The Tampa Bay Rays made a move to bolster their pitching staff on Monday, acquiring right-handed pitcher Alex Faedo from the Detroit Tigers for minor league catcher Enderson Delgado and cash, ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported.
Faedo appeared in 37 games for the Tigers last season, starting six. He had a 3.61 ERA and 4.91 FIP, but allowed only 49 hits in 57.1 innings pitched. Detroit designated him for assignment when it signed reliever Tommy Kahnle last week.
The Rays have officially announced the trade, adding that they have designated infielder Osleivis Basabe for assignment as a corresponding move.
Faedo has pitched parts of three seasons with the Tigers after Detroit took him 18th overall in the 2017 MLB Draft. He's never really found his footing as a consistent MLB contributor, pitching a career high 64.2 innings for the big league club in 2023.
There's reason to believe he can find his stride in Tampa. His four-seamer came in at 94 miles per hour last year, a career best, and he generated swings and misses at a 14.4% clip. Faedo's slider has potential, as hitters batted only .171 against it in 2024 with a 43% whiff rate.
With Faedo out of minor league options, the Tigers had little choice but to DFA him when they signed Kahnle. As Detroit looks to make a playoff run in 2025, there wasn't really a spot for him on this year's team. Now, Detroit at least gets something in return for him.
Alex Faedo joins a Rays staff with potential and question marks

Faedo can be a starter or reliever as the Rays look to piece together a pitching staff in 2025. As of now, Faedo will likely come out of the bullpen as Tampa already has six-man rotation potential: Shane McClanahan, Taj Bradley, Ryan Pepiot, Zack Littell, Shane Baz and Drew Rasmussen, per FanGraphs.
With Faedo in a bullpen that includes returnees Pete Fairbanks, Garrett Cleavinger and Manuel Rodríguez, Tampa Bay has the opportunity for a major payoff. Faedo has up to five years of team control remaining and is a former top 100 prospect. The key will be to tap into whatever potential scouts once thought he had.
This comes at a time when the Rays are set to play their 2025 regular season games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Spring Training home of the New York Yankees, while Tropicana Field undergoes repairs from Hurricane Milton. As a low-spending team with no true home, low-risk, high-reward options are probably the smart way to go.