Athletics Trade For Veteran LHP Jeffrey Springs In 5-Player Deal With Rays

Image credit: Jeffrey Springs (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

The Athletics’ attempts to strengthen their rotation took another step forward on Saturday, as they acquired veteran lefthanded starter Jeffrey Springs from the Rays in a five-player deal that also sends Tampa Bay a competitive balance pick for the 2025 draft, per multiple reports.

The pick going to the Rays is slated to be the seventh of the competitive balance selections after the first round, although the exact spot of that pick will not be settled until all free agent moves are complete.

For the Rays, the move is dealing from a position of strength. With Shane McClanahan back from Tommy John surgery to join Ryan Pepiot, Shane Baz, Taj Bradley and Zack Littell, the team’s rotation should be a strength. Tampa Bay should have plenty of Triple-A depth in Joe Rock, Ian Seymour and Jacob Lopez.

ATHLETICS RECEIVE

Jeffrey Springs, LHP
Age: 32

Springs is a perfect example of how the Rays rehabilitate pitchers before moving on to the next project. A 30th-round pick of the Rangers in 2015, Springs had struggled with control for most of his pro career before the Rays acquired him from the Red Sox in 2021 after Boston designated him for assignment. He was an effective reliever for Tampa Bay in 2021, and then blossomed into an impressive starter in 2022, as he went 9-4, 2.46 while slashing his walk percentage to 5.6%. He signed a four-year extension after that season. Springs wasn’t able to complete an encore, however, as he injured his elbow and had Tommy John surgery early in the 2023 season. His stuff didn’t fully make it back in a seven-start stint to close out the 2024 season. While he sat 90-92 mph before the injury, he sat at 88-90 in his return. Even so, he still pitched effectively and should slot into the front of the A’s rotation behind Luis Severino. Springs had two years remaining on his four year, $31 million deal at $10.5 million in 2025 and 2026. There’s also a team option for $15 million in 2027.

Jacob Lopez, LHP
Age: 26

Lopez has briefly pitched with the Rays in each of the past two seasons, but he’s so far been a depth arm who remains on call at Triple-A for spot starts or relief outings. His lack of velocity makes it hard for him to fill a bigger role than that, as he sits 89-90 mph with his fastball and relies heavily on a high-70s slider. He can throw strikes, but his lack of swing-and-miss stuff means he has to nibble on the edges against MLB hitters. Lopez has used two options so far. He’ll get a chance to compete for a spot in Sacramento, but he’s more likely ticketed for Triple-A Las Vegas to start 2025.

RAYS RECEIVE

Joe Boyle, RHP
Age: 25

Boyle has long had top-tier stuff—and he’s long had trouble throwing strikes. The Reds and then the A’s have helped him make progress, but he still has outings where his control completely disappears. He made five appearances for the A’s last year in which he had a strike percentage under 50% (the MLB average is 64%). The Rays have had success in helping players improve their control and command. If they can get Boyle to even below-average control, he has the stuff to dominate. His 96-98 mph fastball and high-80s slider miss bats, and few hitters square him up, especially if he doesn’t fall behind in the count. When ahead, hitters hit just .156/.175/.238 against him last year. The 6-foot-7 Boyle has been a starter throughout his pro career, but there’s long been the question of whether his stuff and delivery could be maintained better in shorter stints as a reliever. And the Rays, as noted above, seem set as far as their MLB rotation is concerned. What Boyle will give them is a depth starter with options who can come up and down from Durham as needed. Boyle won’t reach arbitration eligibility until at least 2028.

Will Simpson, 1B
Age: 23

Simpson was slated to rank No. 22 in the A’s Top 30 prospects rankings. He is a first baseman with some ability to slide to a corner outfield spot, even if he’s yet to do that in pro ball. As a righthanded-hitting first baseman, the demands on his bat are going to be quite high, and so far, there are questions about whether he’ll be able to produce enough to have a big league career. His swing can get lengthy, but he does hit the ball relatively hard consistently with a swing geared to producing line drives. Finding at-bats for a first baseman in an organization that has Tre’ Morgan, Xavier Isaac and Bobby Seymour at the upper levels may be challenging.

Jacob Watters, RHP
Age: 23

Watters was the Athletics’ 2022 fourth-round pick out of West Virginia. He’s had little success in the minors so far, as he’s posted an 8-12, 5.84 record at High-A Lansing over the past two seasons. His stuff is better than the results, but he has to learn to throw more strikes, as he’s walked 13.7% of batters he’s faced for his career. Watters has a relatively lively mid-90s four-seam fastball and a low-80s power curveball, which may work in a move to the bullpen.