After dealing both outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners and Opening Day starter Zach Eflin to the Orioles over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays engineered two more deals Sunday, sending reliever Jason Adam to the San Diego Padres for three minor-leaguers prior to the team’s 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds, then dealt third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Chicago Cubs for infielder/outfielder Christopher Morel and a pair of prospects after the game.
”I love Tampa Bay. They changed the trajectory of my career,” Adam told reporters after the deal was announced Sunday. “But I’m excited to see what’s in store for me in San Diego.”
From the Padres, the Rays will get minor-league pitcher Dylan Lesko, outfielder Homer Bush Jr., and catcher JD Gonzalez. Lesko was ranked the #3 prospect in the Padres organization, while Bush was ranked eighth and Gonzalez 12th.
The return, along with Morel for Paredes is reported to be reliever Hunter Bigge, who made his big-league debut earlier this month but had been optioned to Triple-A, and starter Ty Johnson, who has split 2024 between Low-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend.
The team has not confirmed the deal involving Paredes.
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.
