The Tampa Bay Rays Continue To Go All Out on the Sellers Market

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to be big sellers ahead of this years trade deadline as they've now dealt Isaac Paredes and Jason Adam.

Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays high-fives Isaac Paredes after stealing second, third and home plate in the first inning during the game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 27: Randy Arozarena #56 of the Tampa Bay Rays high-fives Isaac Paredes #17 after stealing second, third and home plate in the first inning during the game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Sunday, August 27, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Rays have not slowed down on the trade market as their aggressive selling strategy ahead of the July 30 deadline continued with two major moves on Sunday.

Their first deal of the day came in the late morning when reliever Jason Adam was sent to the San Diego Padres in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Dylan Lesko, outfield prospect Homer Bush Jr., and catching prospect J.D. Gonzalez.

The Rays then doubled down with arguably the biggest deal of the deadline so far when they sent All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Chicago in exchange for infielder Christopher Morel along with reliever Hunter Bigge and prospect Ty Johnson.

These moves are added to Tampa’s busy trade window already, which saw them deal their fan-favorite outfielder Randy Arozarena to Seattle early Friday morning, and then starting pitcher Zach Eflin to their division rivals, the Baltimore Orioles, later that day.

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All statistics used in this article were taken prior to games on July 28.

The Rays Send Jason Adam to the Padres

What Adam brings to San Diego and how he fits with them

Jason Adam has been a staple in the back-end of Tampa Bay’s bullpen since arriving in 2022.

The right hander is in the midst of what very well could be another sub-3.00 ERA season out of the ‘pen, as he currently 2.49 ERA across 47.0 innings in 2024.

YearGPIPERAWHIPSVK/9BB/9FIPfWAR
20226763.11.560.76810.662.422.861.3
20235654.12.981.011211.433.313.990.4
20244747.02.490.8949.573.063.340.6
Jason Adam Pitching Statistics as a Tampa Bay Ray (2022-2024) as of July 28, as per Fangraphs.

Adam has paired that with an impressive 0.89 WHIP and a .206 BABIP, both ranking within the top 15 among qualified relievers, according to Fangraphs.

He also possesses a real knack for getting batters to miss his stuff, as he ranks in the 73rd percentile in chase rate (30.7%) and the 96th percentile in whiff rate (35.2%), according to Baseball Savant. This has lead to Adam striking out batters at a 27.8% clip, good enough to land him in the 83rd percentile of pitchers.

He will add much needed depth to the back-end of the Padres bullpen as he should slot into a set-up role alongside Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon for closer Robert Suarez.

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Adam also brings some closing experience to their bullpen, as it seems that is the trend for multiple contending teams at this deadline, with the Phillies adding Carlos Estevez to the fold on Saturday, and the Baltimore Orioles bringing in former closer Seranthony Dominguez on Friday.

RHP Dylan Lesko

The biggest name of the three prospects heading back to Tampa is RHP Dylan Lesko, Just Baseball’s 82nd overall prospect in our top 100 and the Padres fourth ranked ranked prospect.

It’s been a bit of a rough year Lesko, the Padres’ first-round pick in 2022, in High-A ball this season. It’s the 20-year-old’s first full season after at a single level of the minor league’s after spending 2023 on the complex, an in then in both Low-A and High-A. In 2024 he’s started 16 games, posting a 6.46 ERA and 1.54 WHIP so far.

According to Aram Leighton, Lesko is best known for his lively fastball, which he gave a 70 grade future value on, topping out at 98 mph. It’s not Lesko’s only pitch that Leighton has graded at a 70 FV, as his changeup also holds the same value and ranks as his strongest secondary pitch.

Homer Bush Jr.

Homer Bush Jr., a 22-year-old outfielder, ranked 12th in our Padres’ prospect rankings for 2024.

Bush, a fourth-round draft choice by the Padres in 2023, made it all the way up to Double-A last year where he saw 29 PA and slashed .429/.448/.464.

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In his first full season of pro-ball, the Padres opted to place him back High-A this year. In 341 plate appearces so far, Bush has slashed .272/.362/.347 with 4 home runs and 16 RBI, good enough for an above average 110 wRC+.

What Bush is best known for is his blistering speed. In his 44 minor league games combined in 2023, Bush swiped 22 bags. And in 86 games in 2024, he has totaled 43 stolen bases.

J.D. Gonzalez

As for J.D. Gonzalez, he was San Deigo’s third-round selection in last year’s draft.

The 18-year-old catcher seems to be finding his footing in professional baseball. Through 199 plate appearances in 2024, Gonzalez is slashing .205/.322/.230 with a 62 wRC+.

What’s looked promising is his ability to get on base. He’s managed a 13.6% walk rate this season which makes up a bit for low batting average and 27.6% strikeout rate.

The Rays Send Isaac Paredes to the Cubs

What Paredes brings to Chicago and how he fits with them

Paredes was the Rays lone All-Star in 2024 and was certainly hot commodity on the market given the three-and-a-half years of team control he has left.

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The third baseman is slashing .247/.355/.438 with 16 home runs and 55 RBI in 425 plate appearances this season.

Paredes has also found himself within the top 30 ranked players in the league for both fWAR (2.9) and wRC+ 130 in 2024.

Paredes certainly provides the Cubs, who sit six games back of the final NL Wild Card spot, with a desperately needed upgrade at third base.

Chicago ranks 28th in league in fWAR at the position and are one of only four teams receiving negative value at the position. They also sit 28th in average, 21st in OBP and 20th in SLG as a team at the position. Paredes will provide a huge boost for Cubs in these categories.

Paredes will immediately slot in as the starter for the Cubs at the hot corner, as their previous primary option at third is among the return for Paredes heading to Tampa. Offensively, he’ll likely find himself in the heart of their order with Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ.

The fact that top young talents in Junior Caminero and Curtis Mead are ready for more everyday major league roles in the positions that Paredes plays made him a lot more expendable than in the past.

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Christopher Morel

It’s been a tougher year for Morel at the plate in 2024. He’s currently hitting .199 while sporting a .676 OPS, a 93 wRC+ and a -0.1 fWAR

But Morel has managed to put up an OBP that ranks 103 points higher than his average, .302, due to the fact he’s walking at a double digit rate, 11.2%, ranking him in the 84th percentile.

Morel screams of a guy that the Rays would want. Someone that hits the ball hard, finds ways to get on base, and would work well in a platoon.

Morel has seen more plate appearances and better results against right-handed pitching in 2024, with a batting average that is 35 points higher and a SLG that is 38 points higher than the totals he’s posted against lefties.

Caminero likely to see a lot of time at third base for Rays in the future, Morel will not have to be relied upon to carry the weight at the third. But he also provides the ability to play in a corner outfield spot. Defensive versatility is another thing the Rays have really valued in recent years.

RHP Hunter Bigge

Would anyone be surprised if Hunter Bigge turned out to be the next seemingly unknown Rays relievers to burst on the scene?

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Bigge had his first taste of the major leagues this season, appearing 3.1 innings across four games, where posted a 2.70 ERA with five strikeouts.

In Triple-A this season, the 26-year-old righty, has put up impressive numbers. He’s sporting a 0.68 ERA and 0.68 WHIP across 13.1 innings of work.

And Bigge has been able to really induce the swing and miss, as he currently sports a 41.7% strikeout rate in Triple-A.

RHP Ty Johnson

Ty Johnson was a 15th round pick for the Cubs in 2023. He has spent time as both a starter and a reliever in both Low-A and High-A this season.

In Low-A in 2024 Johnson has 3.48 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 33.1 innings across 10 appearances, four of which were starts.

Since moving to High-A, he’s posted a 3.62 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP across 8 appearances, six of which have been starts.

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