VIA TAMPA BAY RAYS COMMUNICATIONS -
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—In advance of tonight’s reserve list deadline, the Tampa Bay Rays have selected five players to their 40-man roster: infielders Osleivis Basabe, Greg Jones and Curtis Mead and right-handed pitchers Taj Bradley and Colby White. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays made the following roster moves:
- Traded INF/OF Miles Mastrobuoni to the Chicago Cubs for minor league RH Alfredo Zárraga
- Traded RH JT Chargois and minor league INF Xavier Edwards to the Miami Marlins for minor league RH Marcus Johnson and minor league RH Santiago Suarez
- Designated RH Javy Guerra, 1B/OF Bligh Madris and LH Ryan Yarbrough for assignment
- Traded minor league INF Brett Wisely to the San Francisco Giants for minor league OF Tristan Peters
Basabe, 22, split the 2022 season between Class-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery, batting .324/.385/.462 (144-for-444) with 39 doubles, four home runs, 47 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 112 games. He led Rays minor leaguers in doubles, ranked second in hits and avg. (min. 150 AB) and tied for 6th in runs (80) and extra-base hits (48). He is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 13 prospect in the Rays organization. He was acquired from the Texas Rangers in December 2020 in the Nathaniel Lowe trade and is a career .316/.375/.435 (345-for-1,091) hitter over parts of four minor league seasons.
Bradley, 21, split the 2022 season between Montgomery and Triple-A Durham, going 7-4 with a 2.57 ERA (133.1-IP, 38-ER) and 141 strikeouts in 28 starts. He was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Year based on votes cast by league managers. He allowed 1 ER (or fewer) in 14 of his 16 starts for Montgomery and made the Southern League postseason All-Star Team after going 3-1 with a 1.70 ERA (74.1-IP, 14-ER). He led Rays minor leaguers in starts and innings, ranked second in strikeouts and third in ERA. He was the starting pitcher for the AL Team in the All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium. He is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 20 overall prospect in the minors and No. 1 prospect in the Rays organization. Following the season, Baseball America tabbed him as having the Best Breaking Pitch and Best Control in the Southern League in its Best Tools survey. He was selected by the Rays in the fifth round of the 2018 Amateur Draft out of Redan (Ga.) High School and is 22-16 with a 2.61 ERA (310.2-IP, 90-ER) in 73 apps (70 starts) over parts of four minor league seasons.
Jones, 24, spent the 2022 season with Montgomery and hit .238/.318/.392 (76-for-319) with 19 doubles, eight home runs, 40 RBI and 37 stolen bases. He was limited to 79 games due to stints on the injured list for a concussion and right hamstring strain. He ranked third among Rays minor leaguers and fifth in the Southern League in stolen bases. He is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 16 prospect in the Rays organization. Following the season, Baseball America tabbed him as the Fastest Baserunner in the Southern League in its Best Tools survey. In 2021, he was named Minor League Baserunner of the Year by the Rays Baseball Operations department. He was selected by the Rays in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2019 Amateur Draft out of UNC Wilmington and is a career .273/.358/.440 (214-for-784) hitter over three minor league seasons.
Mead, 22, split the 2022 season between Montgomery and Durham, batting .298/.390/.532 (84-for-282) with 27 doubles, 13 home runs and 50 RBI. He was limited to 76 games due to two stints on the injured list for right forearm discomfort. He started at second base for the AL Team in the All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium. He is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 35 overall prospect in the minors and No. 2 prospect in the Rays organization. Following the season, Baseball America tabbed him as the Best Batting Prospect in the Southern League in its Best Tools survey. He was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in December 2019 and is a .306 (262-for-857) hitter with 32 home runs over four minor league seasons.
White, 24, underwent Tommy John surgery on April 4, performed by Dr. Koco Eaton, and missed the 2022 season. In 2021, he was named Minor League Reliever of the Year by the Rays Baseball Operations department, going 4-3 with a 1.44 ERA (62.1-IP, 10-ER) and 104 strikeouts in 43 apps (one start) between four levels. He began the season with Class-A Charleston and was promoted on June 10 to Bowling Green, August 10 to Montgomery and September 9 to Durham. He led Rays minor leaguers with 11 saves and ranked seventh in strikeouts. He was selected by the Rays in the sixth round of the 2019 Amateur Draft out of Mississippi State University and is 5-3 with a 1.76 ERA (81.2-IP, 16-ER) in two minor league seasons.
Zárraga, who turns 22 tomorrow, signed with the Cubs as an international free agent in January 2021. He made his professional debut in 2022, going 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA (18.2-IP, 4-ER) in 17 apps between Class-A Myrtle Beach and Class-A South Bend. He was placed on the injured list on August 10 and missed the rest of the season with a right hand fracture.
Johnson, 21, was selected by the Marlins in the fourth round of the 2022 Amateur Draft out of Duke University. In his first professional season, he went 1-3 with a 5.94 ERA (16.2-IP, 11-ER) in five apps (four starts) between two levels. He is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 26 prospect in the Marlins system. In three seasons at Duke, he went 6-11 with a 4.45 ERA (127.1-IP, 63-ER) in 46 apps (12 starts). He was ranked as the No. 132 prospect in the 2022 Amateur Draft by Baseball America.
Suarez, 17, signed with the Marlins as an international free agent in January 2022 out of Venezuela. In his first professional season, he went 1-1 with a 2.31 ERA (39-IP, 10-ER) and 38 SO in 11 apps (all starts) for DSL Miami.
Peters, 22, is a career .276/.361/.429 (140-for-508) with nine home runs and 74 RBI over two minor league seasons.
Photo: Getty Images
Our own Jay Recher put this together about the prospects the Rays are getting in return.
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COVER PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES