Tampa Bay Bays DFA Former A's Right-Hander

Growing up as a baseball fan, everyone has certain guys that stand out to them on their favorite team that may not be the best player on the roster, but there is something about that player that calls you to them. It should be unsurprising that this also happens when you get to talk to them in the clubhouse.

Garrett Acton, while his time wasn't long in the A's clubhouse in Oakland, he was always a delight, ready to just chat about life with a smile on his face.

The Tampa Bay Rays invested quite a bit of time and resources into the right-hander since claiming him in 2023, but at the very start of this offseason, they have decided to DFA him. He only pitched in one game with the Rays in the big leagues this season, racking up one scoreless inning, and spent the rest of the year in Triple-A Durham.

Down in the minors, he held a respectable 3.68 ERA across 58 2/3 innings. This was also his first exposure to pitching in the Rays organization, despite signing with them in December of 2023. He was recovering from surgery when that took place, and Tampa Bay, to their credit signed him and helped him along with the rehab process.

In fairness, Acton isn't officially a free agent just yet, and even if he were to reach free agency, he could end up signing a minor-league deal with the Rays. He was still sitting in the mid-90s with his heater, and was a two-pitch pitcher in his one outing with the Rays, focusing on the four-seamer and the change.

In his two brief stints in the big leagues, Acton has made seven appearances in total, holding a 10.80 ERA in 6 2/3 innings of work. He's also struck out five and walked seven during that time, which has been the biggest issue for him.

Acton still has a solid arm and should be worthy of a minor-league deal with a club that can give him a little run in the bullpen headed into 2026. He also has two options remaining, which give him some roster flexibility for a team to shuttle him between the big leagues and Triple-A.

The Tampa Bay Rays also made a slew of other moves on Monday, which included designating right-handers Alex Faedo, Cole Wilcox and Joey Gerber for assignment along with Acton. All of these moves were meant to clear up some space on the 40-man roster of the Rays, with players formerly on the 60-day IL needing to be placed back on the roster.

Gerber has since been traded to the New York Mets. The Rays roster now sits at 41, according to Roster Resource.