Rays trade starter for 3 prospects in surprising deal with Orioles

The Tampa Bay Rays are in full sell mode ahead of the trade deadline, acquiring three prospects in a deal that sends right-handed pitcher Zach Eflin to the Baltimore Orioles.

It became evident late Thursday night that the Rays would be selling at the deadline when they sent star outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners in a blockbuster deal.

The Rays acquired two top-20 prospects from the Orioles in right-handed pitcher Jackson Baumeister (No. 17 prospect), infielder Mac Horvath (No. 10 prospect) and outfielder Matthew Etzel, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report the news , and Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the deal includes Tampa Bay receiving three minor-league prospects.

The Rays have clearly made the choice to sell at the deadline even though they are only 4.0 games back from a wild-card spot in the American League playoff race.

Eflin figured to be one of the pitchers most likely to be dealt on the market ahead of the July 30 trade deadline and after Arozarena was dealt, it was only a matter of time before the veteran righty was traded away.

Horvath is the highest-ranked prospect in this deal, according to MLB Pipeline. The 23-year-old was a second-round pick by Baltimore in the 2023 draft and has spent the season thus far in High-A.

After posting a stellar 1.058 OPS at three levels in 2023, Horvath has struggled a bit with a .745 OPS in 2024.

Baumeister, 22, was the No. 63 overall pick in the 2023 draft. He has a 3.06 ERA in 70.2 innings at High-A this season.