In a flurry of moves involving the Pirates, Astros, and Orioles, the Rays acquired six prospects and a comp pick. While B-Lowe will be missed, the Rays got an impressive return that will positively impact the big league roster in 2026. And following the Baz trade, the Rays found a plethora of promising prospects piled under their Delmon Young-Chris Archer trade tree.
I’ve compiled my own concise scouting reports and projections for all six players acquired in their holiday haul, and organized them by Future Value (FV) tiers.
Above Average Major-Leaguer Tier (55+ FV)
Melton looks like the every day CF the Rays have been looking for. He’s a plus defender thanks to his well above average jumps and solid foot speed. His arm is fringy, but that isn’t as important in CF as it is for corner OF spots.
The most intriguing thing about Melton is how much his offensive game improved from 2024 to 2025. His hardhit rate jumped from a below-average 39.2% to a near elite 56.1%, and his average exit velocity on hardhit balls jumped from 102.4 MPH to 104.1 MPH – suggesting meaningful power gains from Melton. He’s always had a big frame with plus bat speed, but Melton is now showing near 70 grade power. It looks like he may have been able to tap into his strength more by adjusting the path of his hands.
Despite the grainy AAA footage, we can see that Melton starts with his hands a bit higher than last season and that allows him to fully extend his arms throughout his swing resulting in greater power output. It also looks like he’s more balanced when he’s loading his weight onto his back leg before he gets the bat moving forward. Melton has been able to find more power without sacrificing any bat-to-ball ability, and his batted ball quality also improved, evident in the chart below:
While we don’t have bat to ball intercept point data in AAA yet, the increase in his pull and line drive rates suggest Melton is catching the ball further out in front of the plate than he was in 2024 which leads to a greater attack angle. His shorter hand path also supports this conclusion; he’s shorter to the ball so it makes sense that he’s able to catch it in front of the plate. The downside to this is that he’ll be susceptible to off-speed pitches and breaking balls on the outer third of the plate, so he’ll need to continue to improve his fringe average swing decisions in order to make the most use out of his impressive power.
Thankfully, there’s a relatively low bar for CF in terms of offensive production, so as long as he’s roughly a league average hitter (and I’m quite confident he will be), Melton could be an above average every day CF with power upside for a long time.
Slater de Brun is an undersized LH CF with strong tools across the board. While he may never have plus power at 5’10, he does have below average power and can spray line drives to all fields. His hit tool looks plus thanks to his quick, compact swing, and his double-plus speed allows him to get down the line quickly as well as cover plenty of ground in CF. de Brun’s arm is solid and he should be able to stick in CF long term.
The Rays will be tasked with developing his pitch selection to make the most out of his power, and that will be the difference maker between average and above average here. Despite not getting into any pro games yet, I think de Brun will jump the complex league and make his debut in Charleston this season.
Average Major-Leaguer Tier (50 FV)
Caden Bodine got his feet wet in pro ball with a handful of games in low A last season. A switch hitting catcher with near 70 bat-to-ball skills and solid discipline, Bodine is also a comfortably plus receiver behind the plate, making him a relatively safe catching prospect.
Now for the negatives: He might not grow into anything more than fringy power due to his smaller frame, but I like the overall package – especially for his defensive actions. There also isn’t much room for growth with his throwing because his exchange is already quick and I don’t think there’s much room to project any arm strength gains. Despite the challenge system, I still think there’s a fair amount of value in having a strong receiver and leader behind the plate.
Bodine seems like a solid contributor at his position, but does not yet project as a headliner type of catcher. The Rays could start him in Bowling Green if they wanted to be aggressive with him, but starting the year in Charleston seems more realistic.
Anderson Brito is a 5’11 RHP who throws from a high slot. He spent all of 2025 in A+ with an above-average mid 90s fastball (has touched 100) with a cut-ride shape, making it something he could throw to both sides of the plate. He paired that fastball with a couple of above-average breaking balls: a mid 80s curveball with some significant depth relative to his height and a mid 80s slider that he has a solid feel for. Brito also throws a fringe-average low 90s cutter that he’s still developing, and a mid 80s change up that’s a bit scattershot but has outlier velocity and movement separation from the fastball when he’s able to locate it. There’s a bit of deception to his arsenal due to his smaller frame that helps him suppress hard contact better than you’d expect.
The trouble for Brito has been his command. He has posted below average strike rates at both stops in A-ball in 2024 and now 2025, and he doesn’t show advanced feel for any of his pitches other than the slider. Brito currently looks like a high leverage reliever with his deep but inconsistent arsenal. However, thanks to his multiple plus pitches, he has the makings of a solid mid rotation starter if he’s able to build his durability and take a couple steps forward with his command. Brito has the widest range of potential outcomes of anyone on this list. I think he will start the year in Bowling Green.
Competitive Balance Round A Pick
While this technically isn’t a player yet, this pick will fall between the first and second rounds. The guys available in this range are generally high school guys who can be persuaded for forgo a college commitment for a couple million dollars in the form of a signing bonus, or they’re toolsy college guys who might lack the strong track record of performance shown by their peers who were selected earlier in the round. This pick also gives the Rays added financial flexibility in the draft by increasing their bonus pool – allowing them to go over slot value on other picks in the draft.
A player selected in this round usually carries an average or just below average ML projection.
Major League Role Player Tier (45 FV)
Austin Overn is a strong athlete who profiles as a plus defender in CF. In his first two seasons in pro ball, Overn has stolen 80 bases (85.1% success rate) in just 135 games thanks to his 70 speed. His contact skills are below average and he’s still growing into potentially average power, but his above average plate discipline from the left allow him to make the most of his fringy bat.
I think Overn currently profiles as a 4th OF type who can play a plus CF. There’s plenty of value in that type of player off the bench, but his athleticism makes me think there could be more impact to unlock in his bat. The offensive numbers may not be pretty if he starts the year in the Southern League with Montgomery because nobody really hits well there, but that seems like his “Goldilocks-zone” right now.
Michael Forret is a 6’3 RHP who throws from a 3/4 slot with a wide arsenal. He features a fringe average pair of low 90s fastballs that can run into the mid 90s. He has plus feel for both his four-seam and two-seam variants, and he compliments them with a pair of low 80s breaking ball shapes: a slurvy, two plane slider and a curveball. The Rays like to target outlier fastball-offspeed separation in their pitchers, and Forret has featured three different offspeed pitches at times in his pro career: a standard change, a kick change, and a relatively new split-grip variation.
The Rays will likely look to consolidate and optimize his arsenal and clean-up his approach to each side of the plate, making him a bit more of a project than his good results from 2025 would seem to indicate. His feel for spin and wide arsenal make him an interesting rotation candidate, and his improved command from 2024 to 2025 (average 63.9 strike% in 2024, above average 65.1% in 2025) suggest he should at least be able to fit at the back of a rotation. Expect him to work with the pitching coaches in Montgomery to refine his arsenal and continue his command gains.
