The Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles have made a significant trade, swapping right-hander Shane Baz for five pieces, including three first round picks
In return, the Rays receive outfielder Slater de Brun, catcher Caden Bodine, right-hander Michael Forret, outfielder Austin Overn, and a Competitive Balance Round A draft pick, according to Jeff Passan at ESPN.
This intradivision trade marks a rare deal between AL East rivals, with the Orioles capitalizing on their deep farm system to land a high-upside arm with three years of club control remaining. Baz, once part of the Chris Archer trade with the Pirates, brings punch to Baltimore’s rotation as the team aims to build on recent success and upward momentum after signing Pete Alonso.
But don’t miss that the Rays add a haul of young talent and an extra draft pick from one of baseball’s deepest farms:
This is a massive influx of talent to the Rays minor league system. It will be interesting to see if the Rays plan to keep all five of these pieces, or if some might be flipped in later deals.
