The Padres acquired right-hander Jason Adam from the Rays in exchange for three prospects, according to both clubs’ statements. The Padres will send righty Dylan Lesko, outfielder Homer Bush Jr., and catcher J.D. Gonzalez to Tampa. The Friars released right-hander Glenn Otto for assignment to free up a roster space, while the Rays reactivated Jeffrey Springs from the 60-day injured list to take Adam’s place.
Adam, like many other players before him, bounced throughout the league until settling into his best form in Tampa. He was chosen by the Royals in 2010 and has since spent time with the Padres, Twins, Blue Jays, and Cubs. He was non-tendered by the Cubs after 2021, with a 4.71 earned run average in 78 1/3 major league innings. He struck out 27.9% of hitters faced but walked 11.4%.
The Rays signed him in 2022, and he has elevated his game since then. He appeared in 170 games for the Rays, finishing with a 2.30 ERA, 30.4% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate, and 44.7% ground ball rate. He has made 24 saves and 51 holds in that time. This includes 47 appearances this year, with an ERA of 2.49. His strikeout rate of 27.8% in 2024 is slightly lower than previous years, but his ground ball rate of 47.3% is a personal best.
At this time of year, all contending teams aim to enhance their bullpens, and the Padres are no exception. Their relief corps has a cumulative ERA of 4.19, ranking them in the lowest third of the league. They’ve had solid performances from Robert Suarez, Jeremiah Estrada, Yuki Matsui, and others, but Wandy Peralta and Enyel De Los Santos have underperformed, with Peralta currently injured.
Adding Adam and his skills to that relief team is clearly tempting, as is his low salary. Though he will be 33 years old next month, his long quest to becoming established in the major leagues has resulted in a delayed path to significant profits. He qualified for arbitration for the first time as a Super Two player in 2023, earning $1.775 million last year, with a minor increase to $2.7 million in 2024. He is eligible for two more arbitration seasons before becoming a free agent following 2026.
The Padres had to make big financial cuts this winter, which resulted in Juan Soto being traded to the Yankees. They sought to field a competitive team here in 2024 and were successful. They are now on a seven-game winning streak, bringing their record to 57-50 and securing a National League Wild Card position. However, they appear to want to avoid the competitive balance tax this year and are now on track to do so.
RosterResource puts their CBT number at $225 million, which is around $12 million less than the $237 million base level. That looks to give them some wiggle room, but it’s an unofficial assessment. Adam has less than $1 million left to pay out this year, so he will only slightly increase San Diego’s CBT figure, potentially allowing the front office room for future moves.
The Rays aren’t in the bottom of the standings, but they’ve decided to sell this year, citing a mix of excellent depth and a seller’s market. Their record is at 53-52, barely four games off of a postseason berth, and they have already dealt several proven big leaguers for younger prospects. They’ve traded Zach Eflin to the Orioles, Aaron Civale to the Brewers, Randy Arozarena to the Mariners, and now Adam to the Padres.
They still have a chance to contend down the stretch, but they haven’t been bashful about making these transactions, appearing willing to add some young talent and conserve money while attempting to replace lost skill from within their own system. Springs, Shane Baz, and Drew Rasmussen were on the verge of returning from elbow operations and had ready-made rotation replacements. Baz stepped up to take Civale’s place, and Springs is about to do the same for Eflin. Arozerena’s playing time can be divided between Richie Palacios and Jonny DeLuca, while the team always has intriguing bullpen arms on hand and can likely put together a decent relief corps even without Adam.
Lesko, 20, is regarded as the most intriguing aspect of their return in this trade. The Padres drafted him 15th overall in 2022, and he has garnered a lot of praise from prospect analysts since. During his stint in the minors, he missed a lot of bats and also the strike zone. This season, he has pitched 69 2/3 innings in 16 High-A starts, with a 6.46 ERA. He has struck out 25% of batters faced while walking 16.5% of them.
Despite the control concerns, he is still considered one of the league’s top prospects. FanGraphs presently ranks him 88th overall, while MLB Pipeline has him at 76th. Baseball America ranked him No. 38 overall entering the season, however he is no longer in the top 100 and was recently promoted to No. 5 in the Padres’ organization. Perhaps the Padres are moving on from a prospect they have lost faith in, or they have simply accepted this as the cost of acquiring a solid reliever who is affordable and controlled. In any case, Tampa has a solid reputation for getting the most out of its players, which might help Lesko get back on track in the coming years.
Bush is naturally the son of former major leaguer Homer Bush. The Padres drafted the younger Bush in the fourth round last year. He is a speed and defence specialist who takes a contact-based approach to the plate. In 130 minor league games, he has seven home runs, a 9.5% walk rate, and a 15.7% strikeout rate, for a line of.290/.383/.379. He also has 65 steals in 76 attempts. BA currently ranks him 12th in the Padres system.
Gonzalez was a third-round pick last year, and BA currently rates him eighth in the system. He is only hitting.205/.322/.230 in Single-A this season, but he is expected to be a two-way player from behind the plate someday.
Otto was claimed from waivers in September. He started the year on the injured list with a right teres major strain. He began his rehabilitation assignment in early June and was optioned later that month. He has thrown 15 1/3 innings in the minors this year, with a 7.63 ERA. The Friars will have a few days to evaluate a trade or place him on waivers.
The Padres have made significant upgrades to their bullpen for the stretch drive, but they are far from done. Bob Nightengale of USA Today says on X that they would now focus on the rotation. The Rays may make additional future-focused acquisitions, since players such as Pete Fairbanks, Brandon Lowe, and Yandy Díaz are expected to depart soon.
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