The Tampa Bay Rays have made their first deal with old friend Peter Bendix and the Marlins of the off-season, trading infielder Vidal Brujan and reliever Calvin Faucher to Miami in exchange for minor-league infielder Erick Lara and minor-leafue pitcher Andrew Lindsey.
Lara is a 17-year-old middle infielder from Bani, Dominican Republic (ironically, the same town where shortstop Wander Franco hails from). In 34 games with the Marlins’ Dominican Summer League affiliate, he hit .305/.416/.445 with a pair of home runs and 32 RBI.
Lindsey, who turned 24 earlier this week, was drafted in the 5th round out of the University of Tennessee in the 2023 Draft. He made just two starts for Miami’s Florida Complex League affiliate, going 0-1 with a 8.31 ERA, but had a 3-3 record and a 2.90 ERA in 21 appearances with the Volunteers in 2023.
Brujan was a highly touted prospect witht he Rays that showed success at the Triple-A level but could not translate it to similar numbers at the Major Leage level. In three seasons with the Durham Bulls, Brujan hit .273/.357/.450 with 28 homers and 109 RBI in 225 games, but in parts of three years with the Rays, hit just .157/.218/.221 with three homers and 24 RBI in 99 games.
Faucher, who came to Tampa Bay in the same trade that brought the Rays Nelson Cruz, made 39 appearances in two seasons at the big-league level, going 3-4 with a 6.32 ERA, including a 1-1 mark and a 7.01 ERA in 2023. He was designated for assignment Tuesday when infielder Austin Shenton and pitcher Yoniel Curet were selected to the big-league roster to protect them from exposure to the Rule 5 Draft.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
