One of the relievers we told you to keep an eye on for the final week of the offseason is coming back to Tampa Bay, as right-hander Oliver Drake has reportedly signed a one-year deal to return to the Rays.
The deal was first reported by Marc Topkin of Tampa Bay Times.
#Rays in agreement with RHP Oliver Drake on major-league deal. Sidelined during ALDS w/flexor strain, expected to be ready around middle of this season. Was with #Rays in 2019-20.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) February 17, 2021
Drake, who turned 34 in January, went 0-2 with a 5.73 earned run average in 11 appearances in 2020. He spent a month on the injured list, and was designated for assignment during the postseason. His breakout year came in 2019, when he went 5-2 with a 3.21 ERA in 50 games, become a vital cog in a bullpen that helped win 96 games and make the postseason for the first time in six years.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Drake, Tampa Bay has reportedly dealt reliever John Curtiss to the Miami Marlins in exchange for minor-league first baseman Evan Edwards. That trade was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Marlins acquiring RHP John Curtiss from Rays for 1B Evan Edwards, sources tell @TheAthletic. Edwards was a fourth-round pick out of NC State in 2019.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 17, 2021
Curtiss made 17 regular season appearances with the Rays in 2020, going 3-0 with a 1.80 earned run average, and had nine appearances in the postseason, going 1-0 with a 6.30 ERA.
Edwards, drafted in the fourth round in 2019 out of North Carolina State, split 2019 between Batavia (short season A) and Clinton (full season A), hitting .281/.357/.442 with nine home runs and 50 RBI in 73 games.