Now that they're officially out of Oakland and calling Sacramento home for the foreseeable future, the A's are remaining active in their quest to improve upon their 69-win showing in 2024.
The A's have already inked Luis Severino to a three-year pact, selected right-hander Noah Murdock in this year's Rule 5 Draft and now they're acquiring another high-end starting pitcher to shore up their rotation.
As first relayed by ESPN's Jeff Passan, the A's are acquiring left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs (and another player yet to be announced) from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for three prospects and a Competitive Balance Round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. This move, paired with the Severino signing, shows the A's are no longer content with being bottom-dwellers in the AL West.
Tampa Bay will be receiving right-handers Joe Boyle and Jacob Watters, outfielder Will Simpson as well as a compensation A round draft pick from the A's, sources tell ESPN. Jeffrey Springs and one other player are headed from Tampa to the A's.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 14, 2024
A's acquire Jeffrey Springs in trade with the Rays
Springs, 32, has made just 10 starts over the past two years combined but when he's on, he's capable of being one of the more promising left-handed starters in the league. In 2022, his only full season as a starter to date, he went 9-5 with a 2.46 ERA, 3.04 FIP and 149 ERA+ that put his production at 49 percent better than league-average.
Both 2023 and 2024 were injury-shortened campaigns, but Springs is going to be good to go for the Opening Day roster in the upcoming campaign. Upon his return from a long-term stint on the injured list this past season, he posted a 3.27 ERA across seven starts and 33 innings of work. In that time, he struck out over 10 batters per nine innings.
Springs is under contract through the end of the 2026 campaign thanks to an extension he received from the Rays a few years back. The deal comes with a $15 million club option for the 2027 season, should the A's like what they see from him over the next few years.
What did the A's give up for Jeffrey Springs?
Springs is a solid and controllable pitcher and the A's had to pay a hefty price to land him. Heading to Tampa Bay in this deal are outfielder Will Simpson, right-handed pitchers Joe Boyle and Jacob Watters, and that draft pick.
Simpson, 23, was a 15th-round pick by the A's in the 2023 MLB Draft and has showed some legitimate promise to start off his professional career. The No. 28 prospect in the A's system per MLB Pipeline prior to the trade, he made it up to Double-A this past season and recorded 31 doubles with 18 home runs and 90 RBI across 127 games. He boasts a ton of raw power and a strong eye at the plate, but he's defensively limited to the infield corners and may wind up as a slugging first baseman long-term.
Boyle, 25, has 16 appearances in the big leagues under his belt, but this past season wasn't pretty. He struggled mightily with command and ultimately finished the year with a 6.42 ERA across 47.2 innings. The 6-foot-7 hurler is a high-strikeout arm who could become a shutdown reliever down the line, but he'll just need to get his command under control as he continues to develop. The Rays have some of the best pitching development people in the league, so there's a chance Boyle ends up being the biggest piece in this deal by the time all is said and done.
Selected by the A's in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft, Watters is another promising young hurler who the Rays obviously think they can improve as he develops. The 24-year-old made 10 starts (and eight relief appearances) between High-A and Triple-A this past season, going 7-3 with a 5.23 ERA and just under eight strikeouts per nine innings across 63.2 frames.