The Atlanta Braves have been fairly quiet this offseason since they traded Jorge Soler the day after the World Series. They've made a few minor additions since then and shuffled their roster around, but nothing to really write home about.
Atlanta fans are well aware the team has to fill two major voids in their starting rotation. They have a good pool of free agents to choose from, but Alex Anthopoulos and company could turn to a trade as well. In fact, that may be wise given the current prices for even middle tier starters right now.
Garrett Crochet has been the big name thrown around as a trade target for the Braves and if that happens, great. However, he will cost Atlanta a lot of top prospects before that happens. Given the potential cost and the sheer number of other teams that are after Crochet, the Braves may need to navigate other methods to fill their need for rotation help.
Braves should consider under the radar trade for Rays southpaw Jeffrey Springs
The Tampa Bay Rays could help provide Atlanta with a pitcher who would be more affordable and that is Jeffrey Springs.
Jeffrey Springs isn't exactly a household name in Major League Baseball but according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, he and Rays closer Pete Fairbanks have received a lot of trade interest. It's understandable why they would be as they are both talented and would bring value to any contending club.
Rays LHP Jeffrey Springs and RHP Pete Fairbanks are among the Tampa Bay pitchers garnering trade interest in the days before the Winter Meetings, as I reported today on @MLBNetwork.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 3, 2024
Springs has two years and $21 million left of a four-year, $31 million extension he signed before the 2023 season. This contract also contains a $15 million club option for the 2027 season, including a $750,000 buyout.
The 32-year-old experienced a breakout season with the Rays in 2022 thanks to a 2.46 ERA, 26.2% K rate, and terrific 5.6% BB rate. Unfortunately, his health suffered a bit after that and ultimately he underwent Tommy John in 2023.
He returned towards the end of last season and made seven starts with a 3.27 ERA but with a noticeable dip in velocity from 91.4 mph to 89.8 mph. That's to be expected when returning from TJ surgery so that's something that will improve. He still induced a good bit of swing and miss with a 12.9% whiff rate in his limited sample size.
The Braves have a rotation slot available and Springs could provide them with a similar amount of innings to Reynaldo Lopez in 2024. The most innings he's pitched in his career is 135.1 innings and that would be enough from a back-end rotation arm especially with the Braves' depth down at Gwinnett.
What would the cost look like to acquire an MLB-ready arm? Well, it wouldn't be cheap but it also wouldn't break the bank.
Tampa Bay is looking to cut payroll a bit and moving players like Springs, Fairbanks, Yandy Diaz, or Brandon Lowe would help them. Lowe is a second baseman who had a decent 2024 season but he is 30 years old and they may want to find someone younger to eventually take the reins at the position.
Braves top infield prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. should be an appealing player to the Rays. He's much younger and is projected more as a versatile defender and he's blocked in Atlanta for the moment whereas he could thrive in Tampa. Alvarez wouldn't be enough on his own in this trade considering how controllable and affordable Springs is.
Throwing in two more prospects would move the needle in the right direction. Hayden Harris is a very intriguing prospect as he wasn't a top draft pick but has a lot of upside. Harris is a 6-foot lefty who signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Georgia Southern in 2022. He is knocking on the door, reaching Triple-A in 2024. He isn't a flamethrower as his fastball tops out at 95 mph but he has deceptive delivery and movement on the pitch. This is complemented with a plus slider to help get outs.
New league, same Hayden Harris
— Gaurav (@gvedak) June 28, 2024
91 MPH
2072 RPM
20" vertical break
5" horizontal break
1IP 1H 0R 0BB 1K pic.twitter.com/LWiup3wMgU
Throw in Allan Winans who has struggled a bit at the MLB level but has promise and you could get a deal done for Jeffrey Springs. Each side is taking on a bit of risk but filling their needs. Springs' health is an important question mark, but it's worth it as his $10.5 million cost is rather affordable in today's pitching market.
This is purely speculation as no one truly knows what Alex Anthopoulos will do. AA always seems to surprise everyone with his decisions. However, this trade seems like something he would go for. You have a player coming off injury or underperformance who suddenly becomes an impact player.