A's to acquire pitchers from Tampa Bay Rays

Jason Burke | Dec 14, 2024

Aug 27, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs (59) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Athletics have acquired Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for right-handers Joe Boyle and Jacob Watters, along with first baseman Will Simpson and the A's 2025 compensation A round draft pick. This hs been confirmed by the Athletics.

Springs is a 32-year-old left-hander that has had loads of success in the big leagues, holding a cumulative 3.39 ERA across 313 2/3 innings spanning seven seasons. In 2022 he transitioned from relief to starting, and has seen limited action the past two years, making three starts in 2023 and seven starts this past season.

When healthy, Springs is the type of arm that could have a big impact on the A's outlook.

Lopez is a starting pitcher that has had a couple stints in the big leagues, but more in a relief capacity. The 26-year-old left-hander was originally selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 2018 MLB Draft and traded to Tampa in 2019 for Joe McCarthy. Lopez was recently ranked as the Rays' No. 25 prospect by FanGraphs.

Here is what they had to say about him: "Lopez, who had been starting in the minors but made his big league debut this year as a reliever, is a low-slot sinker/slider reliever with a classic lefty specialist look. His command of a big upper-70s slider, which is generating a chase rate above 40% so far in 2024, is the key to his success.

"He can get the occasional rise/run swing-and-miss with his low-90s fastball, or pull the string on a rare changeup against righties, but Lopez’s slider is his best weapon. He’ll likely be back and forth from Triple-A as a reliable, lefty-dousing middle reliever or short-outing spot starter for the next season or two and then establish himself as a versatile on-roster option thereafter."

The A's have added two interesting pieces for the future, with Springs under team control through 2027. He will make $10.5 million in each of the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and comes with a club option for 2027 at $15 million.

Lopez still has his rookie eligibility intact for 2025, so he won't even hit arbitration for a few more seasons. The one wrinkle with Lopez is that he only has one more option remaining, which could lead to an interesting decision in 2026 of whether to keep him on the 26-man roster or try to pass him through waivers to send him to the minors.

In an odd twist, both Springs and Lopez were already set to play their games in the big leagues in a minor-league facility, so this move may not be as jarring for them as it would have been if they'd been on any other club.