On Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays have traded shortstop Willy Adames to the Milwaukee Brewers for relief pitchers Drew Rasmussen and J.P. Feyerisen. Righ-handed reliever Trevor Richards is also headed to Milwaukee. The trade, while unexpected and frankly, a tearjerker for many, cleared a path for infielder Taylor Wals.
Adames struggled offensively this season, hitting .197 with five home runs, 15 RBI, and a .625 OPS. He has struck out 51 times. Adames, however, continued to play strong defense and is one of the emotional leaders of the team.
It’s a mix of feelings. I’m sad but excited. I’m excited for this new opportunity, new team, new beginning. I’m sad because I’m leaving my boys, leaving the Rays, leaving the fans.
— Willy Adames
Feyereisen, 28, came over to Milwaukee from the Yankees on September 1, 2019. He made his Major League debut last season, appearing in six games. The hurler is 0-2 with a 4.08 ERA in 27 career games, all in relief, including 0-2 with a 3.26 ERA in 21 appearances this season. Yet, Feyereisen pitched even better than his overall ERA might indicate, as he allowed just one earned run while striking out 19 in his first 18 innings this season.
He boasts a riding four-seam fastball that batters swing under, paired with a mid-80’s slider. Feyereisen also picked up a new changeup in the offseason, and it’s been nearly unhittable on the back of a 60% whiff rate on the pitch. If there is a criticism it’s that he has struggled with control this season, walking 14.3% of opposing batters, although he has the stuff to succeed … it’s a matter of hitting the zone to set up his offspeed stuff. The right-hander will immediately join the Rays’ bullpen, and Erik Neander, the Rays GM, believes he is “close to another gear or two upon getting here.”
Rasmussen, 25, made his big league debut last season. He is 1-1 with a 5.01 ERA in 27 career games, all out of the ‘pen, including 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA and a save in 15 appearances this season. Rasmussen sits in the upper 90’s and can touch 100 with his fastball, although it doesn’t have the ride that makes Feyereisen’s pitch play up. He complements that with a slider.
Like Feyereisen, Rasmussen has struggled with his command of late. In his brief big-league career, he’s walked 14.2% of opposing batters, although he’s struck out an impressive 31.1%, good for a 2.19 K/BB. He has the tools and it’s a matter of whether the Rays can harness them or not. He will start his tenure with Tampa bay in Durham.
The Rays played shorthanded on Friday, opting to fill the hole at short with Joey Wendle. Prior to the contest though, the team announced that Walls would be promoted on Saturday to fill Adames’ spot.
The 24-year-old Walls is a toolsy defensive infielder who earned the Rays’ Defensive Player of the Year two years in a row (2018 and 2019). He has been swinging a hot bat thus far in Durham, slashing .327 BA/.468 OBP/.490 OPS/.958 OPS with two home runs and 13 walks in his first 14 games while playing shortstop, second, and third base.
The defensive abilities that he has, how he’s swinging the bat, (we) believe he’s the right one for the opportunity that will be there as we move forward.
— Erik Neander
Tampa Bay is expecting to lean heavily on Walls right away, with Rays skipper Kevin Cash saying that the versatile player will get a lot of reps starting Saturday.
I think he’s going to come in and fit with our defensive mindset. He’s really, really good defensively. I know he’s swung the bat well in Durham here this first month. We’re excited. … He’s going to play a lot. And I think we’ve done such a good job in the past of being really versatile, very flexible, to be able to kind of move pieces around.
— Kevin Cash
While sad in many respects, the deal nets Tampa Bay a couple of arms, which they needed. They, too, needed to move Adames given that the Rays have too many solid minor leaguers waiting in the wings.