The Athletics and Rays have announced a multi-player trade that will see left-handers Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez head to West Sacramento. In return, the Rays will receive right-hander Joe Boyle, the Athletics’ pick in Competitive Balance Round A of the 2025 draft, and two minor league players in righty Jacob Watters and first baseman/outfielder Will Simpson.
Considering how deep the Rays are in rotation options, Springs was viewed as a logical trade candidate this winter, as he was about to enter the more expensive portion of the backloaded four-year, $31MM extension he signed with Tampa in January 2023. Springs is owed $10.5MM in each of the next two seasons, and there is a $15MM club option on his services for 2027 that can be bought out for $750K.
For the first two years and $9.25MM on that extension, the Rays only 49 innings of work from Springs, albeit with a 2.39 ERA. A Tommy John surgery in April 2023 shelved Springs for the majority of the last two seasons, and he returned to the mound last July to post a 3.27 ERA over seven starts and 33 innings before he was shut down in early September due to fatigue in his throwing elbow. It’s hard to gain much data from a small sample size, but Springs still had above-average strikeout and walk rate, and if anything might’ve gotten better bottom-line results if it wasn’t for a .330 BABIP.
Prior to the injury, Springs seemed like yet another success story for Tampa Bay’s pitching development system. A 30th-round draft pick for the Rangers in the 2015 draft, Springs showed only a few flashes of quality over his first three MLB seasons while posting a 5.42 ERA in 84 2/3 innings with Texas and Boston. Dealt from the Red Sox to the Rays in a relatively under-the-radar trade in February 2021, Springs emerged to post a 3.43 ERA in 44 2/3 bullpen innings for Tampa during the 2021 season, and he then had even better results after transitioning into a starting role in 2022. The breakout year saw Springs deliver a 2.46 ERA in 135 1/3 innings (as well as a 26.2% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate) as Springs finally seemed to avoid the home run problems that plagued most of his career.
Springs was able to cash in on his big season with a life-changing contract extension, but his long injury layoff turned him into an odd man out of the Rays’ rotation. Shane McClanahan, Ryan Pepiot, Taj Bradley, Shane Baz, Zack Littell, and Drew Rasmussen are all lined up to get starts in 2025, not to mention whatever other young starters could emerge from Tampa’s ever-loaded farm system. With Springs’ price tag rising, many figured that the Rays would move his salary to a pitching-needy team with payroll space to spare.
If the idea of the Athletics being a “team with payroll space to spare” is still surprising to consider, the 32-year-old Springs is now the second splurge the A’s have made on their rotation this winter, after having already signed Luis Severino to a three-year, $67MM deal. Adding Springs’ contract brings the A’s a step closer to the minimum $105MM luxury tax figure required to continue qualifying as a revenue-sharing team, and to avoid a grievance from the players’ union. RosterResource estimates the Athletics’ current tax number at roughly $88.55MM, assuming the trade is completed.
Ulterior motive notwithstanding, trading for Springs is also a solid baseball move for an A’s team in need of rotation help. Severino and Springs are big upgrades to a rotation that struggled badly last season, and the newcomers now stand as the top two members of the starting five that includes JP Sears, Mitch Spence, and Joey Estes.
More pitching moves can’t be ruled out, since the Athletics still have a ways to go before hitting that $105MM figure. Severino notwithstanding, it can’t be an easy sell for the A’s to convince free agents to pitch in a minor league ballpark in West Sacramento, so trading for players (perhaps on unwanted contracts) has long seemed like a more logical move for the Athletics to both add payroll and bolster their roster at the same time.
Lopez shouldn’t be ruled out as part of the Athletics’ pitching situation in 2025, as the southpaw has already amassed 22 2/3 MLB innings with the Rays over the last two seasons. A 26th-round pick for the Giants in the 2018 draft, Lopez missed all of 2022 recovering from a Tommy John surgery, but he has a 2.99 ERA across 337 2/3 career minor league innings. That includes a 3.54 ERA, 27% strikeout rate, and 12.87% walk rate in 168 innings of Triple-A ball, with Lopez starting 37 of 39 games for the Rays’ top affiliate.
Despite a lack of velocity, Lopez has been able to miss quite a few bats, though this ability hasn’t manifested itself in his brief time in the majors. It could be that Lopez might’ve gotten more big league looks if he’d simply been on a team that didn’t have Tampa Bay’s pitching depth, and a fresh opportunity now presents itself for Lopez with this trade. Lopez (who turns 27 in March) figures to be part of the fifth starter competition in camp but will probably begin the year at Triple-A, acting as one of the first depth options in the event of an injury to a rotation member.
Turning to the Rays’ end of the trade, the inclusion of the Comp-A pick is particularly interesting, and it might speak to the league-wide interest in Springs’ services. The Competitive Balance Rounds are bonus rounds within the draft that award picks to 15 teams within the bottom 10 in market size and revenue, as determined by the league’s formula that factors in revenue, winning percentage and market score. The CBR picks are the only draft selections that are eligible to be traded, and while such trades tend to be rare, we’ve seen these picks involved in some prominent trades over the years. The Comp-A round takes place just before the start of the second round, and while the exact placement of the traded pick has yet to be determined, last year’s Comp-A picks were selections #34-39 in the 2024 draft order.
It is no small thing for a team to deal such a pick, especially when building through the draft is of particular importance to a low-spending team like the A’s. Still, getting at least two years of control over Springs was apparently worth the cost, as with the club option, the Athletics could have Springs for the entirety of their three-year stint in Sacramento before their planned new ballpark in Las Vegas is ready for Opening Day 2028.
As for the other parts of the trade package, Boyle brings a Major League-ready arm to the Rays’ pitching mix. Debuting with a 1.69 ERA in three starts and 16 innings in 2023, Boyle had a 6.42 ERA in 47 2/3 innings this past season, missing about a month of action with a back strain and spending the bulk of the year at Triple-A.
The 25-year-old is something of a classic case of a hard-throwing (97.7mph average fastball velocity in the majors) pitcher who can’t harness his stuff, as Boyle has posted elevated walk totals in the minors and during his 2024 stint in the Show. Fixing these control problems will determine whether or not Boyle can stick in the big leagues as a reliever or back-end starter, and given the Rays’ history of fixing pitchers, nobody would be surprised if Boyle ends up figuring it out in Tampa just as Springs and many other hurlers have done over the years. Boyle has two minor league options remaining, giving the Rays more flexibility in using him as a fresh arm to shuttle back and forth between Triple-A and the active roster.
Baseball America ranked Simpson 16th on their ranking of the Athletics’ top 30 prospects back in April, while MLB Pipeline has Simpson 28th in their evaluation of the team’s system. A 15th-round pick in the 2023 draft, Simpson has crushed minor league pitching in his two pro seasons and made it to the Double-A level for 18 games in 2024. Simpson has shown some good pop in his bat and he has a good approach at the plate — scouts like his “analytical aptitude,” as BA’s scouting report puts it, with the idea that Simpson can still unlock more as he explores more ways to upgrade his hitting. Defensively, Pipeline is more bullish on the idea of Simpson as a serviceable first baseman or corner outfielder, while Baseball America is more down on his glovework in general.
Watters was a fourth-round pick for the A’s in the 2022 draft, and he has a 5.86 ERA, 21.9% strikeout rate, and an inflated 13.73% walk rate in 152 pro innings. Almost all of this experience is at the high-A level, though Watters skipped Double-A to make one spot appearance in Triple-A ball last season. Working as both a starter and reliever, Watters’ numbers have been decidedly better out of the pen, so that might be the 23-year-old’s eventual career path.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan (multiple links) reported the trade and all of the players and picks involved except for Lopez, whose involvement wasn’t revealed until the deal was officially announced.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
If only we had all 30 organizations actively trying to field competitive teams at the same time, not just when they’re afraid of their revenue sharing being pulled again.
If all 30 teams had the same resources, there would be a better chance of that.
At this moment, that is a certainty
If we lived in a perfect world where scarcity of resources didn’t exist all 30 teams would be closer to that parity. Unfortunately this isn’t Star Trek where anything your heart desires can materialize before your eyes.
Every organization has the resources to have a minimum $110M payroll every season. Any organization under that is just stuffing their pockets. No one is talking about Star Trek.
As others have said, there are clear inequities.
Forbes publishes the inequities year after year.
Top 4: Yanks, Dodgers, Red Sox, Cubs
Bottom 4: Rays, Royals, A’s, Marlins
Obviously I am not suggesting that the A’s can outspend the top teams. I am suggesting that they can do what they’re doing now every off-season. There’s room between doing literally nothing and signing Juan Soto.
The Reds and Brewers are near the bottom and Yanks and Dodgers should be on their own tier.
Geno – The penny pinching Sox have dropped to 4th in revenue.
I personally like them doing nothing. Baseballs competitive balance is broken and this draws attention to the financial inequity among teams.
I think baseball has more parity than the other major sports.
Well you’re wrong. KC is the only bottom 15 market to win the WS in the last 15 years. Most leagues any team can win it due to financial equality.
Wade – What’s especially ironic is MLB even has revenue sharing.
How many businesses do you know that share their revenue with their competitors?
The Sacramento Kings win any time recently? What about the Buffalo Bills?
Lol every sport has teams that havent won in a while. But the NFL has a dynasty from small market KC and in the NBA mid market Denver, MIL, and CLE have recently won. Keep looking at specific stats that fit your agenda
Fever, You mean Baseball is more like the US government than an actual business?
Cleveland, Tampa and Milwaukee are all perennial contenders in MLB too.
The last time one of those 3 won the WS was 1958. They’re just filler “competition” for the big markets.
It’s not even that, Reds
Here in Pittsburgh we have the worst owner in all of MLB, whose only focus is making money hand over fist.
Having more resources would mean very little to him
I’m in complete agreement with you, but TB, Mil, KC, Balt and Cleve have blown the myth of smaller market teams being unable to compete out of the water
Only KC has won the WS (once) out of all of those teams. Yes, they can compete but winning the series is for top 15 markets.
Why is it always the extremes for contrarians? Who said the WS defines being competitive? And in the era of huge, overpriced contracts, it’s a pipe dream
But you mean a “small market” team making the playoffs consistently like TB’s run, or the Brewers, or those teams from last season, doesn’t equate to excitement for their respective fan bases?
Save the apologist baloney about WS and the inane statistics about WS visits or wins. Sheesh
Inane and baloney huh. Sheesh you’re right, competitive balance doesn’t matter.
Yeah socialism
Like when owners (not all… but most) con taxpayers into building and maintaining stadiums for ballooners.
Reds – The Rays have better resources than the Red Sox. That’s why they have constantly robbed the Sox in trades, such as trading Hernandez and Sogard for Springs, Mazza and lots of cash.
The – It’s a matter of some people – and I’m not necessarily directing this at you – choosing to ignore all my positive viewpoints and instead focus on the few not-positive ones.
You’ve been here long enough to know how supportive I’ve been of many current players such as Duran, Houck, Abreu, Casas, Yoshida, Fitts, Anthony, Campbell, Devers to name a few …. and I’ve also complimented every player that I didn’t name.
Same with the front office, I really like Breslow as a person and I defend hm constantly. Heck I have even defended Bloom and complimented some of his moves. And I’ve repeatedly said there’s still 2 months left to make some good moves.
So the better question is why do YOU choose to not see all that?
The – It’s fine you have a different definition of “harsh”, but I’ve seen far harsher criticisms from others here. Maybe you target me because I post more often than most? Bottom line is I’m just one of many, not just here but everywhere, who are very unhappy with how things have gone since 2019. This has been a very dark period in the franchise’s history, you can’t deny that.
What you call a rant is actually me being very detailed and supporting my views, I’m not gonna apologize for that. But you’ve got the right approach now, ignore my posts that you disagree with. Same thing I do with those here who strongly hate on players such as Devers and Abreu among others, they are entitled to their opinion and I know it’s useless to try and change how they feel.
I’m more emotionally invested in the team than most, and I know/remember more things about the team than most, I don’t deny that. It’s hard to look forward to the future until we see actual change. Time will tell, they have two months to show us they’ve changed ….. or haven’t changed.
Good talk, I appreciate your openness.
The – I didn’t bring up Boston’s revenue, I just corrected them on it. And Springs represents a horrible trade the Red Sox made, so that’s a legit tie-in to this article.
BTW the Vazquez trade was still a great one, that’s a positive tie-in to the Valdez trade :O)
Salary cap, everyone?
Sacramento A’s taking advantage of Houston’s regression.
Go, Sacramento A’s!
As a long time A’s fan. I’m glad they aren’t the “Sacramento A’s”. They are simply know as “The Athletics”. I’m sure you know that though.
RAS
They are known as the Sacramento A’s in Sacramento. This is a three year gig, minimum.
The team may not call them that to avoid upsetting Oakland or Vegas, but the fans and commentators sure do.
I already have my Sacramento A’s t-shirt in kelly-green. I’ll be at the first couple home games against the Cubs.
Good for you. As for me being a former season ticket holder I’m not calling them that. I’m sure the let’s go OAKLAND chants won’t change to let’s go SACRAMENTO. Just doesn’t flow well. I’m sure the fans at the first game (along with you) will be chanting “ let’s go A’s”
Side note: MLB & The A’s don’t recognize that. Even the MLB website. Also the official boxscore will have ATH. Won’t say SAC.
You should come to one Sacramento game just to see what the experience will be like – massive enthusiasm, packed house, in a AAA park. It will be a blast. Not defending Fisher. But when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
I love this take.
Of course there will be enthusiasm and exciting. That’s always true when a new plaything is involved. But in a hypothetical sense, I wonder what the massive enthusiasm would look like after a few horrid seasons or when the owner tries to place local taxpayers over a barrel to pony up for a new stadium
Agree completely about life and lemons even if the attached narrative is a bit misleading
I prefer lets go Sacramento. Both ending in oh. Rather have a nice full minor league park.
I don’t care about the teams spending. The gap is so far making them spend 100m isn’t doing much. Pirates traded for a 1b they will have for 5 years making minimum wage. They would have signed a 37 38 year old 1 year rental for 10 15 20 million just to get to cap. Or just extend players they already have trading them when they actually want compete because they need $ to spend elsewhere.
They will be forced to spend anyways because they aren’t getting the local tv $ just given to them for free. They will have to actually sell their product now.
The enthusiasm will last for three years. To get media revenue and placate Vegas, A’s will spend a little more during those three years. I expect the A’s to win 80 games two out of the next three years.
Think of it as three wonderful years with your college sweetheart, rather than a lifetime of arguments and nagging from your aging partner. That’s Sacramento A’s baseball. Maybe more low spending franchises should be rotated!
The chants will 100% change to Sactown or Sacramento
I like that analogy
The rotation idea would be a valid one, if it weren’t for more cities being held hostage with the idea of building a new stadium that’s in the hundreds of millions or a few billion dollars category at taxpayer expense
That’s what is particularly galling here in Pittsburgh. Ownership lobbied long and hard, made tons of promises regarding putting a competitive product on the field and did. For three years
I’m sure Nashville would love having a franchise and just as sure that this type of owner would wear out his welcome in short order
Milwaukee. Cleveland. Kansas City. Baltimore. Before them, Tampa
Comparable cities that have proven you don’t need to have Dodgers-like budgets to win. And destroying the myth of “small market” that carpetbagging owners like what we have here keep pushing
How many world series have those teams won since 2010?
Reds, is that your barometer? The World Series?
I’d love the Pirates to do what any of those teams have done recently. I mean, cmon now. Heck, I’d be happy with a .500 team every year
Why is it always the characterization of extremes? Pirates fans would love Soto-types of players. We’d love WS titles.
But we live in reality
Developing young players and augmenting lineups with established players would be nice, as stated above. That’s all
Unfortunately, we’re fans of teams that apparently refuse to do such things
At this point, I’d just like to win a playoff series for the first time since 1995.
My point is, defining successful or winning probably depends on each person. Personally, I think the playoffs were expanded because it was getting too obvious there was a problem with the disparity. There are still probably only about eight teams that have the resources to go all the way unless some luck prevails.
You do have those that figure what’s the point and stop spending as well. They are doing a disservice to their paying customers but customer service as a whole stinks in America these days anyway. I think a floor should equal what they get from national contract outside a profit margin of 10 percent or something considered reasonable. After all, these guys aren’t in it to lose money, but they shouldn’t be refusing to run the business to the best of their ability either.
Agree system is broken. How many world series have the Yankees won since 2010? This needs to be fixed.
No but “Let’s Go Sacro” has a nice ring to it
West Sacramento A’s.
Isn’t Sacramento only an hour and half from Oakland? Train 1hr 45min
Exactly this. ^^
In the late 80s-early 90s (I’ve been told until the early 2000s) the chant*was* Let’s Go A’s
Santa Clara 49ers
Inglewood Rams
This may shock you but not a few people in this world are motivated by money, even those who profess to be motivated by other things.
So like maybe you think all 30 can be > .500?
Joe Brady
“So like maybe you think all 30 can be > .500?”
———————————-
Even in the best sports leagues, half the teams are typically below the median.
But, mathematically, if every team played every other team, and no games were cancelled, 29 teams could be 82-80.
29 out of 30 > 0.500!
The White Sox would then be 52-110, which would be an 11 game improvement over 2024. (81-29=52 and 81+29=110)
To be fair, A’s have made the playoffs about every other year last 25 year
The easiest way to reduce inequalities is the introduction .like in most non US sports. of the concept of regulation. You finish last or second to last you don’t play in the top tier of the sport . Obviously, this idea of the rewarding success is against the ideal of a closed system that both Billionaire owners and club fans would agree to but applies in 99% of other sports and seems to work .
Regulation? I think you mean relegation. It’s hard to take someone’s point seriously if they don’t even know the correct term.
The commish needs to just lay down the law. It’s discussed every 4 years but the perimeters are set. EACH MLB TEAM has to have a payroll of at least 100 million. And NO TEAM can surpass 350M. There. Solved any case of cheap AF owners.
1995 lucky. Pirates haven’t won since 1979
Jeffrey Springs punching air right now.
Off to Sacramento with you!
But it was either constantly getting rain delays in the new triple a stadium for Tampa or going to Sacramento
The reality of this is striking!
Tampa is not a AAA stadium.
They will actually be playing in a singe A stadium this year.
So this is like a promotion for Springs. Nice!
Hardly ever even HEARD of this guy, and he makes headlines.
Gonna be nice pitching in Sacramento, nice weather, quiet calm ballpark, as opposed to pitching in Tampa this season, humid and hot. A’s are looking good.
A lot of pitchers like hot and humid weather. You get nice and loose and your persperation gives you a nice grip on the ball.
I have been in Tampa for two summers, in ’23 it was the hottest summer in recorded history. I was outside everyday from sun up to sun down, my arms and face would get puffy like I was water logged which was odd because I was sweating terribly. It was like my body was baking.
They will probably play a lot of 6:05 and 7:05 games, it doesn’t rain as much as they let on, an hour or two in the afternoon, evenings are nice. But if you have to get in some BP or have to get in some field work before the game, going to have to be in that midday heat. It’s smothering.
No doubt it’s hot as hell in Tampa
I’ve been in Tampa since ’82, and you’re spot on about the midday heat—it’s brutal. But what really gets you isn’t just the temperature; it’s that relentless humidity. There are stretches in the summer where it rains almost daily, and while the rain itself doesn’t last long, it leaves behind humidity levels that hang at 97% or more.
For players, especially those grinding through 5 days straight, that kind of environment can be a game-changer. Recovery gets tougher because your body doesn’t cool down like it should. Add in the field work, BP, and pre-game routines, and it’s not just smothering—it’s like playing under a wet blanket. Tampa baseball this year will be a unique challenge, no doubt.
cue middle aged white guy meme: ” It’s not the heat that get’s us, it’s the humidity”
Lol true
Interesting. The weather service says that there are 57 rainy days on average in July through September in Tampa and MILB said that there 17 games that were delayed, postponed, or canceled at that ballpark last year.
Mid day heat.? The Tampa heat is worst at 3-5PM.
If you are talking with me, you meant senior citizen.
Heat index in Tampa in June, July and August stays very high from 5 to 10 pm when the players are out.
Temps at 5 pm around 86 to 88. Hovering around that at 7 or 8 pm before “declining” to 82 or 83 degrees at 9 pm.
The humidity does not change. It will be 90% or above the whole time.
Making the heat index 105 to 110 for much of the pre game and the game itself.
Apparently, the same heat index as Sacramento which gets there with temperatures above 100 but humidity usually under 20 percent.
They get flash storms, it rains for an hour and then it’s nice out.
Strange place though, you get weather from every direction, storms blow in from the southwest, from the southeast, a storm could blow in from the northwest or the northeast.
Have you been to Sacramento in the summer? Last time I was there representing a client at a legislative session it was 110 degrees for 4 straight days from July 6 to 9th. I was there in late September in 2023 for a conference and it hit 100 several days in a row.
From late May to early October it will rarely get below the mid 90s.
Its cooler than Scottsdale by 5-6 degrees in summer but then they don’t play baseball in Scottsdale in the summer.
I do not have the Sacramento weather registered in my memory bank, I assumed it was similar to the bay area but from the sound of it I have assumed incorrectly.
Yes, it’s in a river delta surrounded by desert. So it’s hot. But not as oppressively humid as Tampa.
There is a reason that Mark Twain said “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”. An exaggeration to be sure, and there are some really nice summer days by the bay, but inland central valley California summers can be brutally hot….huge difference weather wise.
Having grown up in Sacramento and been to River Cats games when it was as hot as 107 at first pitch, it really isn’t bad at all if you find shade. Let pitchers take a parasol out to the mound.
And to the person who thinks Sacramento is surrounded by desert. WTF? What you’re imagining as desert is some of the best farm land in the country.
@Baseballisthebest: you’re spot-on. I’m a lobbyist in Sacramento and no one wants to wear a suit to the Capitol. It’s brutal in the summer, but no humidity. But the stadium is as good as any minor league park. The players will need to deal with the heat, one less level on the stadium and clubhouses past the outfield fence. It should be a fun intimate atmosphere.
Once you hit Vacaville it changes significantly. I lived in FF and would go to my folks house in VV for diner in May wearing a hoodie or sweater, when I got out of the car it would be in the 90’s. I live in VV now and will leave work in Cupertino around 3 in June or July and it’s mid 70’s low 80’s by the time I get home around 5:30 in Vacaville it’s mid 90’s. Sacramento tends to be about 5-10 degrees hotter than Vacaville depending on if we are getting wind here.
Recced for the parasol…big smile. The Mohave is right next to Sac. right? Some folks are just challenged geography wise…haha. And I think you are right about it not being that bad. When the Giants AAA affiliate was in Fresno I would go down and catch a few games, Fresno’s weather in the summer is just bloody awful, but by game time it was never really a big issue.
You probably don’t know that MLB altered the Rays schedule to be unbalanced as far as home during the cooler months and on the road during the hotter months.
If there is any part of California that is hot and humid in the summer, it would be Sacramento though. It’s not close enough to the water to get any marine cooling. It’s been awhile , but I remember suffering there in the summer.
Redding and Shasta county get humidity but nothing like the south. Still if your from the Bay Area it’s noticeable.
I’m from Seattle, the least humid part of the US lol. So even a “medium” amount of humidity I would really notice…I agree about Redding/Shasta.
Going between homeless teams owned by billionaires. Only in America!
anyone have any insight into Boyle or Watters?
Yes.
No.
Watters just a guy right now. Easily found middle rounds any draft. Hasn’t been good. Struggles with control. Has starters build. Has back of pen stuff. Just been a complete bust compared to potential. See if rays can work magic. There’s an elite reliever in their somewhere. Starter would be really impressive but it’s never too late.
Boyle even worse control. Like awful as it gets pretty much. Teach him control he will be backend of pen. Has closer stuff. Has starter build and then some. Most likely reliever. Won’t be anything if they can’t teach him control. That’s what it comes down to both of these guys.
@YourDreamGM
40 walks in 47 innings LOL
that’s insane.
Maybe.
I’m not sure
Both enh.
Not sure?
YouTube is your friend
I think the Watters Boy was played by Adam Sandler in that movie.
You all are the worst
I wasn’t being a wise ass. Go to YouTube, search whatever player you want to see followed by ‘highlights’ and you can usually find all kinds of videos about them.
That wasn’t directed at you specifically. Moreso the “not sure” responses. Was just curious if someone had watched them firsthand
Sorry ccahoe, I meant to respond in depth but I ran out of time and couldn’t resist the smartasss post. See Wander’s post below for a good assessment. Cheers
Just happy to know I’m having an impact!
cca – for the record, my “not sure” was just to follow the pattern of responses that was developing – not really directed at the post itself. I see how it can be viewed as you did though. Like the YouTube responses – it could be intended to be helpful but could be taken as a snarky response.
I think Boyle was a second rounder a couple years ago? He looks like the next Tampa Bay version of Springs or Littell. Probably see some Cy Young votes for him within 2 years the way things go with TB 😉
What I’m thinking too, MCBB! Joe Boyle for Cy Young 2026!
The Tigers found out the hard way For Love of the Game…never trade with TB! Paredes getting moved this week is a great reminder.
Boyle is 6’8″ and throws 100. Rays will turn him into either Glassnow or Fairbanks.
Watters is a two pitch relief prospects but his fastball/slider combo is really good. Could turn into a high leverage arm in a year or two.
Simpson can rake but is a 1B only type player. Don’t know why they list him as an outfielder. He is a Luke Voit type.
The Rays have a 6’7″ pitching coach who helped Glasnow get all his moving parts coordinated. He’ll help him.
@Superstar
Hopefully get the walks down on him too.
40 walks in only 47 innings.
Sort of. I have a season ticket for the Las Vegas Aviators. Boyle’s control could vary wildly from game to game. It was never easy when he came into a game. He could come into a game with a 5 run lead, walk the first three batters, then groove one, and suddenly it was a different game. Other times, he was untouchable. For 4 innings. And then…. With Boyle, it could be “No! No! N0!… Oh, thank gawd”, or “Yeah! Yeah! …. Oh, crap”.
Boyle is going to be great imo unless he’s injured. Has Tampa reclamation project all over it.
The A’s might be quietly building something. They played good baseball over the second half and have sone good youngsters.
The A’s are usually only bad for a few years at a time. They’re about due for a 97-win season.
A’s fans must be both happy and amazed considering how cheap Fisher has been. As a White Sox fan, I’m envious of the A’s aggressiveness in seriously building a competitive team. That’s never going to happen here until ownership changes.
The White Sox are doing it right. The Athletics aren’t building anything competitive or sustainable.
Fisher is not spending money because he wants to. He is being forced to by the CBA. He has to spend 150% of revenue sharing on player payroll.
You’re wrong. The A’s were damn competitive in the second half with a solid core of good players…….in a division that’s getting weaker by the day. The White Sox will be garbage for the foreseeable future.
I felt like trolling the comment that the White Sox are doing it right. But instead would prefer your perspective.
The White Sox have a terrific farm system they are going to be good in a few years.
The Athletics are overpaying free agents and giving up prospects and draft picks. Thats the last thing a team like the Athletics should be doing.
Thanks for the thoughts, my friend. Fair enough. The White Sox farm system is certainly strong, with rankings I’ve seen ranging from 4th to 13th—so very good to good, but perhaps not quite “terrific”.
As for the Athletics, overpaying free agents and parting with prospects can be a tough pill to swallow, especially for a team that typically relies on efficiency of their farm system.
Speaking as a Rays fan, I’m pleased with the return the Rays got from the A’s, but it’s worth noting none of the players involved were elite enough to dramatically shift the A’s overall system ranking.
How many times have we heard fans crow about their team being the next dynasty because of some shiny prospect rankings? If I had a nickel for every time, I’d have enough change to buy the team myself. Prospects are fun to dream on, but as we know, success in MLB is rarely as straightforward as rankings on paper.
Those rankings were probably before the Crochet deal. They also have Robert to trade and another high pick in the upcoming draft.
At least the White Sox have a good farm system. What do the Athletics have? Not much. A poor system and a mediocre team that’s not exciting.
Severino and Springs (if healthy) is a quality back end of a rotation. Where is the front of it though?
That’s where the smaller market teams really have it rough. The only way to get front of the rotation and middle of the order bars is to develop them internally and repeatedly.
They are both mid rotation.
Boyle had a short stay in Oakland.
A’s need payroll. Helps if players are decent. Sorings was pre injury
You gotta love those Sacramento A’s from Sacramento!
Building something
A‘s > Astros
At this moment, that is a certainty
thought the rays would get a better return for springs than a lukewarm turd salad
@ccache – They got rid of the salary, Simpson is a top 30 prospect and Boyle were top 30 a couple years ago….and they get the Comp Pick. Depends on the other player that A’s get.
I would have given them Stroman, #20 RP Yoendrys Gomez and another guy for the draft pick alone. They need to up the payroll and Yankees could use that money elsewhere.
Thought the trade was actually good for the Rays. Wondering what kind of return you thought they would get.
@Geno – Agree, I think it was good for the Rays. Not so much for the A’s. They took on the salary risk, the injury risk snd gave up a valuable draft pick. They should have held on to that draft pick.
I think it was an exactly fair trade except for the throw ins none of us know. Rays have a history with those…
More about the future than the immediate for the Rays.
Looks like the future is… suck.
Rays do good with their trades.
They know how to ascertain a players value. If Ray’s want one of your poorly performing Ps I’d think twice bout making the deal. What do they see that your not developing.
Springs was special pre injury. He’s gone because he’s making too much and the Rays are pitching loaded. Why another 1b when they have Tre Morgan and Xavier Isaac close. Are they moving one?
@alwaysgo4two. Boyle and Watters seems like the players the rays want. Former 4th and 5th round picks.
Springs, was only good one full season, is injury prone and wrong side of 30. Boyle has a higher upside.
Until the players and owners can agree a salary structure built on equal competition instead of personal interest it will always be this way
Yes when will the Vulcans come down and unite humanity once and for all?
I’m sure the accomodations aren’t great, but Sacramento plays as a favorable pitchers park.
That would be unique for a PCL park…
PCL parks are hitters haven because of the high elevation and dry air out West/in the desert. Sacramento is closer to sea level with more moisture. The ball doesn’t carry well in the Bay Area, e.g. San Fran, Oakland etc.
I live south of Reno and the Truckee/Sacramento area receives massive storms while we are in the Sierra rain shadow, a.k.a. a dry desert.
The biggest difference will be no foul territory like the A’s are accustomed too.
Tell me you live back East without telling me you live back East.
To be precise, the ballpark is 23 feet above sea level and about as many feet from a river and almost never has day games…. so that’s why the ball doesn’t carry. There aren’t many storms after April though, and Sacramento’s weather is about as different from Truckee’s as you can get (Truckee may get mostly the same weather systems, but they’re much more severe and longer lasting in the mountains due to the uplift effect, and fall as snow instead of rain, and far more summer thunderstorms in Truckee).
@smuzqwpdm
I feel like your username is a computer generated suggested password. Acronym for the ages or a kink for the random?
Thanks for the specifics. For comparison, the Reno Aces are ~4,500 ft above sea level with 5.8 inches of precipitation per year. Now that’s where you’ll find the PCL earns its reputation and 12-8 daily box scores.
Why am I no longer getting notifications from the app? Come on phone I need my trade rumors ASAP.
Boyle moves up fantasy board as a sleeper, depending how Steinbrenner plays…
The A’s are trying to sell out every home game this year.
Sacramento A’s will sell out every game when the temperature is under 100 degrees Farenheit
Sorry, Jeffrey, even a trade couldn’t get you out of a AAA ballpark.
lol he is going to be playing in a minor league stadium or a spring training stadium.
A’s taking on a high risk contract desperately trying to get payroll up high enough that they don’t get their revenue sharing taken away. Just $20 million more to go.
The question is if they fall out of contention and trade off these contracts, thereby reducing payroll at seasons end, will they be penalized? They could easily make the argument they a prioritizing the team by acquiring young talent. It seems like they could be creating a loophole by acquiring and signing players to hit the threshold but spinning them off at the deadline.
As a fan I don’t think it’s an issue in that scenario, say if they sign someone for example like Goldschmidt to idk a 1yr $12 million contract with the understanding we will likely trade you to a contending team for prospects.
The A’s will be required to maintain a payroll higher than 105 MM, so I doubt they would get these guys just to flip them at the deadline. They could if they fall out of contention, but the A’s have a solid core with Rooker and Butler. Adding Severino and Springs just makes them go up. They can still make a few moves and make a run for the division that is weak at the moment.
I’d say a decent haul for the Rays but a real good trade for the A’s who pick up 3 yrs / 36M of Jeffrey Springs, a nice lefty who has pitched some good innings before hitting the IR with the elbow issues. Pitched a little in ’24 and looked fairly good, but had some pain in the elbow, believe they had to shut him down. Injury probably a bit of a concern but should be good to go this year.
Had a feeling the Rays would be unloading some pitching, they probably have a righty to deal too.
The Rays look at their payroll and say “EIGHT FIGURES! TRADE HIM!”.
Bingo! With the new TV deal and loss in Trop revenue, Stu is looking to cut payroll. I was surprised he picked up Jensen but not surprised about unloading Springs. He’s determined not to pay a single dollar over what is the basic necessity.
So why would the Rays trade for more pitching then?! They must really want that Comp pick!
Rays always want more pitching. But why trade for another 1b prospect?
A’s (did they keep the name, or did they auction it off?) are spending other people’s money to do this. For all those who bemoan the way the system works for low revenue teams…well, here it is. $75M gift with a string attached–gotta be spent.
And they are getting free rent in Sacramento too. I’m glad they are being pressured into spending money, even if it’s shared revenue. T
Fisher was pocketing that money earlier.
The ultimate humiliation for Houston would be to trade Framber Valdez to the Sacramento A’s.
If the A’s so badly need an instant payroll increase without trying to win, Javy Baez.
Lol they probably want to win like any team does.
With enough prospects attached I’m sure they’d be happy to take Baez.
First thought was i wish the orioles would have gotten to springs. Then i remembered how the rays typically win these kinds of trades, so im glad we fidnt trade any prospects
The As will be better than half the other teams this season with a fraction of their payrolls.
And yet Brad Pitt too afraid to look
Close but no hand grenade. Breaking news: I’m close to procuring Chalupa
Anytime the Rays trade for your pitchers, you have to ask yourself what you’ve failed to unlock in those pitchers.
Honestly even though there’s a little more money abd years committed to Severino and now Springs, the A’s usually do pick up a pitcher or two every offseason. So sorta buz as usual. It’s just that Sev and Springs may give them a little more chance to compete.
The A’s right now are as good or better than any of the other West division AL , very winnable weak division.
Says more abt the division than the A’s…
Boyle reminds me of Randy Johnson in his Expo uniform !
Nice trade for both teams.
Someone educate me
If A’s dont acquire players with $ contracts
They lose revenue sharing ability?
In short, yes, and that’s why they were punished a few years ago when it was removed from them; they were then given incremental increases of revenue sharing each year.
Awesome! Now trade for an above average 3b and this will be a fun, tough team next year.
Glad to see the A’s making some moves. I hope they change their uniform colors next and ban drum beating in the stands during home games.
Respect to the A’s for putting in that work. They’ve done much more than the poverty teams like ATL and Balt.
They don’t have much of a choice. The league is forcing their hand to spend or they risk losing future revenue-sharing money.
Atl already paid their players. They don’t have to do anything for years.
@nick
poverty teams? what game are you watching?
Yeah. Here’s a guy calling Baltimore and Atlanta “poverty teams”. Apparently to him, real baseball is only played by teams with Dodgers-like budgets.
@Mr
I would love to hear what team he likes, he’s probably a dodgers bandwagon.
Good for the A’s. I’m a Giants guy, but it’s good to see them at least attempting to put a better team in the field.
Watch out, A’s! The Rays always win trades.
Well except for that time they traded Trea Turner to Washington for Steven Souza. But every team has some bad trades.
And Snell to the Padres and Lowe to the Rangers. Rays are not as good at trading as they have been
Rays never traded Trea Turner, though. That’s the Padres.
You are correct. It was a confusing 3 team trade, so my memory mixed up the team that had Turner.
Braves released Cannong too early. The As would’ve gladly paid that contract for $10 of international money.
Still, glad to see another team putting their foot in the door to winning
Jeffrey gets to go from one minor league stadium to another.
He goes to a place where there will be less rainouts but during summer its going to be 95-110 degrees – they had to make it more night games to avoid the extreme heat
A lot of conflicting info. Some articles say they need to reach $105M payroll to match the revenue sharing money the received. Other articles say the need to spend 150% of what they received (so $157.5M).
It’s $105M luxury tax figure, not roster payroll.
Nice trade for the As. Maybe the Rays know something about his elbow, but Springs can pitch when healthy.
Doubt it. Loss of revenue means the Rays want to cut salary. They are offsetting Jensen’s salary by trading Springs. He could get injured, but he will probably be fine and perform well.
I hate that the A’s traded Will Simpson. Besides Nick Kurtz he was the A’s player I was most excited about.
I honestly think Athletics could compete for a Wild Card spot in 2025. They need at least 1 more quality starting pitcher and a decent third baseman. Gelof had a bad 2024, but I could see him having a bounce back season. Butler and Rooker really took off last year. Bleday was pretty good. Jack Wilson a promising future at short. Langeliers showed a lot of power for a catcher. Plus Mason Miller – the most exciting young closer in baseball.
Don’t look now but the A’s are quietly building themselves a pretty good roster. Alot of pressure will be on Geloff and Ruiz this season to preform well
A’s averaged around 5-7k per night for very low cost most nights.
now A’s in Sacramento which has 14k capacity or thereabouts – sold out at $220-450 estimate per seat — they can afford more now.
Their starting staff is looking pretty solid now. IF they start winning more their TV audience is going to rise in northern CA.
No one mentions Bido. Really found himself last season. Terrific last couple months.
Win win trade.
Tampa dumped their contract and got 2 wild electric arms. One more wild more electric. Nice power bat with no defensive value. Biggest prize is the draft pick.
Sacramento added salary. Got what has been a great starting pitcher. Hope they spent some $ on their medical team. Got a reliever they have a better chance of developing. Only cost them a draft pick. They were really struggling to develop the 2 arms. Nice bat but they got a potential front starter if healthy. These are the prospects you want to trade.
Feels strange that the A’s have made more moves to improve their roster than the Braves have.
Cool. More depth for the farm. I love more depth. Nothing to help the team now. Just more depth. Good job Rays.
I’m sensing something here. Sarcasm maybe?
If I’m Springs, I’d rather play in a newer AAA stadium with 14k excited fans every night over 5k angry fans in the cavernous Coliseum
The Rays learned the Roger Beshens Football Slider in 2018 when they noticed Glasnow throwing it June 2018 vs Brewers. Glasnow messaged Roger Beshens 3 hours after that game and learned it in May 2018.
If Glasnow knew the RBFS before 2018 he simply would have thrown it. Same for Taillon, Musgrove, Kuhl, Crick, Keller, Holmes.
I thought Boyle was going to be a star when I saw him pitch against the Angels near the end of 2023. He hit 100 multiple times over 7 IP and sat in the high 90s. If I remember correctly he gave up 2 hits and walked 2 or 3. Angels had no chance. I thought if that big tall kid can get his mechanics all lined up he is going to be up there with the best. Then 2024 came and he got hurt and it all fell apart.
The Rays with their pitching lab may be able to get him going consistently.
Well reds and A’s tried to fix him. Maybe switch to fill time reliever would help.
Read what Neander had to say about him. He thinks he can turn him into a front of the rotation starter.
Who knows. We will see if they can work the Tampa magic on him like they have others.
Gee….. I wonder how far the A’s will go over that $105 milli
MLB in 2018 had more K’s than Hit’s for the first time in Mlb history and it was cause of Roger Beshens introducing his Football Slider to pitchers.
MLB contacted him in November. It’s not even arguable.
There would be no sweeper or gyro without Roger Beshens coming forward with his information. Altering the Roger Beshens Football Slider is still copying his pitch.
To all you crybabies about inequity in Major League baseball franchises. Of course it exists and free agency has exacerbated it. So a couple ideas that would help. More revenue sharing. But, there needs to be a couple of ways to either move franchises or change owners. Owners who allow their team to stink over an extended period need to be told to sell the team. It could be as simple as a five year combined record worse than a certain winning percentage. As for fans, sow up at the games or the franchise gets moved. Again, a five year window with a minimum combined attendance figure. Teams can still succeed in smaller markets but there needs to be a mechanism for weeding out the lousy owners and the lack of attendance at games.
I would agree with a mechanism, but it’s a difficult balance to walk. How do you tell where a games aren’t attended because of lousy ownership? Is it the fans’ fault, or the bad ownership? Who do you blame?
Only $16.5M away from compliance! Woo!
Bohm would get you 8 million closer, A’s… Phils can offer Rojas and a shortstop prospect with him… if Miller isn’t in that deal,what else you got to offer ?
I saw rumors that the Phillies asked for Miller, and the A’s walked away.
So… is Montgomery the next A?
Hope Springs eternal