"The Astros and Rays have had conversations involving Tampa Bay starter , report Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. There's no indication that a deal is close to fruition, nor is it a lock that the Rays trade him at all. Baz is presumably one of a number of targets for a Houston team that is trying to add a starter - ideally via trade, given their payroll constraints."
"That was aided by a .229 average on balls in play that papered over league average strikeout and walk numbers. The results swung in the opposite direction this year. Baz held a rotation spot all season and made 31 starts, but he surrendered 4.87 earned runs per nine. His strikeout rate actually climbed three percentage points to a solid 24.8% clip, but a spike in the BABIP and an uptick in home runs led to much worse overall results."
"A first-round pick out of high school by the Pirates in 2017, Baz was traded to Tampa Bay in the lopsided Chris Archer deal a year earlier. The 6'3″ righty developed into one of the sport's top pitching prospects but has yet to reach the mid-rotation or better ceiling for which he was lauded. He dealt with multiple elbow issues over the early part of his MLB career. Those culminated in September 2022 Tommy John surgery."
The Astros have engaged the Rays about acquiring Baz as a starting pitcher, though no deal appears imminent and the Rays may not trade him. Baz, 26, projects as affordable arbitration-wise with an MLBTR estimate near $3.1MM and club control through 2028. He was a 2017 first-round pick by the Pirates, traded to Tampa Bay in the Chris Archer deal, and was a top prospect who experienced multiple elbow problems culminating in September 2022 Tommy John surgery. He returned mid-2024, posted a 3.06 ERA in 14 late-season starts, then allowed 4.87 ERA across 31 starts the following season as BABIP and homers rose despite improved strikeouts.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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