The Athletics are shaping up a new pitching rotation as they prepare for their move to Sacramento.
On Saturday, the A’s strengthened their pitching staff by trading for Jeffrey Springs in a multi-player deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Along with Springs, the A’s also received left-hander Jacob Lopez from the Rays in exchange for right-handed pitchers Joe Boyle and Jacob Watters, infielder Will Simpson, and a competitive balance pick in the 2025 amateur draft.
This trade is another significant step for the A’s as they get ready for their first season in West Sacramento. They will play at Sutter Health Park for the next three years before hoping to move into a new stadium in Las Vegas.
The A’s also finalized a $67 million, three-year contract with veteran right-hander Luis Severino this month. The team finished 69-93 this season and left Oakland after 57 years.
“I’ve been pretty open about looking for starting pitching since the offseason started and the fact that hopefully signing Severino wasn’t going to be the only move we made,” said general manager David Forst.
“We’ve been exploring more options in free agency and having this trade discussion with the Rays probably since middle of October. It got a little momentum in the last couple days and couldn’t be more excited to add Jeffrey Springs to our rotation and also add Jacob Lopez who we see as another option for our rotation.”
Springs, 32, had Tommy John surgery on April 24, 2023. He returned to Tampa Bay in July, posting a 2-2 record with a 3.27 ERA in seven starts. He was shut down in September due to elbow fatigue.
Springs is set to earn $10.5 million each season for the next two years as part of a four-year, $31 million contract. There is also a $15 million team option for 2027 with a $750,000 buyout.
In 2022, Springs had his best season with the Rays, finishing with a 9-5 record and a 2.46 ERA in 33 games, including 25 starts. He also recorded 144 strikeouts in 135 1/3 innings.
Forst believes that Springs wouldn’t have been available in a trade if he had stayed healthy in the last two years.
“The way he started out 2023, he looked like he was on track to be one of if not the best pitcher in the big leagues that year with his first three starts,” Forst said.
“And then unfortunately he got hurt but was able to come back and make seven starts last year and pitch really well. It’s not easy going through that rehab and coming back and competing in the big leagues the following season. Those things were all factors.”
Lopez, 26, made his MLB debut in August 2023. He is 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA and one save in eight career games, including two starts.
Tampa Bay is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 80-82 finish this year. The Rays went 99-63 and made the AL playoffs as a wild card in 2023.
Boyle, a 6-foot-7 right-hander, was a fifth-round pick by Cincinnati in the 2020 amateur draft out of the University of Notre Dame. He was traded to the A’s in July 2023. Boyle, 25, has a strong arm but has struggled with control at times. He is 5-6 with a 5.23 ERA in 16 major league games, including 13 starts. He has struck out 71 and walked 45 in 63 2/3 innings.
Simpson, 23, batted .282 with 18 homers and 90 RBIs in 127 games over two minor league stops this year. He was a 15th-round pick in the 2023 draft.
Watters, 23, has a 9-12 record with a 5.86 ERA in 43 career minor league appearances. He was a fourth-round selection in 2022.
