeles, with Gavin Lux coming back in return.
“It’ll probably hit me when it’s boots on the ground in Arizona for spring training,” Lowe said. “From the time I was drafted, it’s been the same place to report, the same people to see. Knowing the clubhouse staff all the way from the complex league to the big leagues, the trainers, the strength coaches, the players, the coaches-it was all familiar.”
Now, it’s a clean slate. A new clubhouse, a new coast, a new jersey-and for Lowe, a new mindset.
“You get to put on new threads and then go play for a new team. It is a new start,” he said.
“The message that’s been conveyed to me is just, ‘Go out and be yourself. You don’t have to do anything else.’
I’ve heard that time and time again, and that’s the mindset I’m walking into this new Angels clubhouse with. Just go out and be Josh Lowe.
I don’t have to be someone I’m not-because that guy is plenty good enough.”
Lowe turns 28 on Monday, and he’s coming into spring training with a renewed focus. He spent the offseason working to be in what he called “the best shape I’ve ever been in.”
He’s also embracing the chance to play alongside one of the game’s icons in Mike Trout. After a couple of rough seasons, the shift west might be exactly what he needs.
But even as he looks ahead, Lowe made sure to acknowledge what he’s leaving behind. He thanked Rays fans for their support-especially during a deeply personal time, as his mother Wendy battled brain cancer.
“It really made a big difference coming to work knowing there were people in the stands that really cared about who I was as a person, not just a baseball player,” he said.
He also expressed appreciation for the Rays’ leadership-president of baseball ops Erik Neander, manager Kevin Cash, and others-saying he was “super appreciative of the organization for everything they’ve done for me, done for my family. None of that goes unnoticed.”
Still, Lowe couldn’t help but add a little humor, imagining a scenario where all the players the Rays moved this winter come back to haunt their former team.
“I hope all of us have some way of beating Cashy over there and laughing at him when we cross home plate or doing something to help our teams win,” he said with a grin. “That’s definitely going to be one of my jokes with him-‘Man, you traded us away. I hope we do our best to beat you.’”
Around the Rays: Stadium Plans, Prospect Rankings, and Offseason Grades
While Lowe and others have moved on, there’s still plenty happening in Tampa Bay.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred were in town Tuesday, backing the Rays’ new stadium plan. Meanwhile, the team’s television future could be shifting soon. Sports Business Journal reported that FanDuel parent Main Street Sports is headed toward bankruptcy, which could push the Rays-and eight other teams-toward MLB’s in-house production and distribution model.
On the farm, shortstop Carson Williams landed at No. 39 on ESPN’s top 100 prospects list. He’s joined by outfielder Jacob Melton (81), right-hander Brody Hopkins (86), and outfielder Theo Gillen (92). ESPN ranked the Rays’ farm system 12th overall, while The Athletic slotted them at 16.
The statues of Evan Longoria and Aki Iwamura, which were removed after Hurricane Milton in October 2024, are back outside Tropicana Field. And in a bit of lighthearted civic pride, the City of Pinellas Park took a playful jab at the Rays’ long stadium saga, posting on Facebook: “The Rays have spent 14 years trying to figure out where to build a ballpark. Took us 14 months to build six.”
USA Today gave the Rays a C-plus for their offseason moves, and a few of the club’s recent international signees are already turning heads. Shortstop Fabricio Blanco (No. 17), shortstop Victor Valdez (No. 21), and pitcher Emmanuel Hernandez (No. 30) all cracked Baseball America’s top 30 Rays prospects list.
Meanwhile, the Rays’ new ownership group-Patrick Zalupski, Bill Cosgrove, and Ken Babby-earned a spot on the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Power 100 list. Former owner Stuart Sternberg was named to the “Legends” list.
And in Orlando, columnist Mike Bianchi wrote that the city shouldn’t shy away from being used as leverage in the Rays’ stadium negotiations-arguing that playing the leverage game today could lead to expansion opportunities tomorrow.
Looking Ahead
For Josh Lowe, the page has turned. He’s no longer the young outfielder climbing the ranks in Tampa Bay.
He’s now a key piece in an Angels outfield looking to find its identity. And while the uniform has changed, the mission hasn’t.
Go out. Be yourself. And prove that the best version of Josh Lowe is still ahead.