The Rays are routinely one of the league’s most creative teams, and a report from
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale this morning suggests that they figure to remain flexible this summer even after being aggressive to
add right-hander
Bryan Baker to their bullpen in a trade with the Orioles last week. Tampa currently boasts a 50-46 record and is just half a game out of the final AL Wild Card spot, but Nightengale suggests that isn’t going to stop them from listening to offers on young right-hander
Taj Bradley.
On the surface, a contending club listening to offers on a starting pitcher who’s just 24 years old and remains under team control for four-and-a-half seasons would be hard to believe—even for a small-market club that frequently trades players well before free agency. The Rays aren’t a typical club, however. Tampa has never shied away from making controversial or surprising trades, as seen just last year when they shipped out third baseman
Isaac Paredes with three-and-a-half years of team control remaining on his deal.
That’s one year less than Bradley currently has, but Paredes was a far more established player who had already made it to the All-Star game previously in his career. Bradley, by contrast, has largely pitched like a back-of-the-rotation starter in his career with a 4.70 ERA in 346 1/3 innings despite his status as a former top propsect. The right-hander has never posted even an average ERA+, having topped out at 97 last year, and while he entered 2025 with a tantalizing 27.3% strikeout rate during his time in the majors the whiffs have dropped off significantly this season to leave him striking out just 20.4% of his opponents.
All of that could make now a decent time for the Rays to listen to offers on the right-hander. He’d surely have more trade value in the offseason if he managed to put it all together and dominate down the stretch, but if Bradley’s performance doesn’t improve then his value will only drop from here as he gets older and further away from those high-strikeout seasons he opened his career with. Given the fact that virtually every contender is in need of starting pitching help at this point, if the Rays are one of the few teams willing to dangle a cost-controlled young starter with long-term team control it’s not hard to imagine them recouping significant value for both 2025 and the future by dealing Bradley now.
The Rays don’t exactly have a surplus of rotation depth, with no surefire starters waiting in the wings at Triple-A in the event of an injury or trade. With that being said, however, Tampa does have
Shane McClanahan on a rehab assignment with an eye towards returning at some point in the second half. They’d be down an arm in the meantime if they dealt Bradley, but the club has been very comfortable with getting creative to piece together innings with multi-inning relievers and swing men in the past.
Joe Boyle,
Connor Seabold, and
Joe Rock are all on the 40-man roster and could be tasked with handling some of the innings vacated by a hypothetical Bradley trade, to say nothing of non-roster pieces like
Logan Workman.
If the Rays were to shop Bradley, there would surely be plenty of interest. The Padres and Astros stand out as surefire contenders who need starting pitching help this summer but may not have the budget to stomach the salary of a veteran player. Bradley could also be of interest to some clubs looking to sell. The Diamondbacks, Braves, Twins, Orioles, Nationals, and Guardians are all clubs that seem like potential or likely sellers this season with near-term postseason aspirations who could benefit from adding a controllable rotation piece like Bradley, and each has pieces that could surely improve the Rays if they decide to push in for the playoffs this year.
