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The trade market for starting pitchers this offseason has been dominated by the Chicago White Sox and Garrett Crochet. But, a surprise team, the Tampa Bay Rays, have been fielding calls about some of their starters.
The Rays are considering trades for some of their starting pitchers according to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan on Thursday.
“Crochet isn't the only impactful starting pitcher who could move,” Passan wrote. “Tampa Bay is willing to trade starting pitching, and with the Rays playing at Steinbrenner Field this season after Hurricane Milton destroyed Tropicana Field's roof, their revenue questions have prompted teams to inquire about left-hander Jeffrey Springs, who will make $10.5 million each of the next two seasons and is widely considered a front-half-of-the-rotation starter.”
The Rays have one of the deepest starting rotations in baseball. Shane McClanahan, who missed the entire 2024 season, is expected to be healthy after undergoing Tommy John surgery in Aug. 2023. When McClanahan is healthy, he is a perennial Cy Young candidate and one of the absolute best pitchers in baseball. Ryan Pepiot, the centerpiece of the Tyler Glasnow trade, showed that he has the potential to be a front-end starter last season. 25-year-old Shane Baz and 23-year-old Taj Bradley are both some of the most promising young pitchers in baseball. Zach Littel and Jeffrey Springs are the more veteran members of the Rays pitching.
Will the Tampa Bay Rays trade Jeffrey Springs?
While Passan said that the Rays were “willing to trade starting pitching,” the only specific player he mentioned was Springs, citing his contract and the Rays trying to cut costs following the damage to Tropicana Field that forced them to temporarily move to Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees' Spring Training facility in nearby Tampa.
After Springs underwent Tommy John surgery during the 2023 season, he returned last August and pitched great for the Rays. In seven starts, Springs went 2-2 with a 3.27 ERA, showing that he was still a valuable rotation piece.
During 2022, his most recent full season, he appeared in 33 games, starting 24 of them, and had a 3.46 ERA in 135 1/3 innings.
Springs signed a four-year, $31 million contract with the Rays ahead of the 2023 season with a $15 million club option for 2027.
Given the current starting pitcher market in free agency, Springs could be a relatively affordable option. The Rays should be able to get a combination of Major League talent and prospects for Springs if they do decide to move him.
