Tampa Bay Rays Land Elite Reliever in Last-Minute Deal at Trade Deadline

The Rays sent 24-year-old right-hander Taj Bradley to the Twins as compensation for Jax.

The deal happened in a flurry of moves made by the Rays' front office this week. The deals -- seven in all -- included trading starting right-hander Zack Littell to the Cincinnati Reds and shortstop José Caballero to the New York Yankees. Caballero is the American League leader in stolen bases with 34.

Moving on from Bradley

The Rays demoted the 24-year-old Bradley to Triple-A Durham on July 24 after he surrendered four earned runs in 1.2 innings against the Chicago White Sox the day prior. In his third season with the Rays, Bradley registered a 6-6 record over 21 starts with a 4.61 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in 111.1 innings pitched. 

“I think there's no dispute about the talent, where Taj is, and I certainly wish him well and a ton of success,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said after Thursday’s 7-4 loss to the Yankees. “Taj has a chance to be a very good major league pitcher for a long time.”

Wednesday night, Bradley pitched seven-no hit innings for the Bulls against the Gwinnett Stripers (Atlanta Braves affiliate).

Boost to the bullpen

In Jax, the Rays get a legitimate bullpen piece who ranks third among relievers in Major League Baseball with 72 strikeouts. His chase rate is in the 100th percentile, while his whiff and strikeout rates sit in the 99th and 98th percentiles, respectively. He is under team control through the 2027 season.

“We think really highly of Griffin Jax,” Cash said. “We have for a long time. He's going to make our team better; we feel really good about that.”

“This is the guy that you put in your bullpen," Cash continued, "and you immediately get better the second he puts on our uniform.”