5:07pm: There is a deal in place, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
10:15am: The Rays are finishing up a minor league contract with veteran left-handed reliever Aaron Loup, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. If and when the deal is completed, the Beverly Hills Sports Council client would head to Major League camp as a non-roster invitee.
Loup, 32, spent the 2019 season in the Padres organization but has spent the vast majority of his eight-year big league career with the Blue Jays. An elbow strain limited him to just 3 1/3 innings with San Diego last season, but Loup holds a lifetime 3.45 ERA with averages of 8.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and 0.69 HR/9 to go along with a 54.3 percent ground-ball rate.
Loup has fared considerably better against left-handed opponents in his career, but unlike many traditional lefty specialists, he hasn’t been completely obliterated by hitters holding the platoon advantage. Lefties have managed only a .234/.303/.321 slash against him through 584 plate appearances in the Majors, while righty hitters have put together a .269/.338/.424 slash. It’s certainly more production than one would hope to allow, but Loup isn’t a liability who can only be trusted in left-on-left spots, either.
Tampa Bay isn’t exactly hurting for left-handed depth at the moment, but Loup further deepens what’s already any areas of strength. Ryan Yarbrough is likely to open the 2020 season in the Rays’ rotation, while Jose Alvarado and Colin Poche could be in the Opening Day ’pen. Elsewhere on the 40-man roster are Jalen Beeks, Anthony Banda and top prospect Brendan McKay, although that trio could begin the year as starters in the Triple-A and serve as rotation depth. Loup will join a list of non-roster lefties that also includes former big leaguers Sean Gilmartin and Ryan Sherriff.
Reportedly he would have signed sooner, but he had to cross that cursed bridge to St Petersburg
To which bridge are you referring, as there are multiple?
He’s not from the area. He didn’t know it’d be quicker on Courtney Campbell than Howard Franklin.
That would depend from which direction, too.
Wild Boar BLT.
I don’t get it. I must be out of the Loup.
Just as good as Pagán
Lol that was the worst trade I’ve seen in a hot minute
Twins Fan, isn’t it a bit early to come to that conclusion? At the very least let’s see what happens this season with Margot and Pagan. Driscoll is still a prospect that’s years away.
I’m a Padres fan. Margot isn’t a superstar by any means, but he’s a solid defensive outfielder. I think that getting out of that anemic Padres lineup will help his offensive game. We shall see.
Doc, he’s going to platoon with Kiermaier on days where there’s a LHP on the bump. He’s still young, so that’s promising. Pagan is a stud. Good luck!
Lol
I’ll taken pagen
Thanks
Let’s do another trade
How else can the padres get more talent and give up trash
Brilliant response. Thank you so much for your contribution! I love your appropriate handle.
Guy is doin Judge Reinhold a real disservice
“I read somewhere that Judge Judy made 25 million dollars last year, and I’m like, hey, I never even heard of the guy.”
@lowtalker1 Awful confident for a fan of a team that has had some of the worst epic failures in off-season history. You know why we didn’t want BJ Upton, James Shields and Will Myers? Because we know when players have hit their ceiling and we let them go in time for a team like the Padres to throw trash cash at them for average production. The Padres front office was a joke for a long time, so don’t act like you’ve been aces at trades forever. You’re learning from the best at the moment, so take a seat, shut your mouth and watch how it’s done. Unfortunately you’ll learn the hard way when this one doesn’t pan out in your favor(again). There’s a reason we have averaged in the top 5 in wins over the past 10 years and pay the least amount per win in all of baseball.
Yeah we have a cheap owner. Yeah we lack fan support, but the ones we do have are loud and proud and if we had at least another $50mil invested in this team, we’d run circles around everyone, but that’s the way it goes.
Rays being the Rays.
Watched him for years in Toronto. He throws between side arm and 3/4, making it very deceiving to left handed hitters. It looks as if the ball is going to go behind or right at them.
Probably puts up a 2 ERA as an opener.
If Loup is healthy, he has much more in the tank. This is a good signing by the Rays.
The Blue Jays will see him again…
I can’t tell you how many games he blew for us.
Maybe he’ll do better, who knows.
You must be too young to have watched Loup from 2012-14. He was great.
It’s all about Loup’s health. When he was with the Jays and was healthy he was great, but when he got hurt and once came back too fast, he was terrible.
The Rays will do their magic like they always do & some team will want him after that. History repeats itself over & over. We train them & get their mojo back then the trades start happening. Then they take our executives as well. Rays must be doing something right.
Aaron’s performance has been rather loupy…..
I think it’s less that he’s LH than that he comes in at a different angle, with different kinds of pitches, than Alvarado/Poche. Variety’s the spice of life,; also, a good formula for a bullpen.
Classic Ray’s get. They always have a move after they make a move. Best ran club in all of sports and it’s not even close.
… and I get on as a Louper at a course over in the Himalayas.
A Louper?
Hey Lama, hey how about a little something for the effort?
Blue jays should sign jose Bautista and puig..
Why stop there, get Odor and Papelbon in there too.
Pagan gave up HRs in Oakland but pitched well with the Rays. So who knows what Pagan the Padres will get. But obviously the Rays like Margot, wanted Randy A to spend some time in AAA & now they have good depth to get thru a season. This also allows them flexibility with trades down the road.
I think that’s what people are forgetting about Pagan, his beginning to the season was unreal but later started to slip in late season. Blew some games with wall off home runs and then gave up some hard contact in the playoffs if you remember game 4 snell had to come in and take over and close it out
To be fair all pitchers have not so good days. Snell wasn’t all that last year either & he was supposed to be our super star after a cy young win & a big pay day. Thank god for Charlie Morton.
Lose the Lead Loup lands in Tampa, poor Rays.
The Rays always find individually what works for each pitcher instead of making them into what they want them to be. This team checks their egos & gets the job done. It’s more laid back & Kyle Snyder is a hell of a pitching coach.
I am curious to see if and when this guy gets called up to the MLB team. Hopefully Steve keeps us in the Loup
The Padres FO probably screwed Loup and Margot up. They, along with Renfroe should appreciate the stability and be thankful to have escaped the micromanaging from above…
Margot put out a nice message to Padres fans. Class act.