Report: Athletics trade Boyle, others for Springs in deal with Rays originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Athletics are busy this season.
The team is completing a trade to acquire left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs from the Tampa Bay Rays, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Saturday morning, citing sources.
Tampa Bay will get right-handers Joe Boyle and Jacob Watters, outfielder Will Simpson, and a compensation draft pick from the A’s for Springs and another player yet to be named, Passan added.
The A’s are completing a trade to acquire left-hander Jeffrey Springs from the Tampa Bay Rays, sources tell ESPN. Several players are going both ways, but with the A’s looking to spend money, they’ll get a rotation piece in Springs under club control for three more seasons.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 14, 2024
Springs joined the Rays after being acquired from the Boston Red Sox in 2021. It didn’t take long for Springs to establish himself as a solid reliever with high strikeout numbers. Tampa Bay eventually brought him into their starting rotation, where he enjoyed a career year in 2022 as he compiled 3.1 fWAR and was rewarded with a four-year, $31 million contract extension.
Springs often looked like a potential Cy Young Award candidate – when healthy. After a breakout campaign in 2022 (2.46 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 144 strikeouts in 135 innings), Springs made just three starts before suffering a season-ending elbow injury in 2023.
He pitched just 16 innings before an injury resulted in Tommy John surgery in 2023, sidelining him for the rest of the season. The Rays cut him in September of the 2024 season, placing him on the IL due to elbow fatigue.
Springs will make $10.5 million in 2026 and has a team option of $15 million in 2027.
