Rays' Shane McClanahan: Expected to throw '150-ish' innings
Rotowire
Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said on Dec. 10 in an interview on MLB Network that he expects McClanahan (elbow) to throw "150-ish" innings in 2025.
McClanahan missed the 2024 season following August 2023 Tommy John surgery but has been able to go through a normal throwing program this offseason. The left-hander threw 115 innings in 2023 and had a career-high 173.1 frames in 2022 between the regular season and playoffs. This is McClanahan's second Tommy John surgery, however, and Walker Buehler's 2024 (Buehler was coming back from his second TJS) is an example of the downside involved with McClanahan in 2025. It's not yet clear how the Rays plan to manage McClanahan's workload, but it could involve some early removal from starts and/or extra rest in between outings.
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Rays' Will Simpson: Shipped to Tampa
Rotowire
The Athletics traded Simpson to the Rays on Saturday alongside Joe Boyle and Jacob Watters and a compensatory draft pick in exchange for Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Simpson slashed .281/.377/.480 with 18 homers and 89 RBI over 552 plate appearances between High-A and Double-A last season, continuing his trend of offensive success at every level he's played in during his professional career. The 23-year-old first baseman will most likely report to Double-A Montgomery to begin the 2025 campaign, though his quick ascent through the minors may continue if he keeps swinging a hot bat.
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Rays' Joe Boyle: Dealt to TB in Springs trade
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The Athletics traded Boyle, Jacob Watters, Will Simpson and a compensatory draft pick to the Rays on Saturday in exchange for Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
After showing a lot of promise as a prospect in 2023, Boyle wasn't quite able to live up to the hype in '24, accumulating a 6.42 ERA and 1.72 WHIP over 47.2 innings while missing a month of the season with lower-back problems. He'll now attempt to turn things around following a change of scenery, though there's no guarantee the 25-year-old begins his Rays tenure in the big leagues.
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Rays' Jacob Watters: Sent to AL East
Rotowire
The Athletics traded Watters, Joe Boyle, Will Simpson and a compensatory draft pick to the Rays on Saturday in exchange for Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Watters spent most of the 2024 campaign with the Athletics' High-A affiliate, departing briefly in June to appear in a Triple-A game before returning to Lansing. He finished the High-A season with a 4.96 ERA and 1.52 WHIP over 61.2 innings, making a promotion to Double-A upon joining the Rays organization unlikely.
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Rays' Wander Franco: Trial postponed
Rotowire
Franco's (personal) trial has been postponed from Dec. 12 to June 2, Juan Recio of ESPN.com reports.
A judge in the Dominican Republic ruled that several key witnesses were not located in time to proceed on the originally schedule date. Franco -- who is facing charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking -- is on MLB administrative leave and hasn't seen the field since August of 2023.
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Rays' Mike Vasil: Flipped to Tampa Bay
Rotowire
The Rays acquired Vasil from the Phillies on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations.
Vasil was selected by the Phillies in Wednesday's Rule 5 draft but has now been flipped to a new team. He had a 6.04 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 109:52 K:BB over 134 innings at Triple-A Syracuse in the Mets organization in 2024, but the Rays might try him out as a reliever.
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Rays' Jake Brentz: Latches on with Tampa Bay
Rotowire
The Rays signed Brentz to a minor-league contract Dec. 7.
Brentz hasn't been the same since coming back from Tommy John surgery, most recently posting an 11.40 ERA while walking 52 over 30 innings between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha in the Royals organization. The lefty showed promise in his rookie season back in 2021 and the Rays will try to coax that back out of him.
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Rays' Nate Lavender: Taken in Rule 5 draft
Rotowire
The Rays selected Lavender with the eighth pick in the Rule 5 draft Wednesday, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports.
The Rays lost righty reliever Evan Reifert to the Nationals earlier in the Rule 5 draft, and they responded by poaching lefty reliever Lavender from the Mets. Lavender had the internal brace procedure in May of 2024, and the Rays will likely maximize his recovery and rehab time before activating him from the injured list sometime this summer. He's heading into his age-25 season and has a career 3.35 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 76:30 K:BB in 51 innings (40 appearances) at Triple-A.
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Rays' Danny Jansen: Nets one-year deal with Tampa Bay
Rotowire
The Rays agreed to a one-year, $8.5 million contract with Jansen on Friday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Murray notes that Jansen turned down multi-year offers from other teams, preferring to bet on himself on a one-year pact after a down 2024 campaign which saw him put up a .658 OPS over 92 games between the Blue Jays and Red Sox. Injuries have been a problem for Jansen, whose career high in games (107) and plate appearances (384) was established back in 2019. However, he's been an above-average offensive catcher for most of his career, particularly from 2021-23 when he put up an .805 OPS.
Poche was non-tendered by the Rays on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Poche has been a key high-leverage reliever for the Rays the last several seasons, picking up a combined 65 holds since 2022. He's also posted a WHIP no worse than 1.16 in that span, meaning he should be in relatively high demand on the open market.
The Rays acquired Orze from the Mets on Tuesday in exchange for Jose Siri, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Orze, 27, yielded four runs over 1.2 frames during his first go-round in the majors in 2024 but posted a 2.92 ERA and 84:31 K:BB across 61.2 innings with Triple-A Syracuse. The Rays often work wonders with their relievers, so if they see something in Orze then he's probably worth keeping an eye on.
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Rays' Jake Mangum: Gains spot on 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Rays selected Mangum's contract from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Mangum hit .317/.358/.442 with six homers and 20 steals with Durham this season. He'll turn 29 in March and has yet to see any action at the big-league level, but the Rays felt it necessary to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.
