The Rays and Tigers made a trade on February 3, one that will see Alex Faedo return to the Sunshine State. The former Florida Gator goes to the Rays, in exchange for a Minor League catcher. Faedo heads to Tampa after a goof 2024 campaign, albeit an injury-shortened one.
The Rays’ Return
- RP Alex Faedo (3.61 ERA, 55 K over 57.1 IP)
It took time for former first-round pick Alex Faedo to make it to Detroit. The 2017 first-round pick grinded through High-A and Double-A over his first two pro seasons, then looked poised to make the jump in 2020. However, the righty missed the team’s summer camp before the shortened 2020 season.
Faedo reported to the team’s alternate site in Toledo but was shutdown with a forearm strain. He eventually required Tommy John surgery in December 2020, delaying his MLB arrival to 2022.
The right-hander looked good over his first seven MLB starts, striking out five or more in three of those and a 2.92 ERA. However, Faedo didn’t get much in the way of chases and whiffs, and saw his numbers dip significantly from June onward. Faedo finished 2022 with a 5.53 ERA and Barrel%, Chase%, and K% metrics that ranked in the bottom 20% of the league.
Those metrics took a tick up in 2023 but he continued to have problems staying healthy. Last season with Detroit, Faedo pitched exclusively out of the bullpen, pitching in 37 contests and starting six as a opener.
Faedo has a starter’s arsenal, unsurprising given his past as a starter. The 29-year-old used four pitches last season, a four-seamer, sinker, changeup, and slider. The sinker is a new add, a pitch he didn’t use in 2022-23.
The new Ray gets good carrying action on his four-seamer, with a mean average of 16.6” last season. It’s a pitch that netted him a 24.7% Whiff% last season and helped set up the rest of his arsenal, including his slider.
The slider was Faedo’s best pitch; a low-to-mid-80s pitch with above-average vertical drop, an offering that looks like it will stay up, just before it tails downward. Last season, opposing batters hit .171 off the slider, with a 43% Whiff%.
His changeup has never been a plus offering, although Faedo saw a Whiff% jump in the double-digits off it last year. It helps that he now has a sinker in his arsenal, a pitch that plays well off the change.
Faedo was DFA’d by the Tigers in a corresponding move last week after the team signed reliever Tommy Kahnle.
In response, the Rays DFA’d Osleivis Basabe, orignally acquired by Tampa in the Nathaniel Lowe trade from December 2020.
A career .301 hitter in the Minors, Basabe did nothing but hit over his first three seasons in the Tampa farm system. The Rays, in need of help in the infield late in 2023, called him up for his MLB debut in August. However, he hit just .218/.277/.310 (.587 OPS) over 31 games in 2023.
Basabe didn’t play in the Majors last season, spending the vast majority of 2024 in Durham (AAA). He slashed .251/.309/.361 last season.
The 24-year-old Basabe has interesting tools; namely, versatility in the field (he can play second, short, or third), has above-average speed, and makes contact frequently enough. Basabe has well-below-average power and doesn’t walk much, putting pressure on him to hit with a fairly short swing.
The Tigers’ Return
- C Enderson Delgado (.259/.382/.400, 4 HR & 22 XBH over 65 G) (FCL, A)
The other piece involved in this deal is Enderson Delgado, a 20-year-old catching prospect who played in Charleston (A) last season. The Venezuelan native didn’t hit much over the first two years of his pro career. However, he had more success in A-ball, posting a .382 OBP as a 19-year-old last year.
Delgado played winter ball this past offseason with Perth in the Australian Baseball League. He didn’t have much success in the ABL, hitting .204/.313/.280 (.592 OPS) with 28 strikeouts over 31 games.
Detroit will also receive cash in the trade.
Analysis
The Tigers got an interesting piece for Faedo, a reliever who found success in the bullpen last season. However, Detroit’s bullpen is deep, leaving him on the outside.
Tampa, meanwhile, doesn’t part with much. The Rays have depth in their infield, especially now with the addition of Ha-Seong Kim. Basabe likely wasn’t going to crack the Rays’ Opening Day roster anyways — but Faedo likely will, if he can stay healthy. That’s been an issue, including in 2024, when he was shut down in August with a shoulder strain.
Theoretically, Faedo could be a potential spot-starter option for the Rays. Tampa’s had success with relievers-turned-starters (i.e. Zack Littell). However, his extensive injury history means he should slot in as a reliever long-term.
It’s the second notable move for the Tigers in as many days. Late on February 2, the Tigers re-signed Jack Flaherty to a two-year deal.