The Rays kept working right down to the deadline, and their latest move adds another arm they can trust late in games. Tampa Bay landed right-handed reliever Tyler Wells from the Orioles, bringing in a pitcher with a 2.67 ERA, a 3.41 FIP, and another year of team control.
That control matters. Like the earlier deal for catcher Liam Hicks, this is not a pure rental swing for the Rays. Wells can stick around next season, which gives Tampa Bay more than a short-term bullpen fix as it keeps pushing toward October.
Wells also fits what the Rays seem to value in the back end of the bullpen. Left-handed hitters have managed only a 0.516 OPS against him this season, and he’s viewed as a fly ball pitcher - a trait that plays well in Tropicana Field. He has also gotten strong results from several of his pitches, including his slider, change-up, and cutter.
The numbers suggest this isn’t smoke and mirrors, either. Even with the Orioles struggling this year, Wells has put together a season that points to real usefulness in the second half.
Tampa Bay can plug him in alongside Kevin Kelly and Bryan Baker for high-leverage work as it tries to finish off the American League East. The Rays currently lead the Yankees by 2.5 games.
Baltimore’s return in the deal is reported to be pitching prospect Michael Forret. He ranks as the Rays’ eighth-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline and is currently in Triple-A Durham. Among the players Tampa Bay has moved so far this deadline, he is the highest-rated prospect dealt.
And with the clock still ticking, Erik Neander and the Rays front office may not be done yet. The MLB trade deadline is today, Monday, August 3rd, at 6 p.m. Eastern.
In Other News...
Rays Suddenly Face An Infield Question After Ben Williamson's Exit
The Rays picked up an immediate infield complication when Ben Williamson exited against the Rockies with a right hamstring injury, a setback that came while he was running to first base. It is the kind of issue that can ripple quickly for a club already trying to keep its alignment steady, especially when a player leaves in the middle of a game and the next-day picture is not yet clear.
Williamson is expected to undergo imaging before the Rays open their series in Seattle, and the result could determine whether the team has to make a roster move as well as a lineup adjustment. Tampa Bay does have other options available to cover second base, but until the tests come back, the Rays are left waiting on both the diagnosis and the broader answer to how long they may be without him. [Read more 🡒]
Rays May Have Found More Than Outfield Insurance In Jack Suwinski
The Rays added another layer to their outfield mix by bringing in Jack Suwinski, a left-handed hitter with big-league experience who arrives from the Dodgers as more than just a familiar name. Tampa Bay also picked up international bonus pool money in the deal, a reminder that this front office usually sees more than one lane when it makes a move, and Suwinski fits the kind of upside play the organization likes to make when it is building depth.
What makes him interesting is the direction of his bat. Suwinski has been working with mechanical adjustments that have helped him make more consistent contact and better cover different pitch types, which gives him a chance to be more than a placeholder in the corner-outfield conversation. For a Rays club that is always hunting for value, that kind of progress can matter as much as the transaction itself. [Read more 🡒]
Bryan Baker Gives Rays Fans A Bullpen Reason To Feel Good
The trade deadline is supposed to reset the conversation for contenders, and in Tampa Bay it has brought a fresh look at the bullpen picture as the season moves into its next stage. Around the league, clubs stocked up on relief help for the stretch run, and the latest post-deadline rankings have started sorting out which arms are actually changing a staffs outlook rather than just adding depth.
Bryan Baker has given Rays fans a reason to feel better about that relief mix, because his work since the deadline has fit right into the kind of role Tampa Bay likes to lean on. Even in a ranking built on current performance and recent moves, the interesting part for the Rays is how one addition can stabilize the late innings and hint at a bullpen that may be getting stronger at exactly the right time. [Read more 🡒]