2025 Trade Deadline: Rays execute seven deals but keep their stars
The Rays have cleaned up the catching battery and infield depth, while elevating the pitching staff.
Approximately four games back in the Wild Card standings despite a strong run differential this season, the Rays did not blow up the team like they did last trade deadline, holding on to several names rumored to be shopped like 1B Yandy Diaz, 2B Brandon Lowe, RHP Pete Fairbanks, and LHP Garrett Cleavinger.
Instead, the team fully swapped out its catching battery, exchanged one veteran starter for another, cleaned out the infield depth, and dealt Taj Bradley for an elite reliever.
Let’s get into it.
1. Rays trade Danny Jansen to Brewers, acquire Nick Fortes from Marlins
In separate deals, the Rays dealt the offense forward catcher Danny Jansen to Milwaukee, where their lead catcher had a finger fracture, and picked up backstop Nick Fortes from the Marlins. They added prospect INF Jadher Areinamo, who is likely a top-30 in the Rays system, and dealt OF Matthew Etzel, similarly ranked. Etzel turned heads in Spring Training but has been hurt most of the year.
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Read more: Get to Know Nick Fortes, the Rays new catcher
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2. Rays trade Littell to Reds, acquire Feduccia from Dodgers
RHP Zack Littell, the team’s most dependable starter who was on an expiring contract, was flipped in a three team deal alongside relief prospect RHP Paul Gervase (the return for reliever Brooks Raley), bringing back C Hunter Feduccia — a major league ready backstop blocked in LA — and RHP Brian Van Belle, who was cut by Boston earlier this year and stashed in the Reds system for cash considerations.
3. UTIL Jose Caballero to New York Yankees for depth outfielder, PTBNL
Jose Caballero, the team’s starting short stop who gave up his uniform number and position to Ha-Seong Kim this season, is walking from dugout to dugout at the conclusion of today’s matinee in the Bronx.
Caballero has the second most stolen bases since 2024 (78) and was the American League leader in steals in 2024 (44). In return the Rays add OF Everson Pereira and a player to be named later, according to the YES Network.
Pereira, a right handed hitting outfielder who can field all positions, cracked the Yankees roster in 2023 in his age-22 season as one of their top prospects and got just over 100 PA but with an abysmal 22 wRC+. Since then he has respectable numbers on offense in Triple-A (122 wRC+ in 2024, 127 in 2025).
The key to the Rays return is likely to be the PTBNL.
4. Rays acquire RHP Adrian Houser for INF Curtis Mead, two pitching prospects
Tampa Bay appears to have backfilled Littell’s spot in the rotation with the best starter on the White Sox in Adrian Houser, who signed in May for a $1.35 million contract after starting the season in the Rangers Triple-A rotation, and has been resurgent after bouncing around four other clubs in the two previous seasons since his time concluded with Milwaukee in 2022.
Houser has a 2.10 ERA, 3.29 FIP on the season despite a 17.1% strikeout rate and 8.0% walk rate. He lives off his sinker, and has one of the lowest barrel rates in baseball (4.9%).
INF Curtis Mead couldn’t carve out playing time on the Rays roster, but is still a worthy prospect and should get his chances on the South Side. He’s paired with RHP Ben Peoples, a promising relief prospect, and RHP Duncan Davitt, a starter recently promoted to Durham after putting up a 3.55 ERA, 3.45 FIP across 15 games started in Montgomery.
5. Rays acquire RHP Griffin Jax for RHP Taj Bradley
Boy howdy, this is kind of a big one. The Rays pounced on the the Twins decision to blow up their roster this deadline by landing RHP Griffin Jax for recently demoted RHP Taj Bradley.
Jax, 30, has the best chase-rate in the game (41%), thanks to his sweeper which leads his arsenal with a 45% use rate. As you might expect, his whiff rate (38.8%) and strikeout rate (36.4%) are likewise elite. His acquisition has led to immediate speculation online that Jax could convert to starting, given the team’s track record of success stretching out relievers. He has two years left of arbitration before becoming a free agent in 2028.
Bradley’s demotion was a surprise for all heading into the second half, but consistent poor performances led to him losing his rotation slot to Joe Boyle, who is also competing against Ian Seymour and Joe Rock as 40-man depth starters worthy of major league action.