The Rays and Brewers have agreed to a trade sending first baseman Jesus Aguilar from Milwaukee to Tampa Bay, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter links). Milwaukee is acquiring right-hander Jake Faria in return.
Aguilar, 29, is in the midst of a down season at the plate but was an All-Star who bashed 35 home runs as recently as 2018. The 26-year-old Faria, similarly, looked to be a pitcher on the rise with a terrific rookie campaign in 2017 but has struggled to replicate that success in 2018-19.
Both players are fairly logical change-of-scenery candidates whose skill sets more closely align with the current needs of their new organizations. The Brewers have been hit hard by pitching injuries this season and currently have three rotation pieces on the injured list. The Rays, meanwhile, have been searching for a right-handed bat for quite some time and were linked to Aguilar more than a week ago.
It’s been a tough season for Aguilar, whose outstanding .274/.352/.539 output in 2018 has given way to a woeful .225/.320/.374 slash line in 2019. Aguilar’s strikeout and walk rates have both improved, but his line-drive, fly-ball and hard-hit rates have all taken a step back. That said, Statcast still likes Aguilar as a potential bounceback candidate based on the quality of the contact he’s made, as his expected wOBA of .342 dwarfs his actual .304 wOBA. He’s swinging a hot bat in the month of July as well, raking at a .298/.346/.574 clip in a small sample of 52 plate appearances.
Faria debuted with the Rays in ’17 and immediately contributed 86 2/3 innings of 3.43 ERA ball while averaging 8.7 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 with a 38.3 percent ground-ball rate as a 23-year-old. It wasn’t an elite arrival on the big league scene, but it was certainly heartening enough to view him as a potential long-term piece in the rotation.
Instead, however, Faria’s K/BB rates trended in the wrong direction in 2018 as he limped to a 5.40 ERA in 65 MLB frames. He’s moved to the bullpen this year and allowed three runs in 10 MLB innings. As a reliever with Triple-A Durham, he’s logged 45 2/3 innings of 2.17 ERA ball with a 54-to-19 K/BB ratio.
Both players arrive in their new organizations as potential long-term fits. Aguilar will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter and can be controlled through the 2022 season. Faria hasn’t reached two years of big league service yet but quite likely will before the end of the year. Assuming he accrues the remaining time he needs, Faria would be arbitration-eligible after the 2020 season and controllable through 2023.
Great buy low
How do you know it’s buy low if you don’t know the return?
It is, they gave up jabob faria
Jake Faria for Aguilar is a fantastic buy low.
It’s not we don’t need Aguilar we got Lowe
All the comments stating Jesus as a “one year outlier” player. If you truly believe that seems like a decent return. Faria has never really had a run in the bigs. His longest run in the bigs in 2017 actually produced a 3.43 ERA in 14 starts. Has 4 more years of control too. Brewers need arms and this kid still has potential
I think this could spell the end of Ji-man. Not Lowe. Lowe is also a lefty.
Faria is out of options next year and out of time in TB. It’s a great deal for them because he was nothing more than a length candidate for them. They already have Beeks and Yarborough for that.
We sure don’t need Faria either. He’s strictly an innings eater and very inconsistent. Not a huge fan of Aguilar but love this deal. No downside unless Faria becomes a 10 to 15 gm winner….which I doubt.
Rays fan here. He’s very average. Not terrible but arms like his are very common.
If a SP gets injured you’ll be happy Faria is available
The Rays? Probably not. They had Jose De Leon and soon Anthony Banda ahead of him in the pecking order for depth starters. He was also out of options next year. The crew are a good team to take a shot on him I suppose. But there’s no shuttling him next year. He’s either good enough to stick or he’s on waivers.
He’s 29 with one decent year. It’s a low buy no matter when you purchase.
Could have gotten chris carter for free.
I do not really like this trade. Jake farias has potential to be a good starting pitcher. Also, I understand that Aguilar was very good last season. I hope this is a good trade for both teams especially to the Rays. They need to go to playoffs this season.
Figured this dude would be eating this juiced ball up after his break out season last year. I like it for the rays.
Well, that’s interesting.
No kidding. He’s not having a good year at all. I sure hope the Rays didn’t give up much at all.
Got to love that picture. “What I’m traded to the Rays”.
Or “what?!? I’m getting sent down to the AAAA?”
Wow. Giving up on him. Tampa needs anything from that offense
Solid buy low move. Interested to see what TB gives up. Hopefully the end of the Choi era
Wouldn’t be a bad guy to have at DH
His .350 OBP isn’t too bad.
Hopefully relief help
jacob Faria
you called it
One might call it…relief relief?
What a relief
Pence. Dickerson. Jose Martinez. But they go with aguilar? Wth.
takes two to tango my friend
Because of the return request most likely.
Nobody effs with the Jesus.
Guy has finally started to hit a bit lately and then you sell low on him when he’s got 3 more years of control? Interested to see the return on this……
Lowe is already better at 1b…
for who. not that I care not just curious…
Jacob faria
I loved Jesus but he’s a dh guy as long as they keep the dh
Can someone call Ross Atkins and remind him the trade deadline is today?
Good luck Jesus one of my favorite Brewers even though you really took a nose dive hitting. Will miss him and Arcias antics on the field.
This is just whatever. If this was last year, I’d be like woah. But it’s not. And the return being Jake Faria? This is just mediocre
Sogard and Aguilar form a nice one-two punch
Be interesting to who we got from them obviously a pitcher probably . Now get rid of Thames and Shaw , move Braun to first , bring up Grisham to play left. Trade Arcia for Caleb Smith .Get it done please
you would be a dipoto level gm stubby. that really won’t make the team better just…different
I love Brewers but were not winning it this year. Let guys get healthy and gain experience. Sign Moose to a 2 or 3 year extension. Save some money in process and deal Thames, Grandal for young players. Just walk away from anyone not in next years plans
They’ve tried Braun at 1B and it was a disaster. They aren’t going to get anything of value right now for Shaw so why trade him? And what makes you think the Marlins would want Arcia in return for Smith? It would have to be more than just Arcia probably and then who plays SS?
Derby. He’s a pitcher, but usually is mentioned in every possible scenario by Stubby so why not. I really appreciate stubby’s passion, but like brewcrewenthusiast said the moves suggested don’t make the team better, just different.
Like to see Derby be given a chance you never know plus the Brewers have a lot of players that have to be added to 40 man this winter.
Abreu headed to Milwaukee.
Cub killer.
Abreu’s on the white sox. I doubt the brewers got anyone ML ready.
he’s not talking about this trade.
He’s also a obvious troll.
I know he is on the Sox. Maybe headed to Brewers in next trade announcement.
He kills the Cubs 4-6 times a year now.
Imagine how many times the Brewers play the Cubs.
He’s also a free agent. Brewers dont have the players to give the white Sox.
You really think the brewers don’t have the prospects to get an aging 1B rental? Stop trolling
Agular to a contender. Still a cheater.
Nate Lowe is hitting over .300 with big time power. I get Cash loves righty lefty matchups, but he’s good enough to play everyday there. Does add some thump and The rays were getting impatient with Faria. Just adding a guy hitting .220 ain’t gonna help your lineup
Can we get rid of Ji man Choi now?
yeah i dont get getting Aguliar when Choi is still there. latteral move at best – Choi is probably the better player.
The brewers traded Choi instead of Aguilar last year and Choi has not been an All Star, so…
I’m pretty sure that the Rays are holding out for the biggest return for Choi. The demand is increasing…..or maybe not.
oh snap. nice trade for Milwaukee. Rays look to be in panic mode though.
Agreed we gotta put on our big boy pants and get a real 1st baseman, Jose Abreu or let Nate Lowe or heck Brandon Lowe play there and start Sogard at second
at the very least Aguliar is not a rental. that being said, he’s a non-tender candidate in 2021 if he preforms like this next year. Faria is at least expendable with that deep pitching corps/pipeline, but yeah, certianly not the route id go at first, at least not as a contender.
A real baseball deal. Interesting.
Great deal for the Rays, Now the Indians are really going to regret giving Aguilar away.
They haven’t got a lot out of first base recently, great move for Rays.
We see now why they always trade starters before they are eligible for free agency. If they don’t, they have to trade them away just trim the 40 man!
This is a interesting buy low. Aguilar could have peaked last season but he is a power bat which is never a bad thing
Pitching market is thin and the Brewers are desperate for able bodied starters. Faria was pretty far down.on the Rays’ depth chart, and they get a righty platoon guy who is decent at 1B. Satisfies needs for both teams.
Never trade with the Rays. You will lose.
Ya, the Bucs are very upset they got Dickerson for nothing, the Twins that they got Odorizzi for nothing, the Mariners that they got Colome for nothing……c’mon, the Rays FO is “meh” at best.
That said, it’s a good deal. Faria’s not much, and there’s hope for a bounce back with Aguliar. A real baseball trade.
Their FO is much better than “meh”.
Odorizzi is actually what you think he is. A #. 4 starter. His numbers are going to continue to slide. Particularly if they leave him out there for the 6th inning very often.
Yandy for Bauers. Homerun
Pham for Genesis Cabrera. Yeah I’ll ltake that.
We all know about the Pirates fleece job.
I’ll take the “meh” all day. If they had a big league budget to play with they wouldn’t have been motivated to dump a guy like Colome w Span either. Probably could’ve hung onto an Odorizzi as well. When you’re forced into a sub 75 million dollar payroll they have to make decisions on what they see to be largely marginal players.( Cron, Dickerson, Odo) They have an excellent front office.
Expecting any front office to hit the nail on the head every time is a ridiculous bar. You consider the financial parameters w what they have to work with and the job they do w that. If you determine anything other than really good you probably have some kind of bias against the team.
They currently have the best system in the game with a good major league team. A ML team of young controllable guys as well. No way to knock TB’s FO. The owner is a different story.
Odorizzi is a #4 starter? If Odorizzi is a #4 then Matt Boyd is a #5. We all know that can’t happen. If Odorizzi is a #4 then the Twins are in very good shape in October despite needing a starter (could’ve been Stroman).
Someone a while back accused you of not watching baseball. Whoever that was might be correct. Might want to figure out baseball rather than analytics done for you.
Odorizzi is a #4 starter. Might be pitching closer to a #3 than a #4 this year. That’s about it.
3.93 FIP/4.68 xFIP.
I don’t know who the hell you are but Odorizzi averages a tick over 5 innings a start. I’d question if you watch any baseball? Is a guy who pitches 5 innings a start really a top half of the rotation starter to you? It’s not to me. Ideally Jake Odorizzi would be a #4 starter on my team. I’ll hear an argument for a #3 but that’s about it. Might wanna calm down there buddy. I sure wouldn’t bet my asss on Jake odorizzi.
And as for the Boyd comment well that really wouldn’t hold water considering his bottom line results are very close to Odorizzi’s and he’s tossed 23 more innings. Boyd goes deeper into games and is roughly as effective. With the peripherals that suggest he could get better.
The Rays actually liked both of those players you mentioned but couldn’t afford to keep them. You know 60 mil payroll only goes so far.
Any team that can consistently win like TB has, with their budget, in the same division as the Yankees and BoSox, and has the #1 farm in baseball, has got to be doing something right.
Aguilar the full time DH in Tampa?
This is a very fair trade with potential for both teams. Rays have an excess of mid level pitching and the Brewers have extra hitting. I’ll miss Faria but we needed a RH bopper much more. Welcome Jesus A! Now Rays any relief help, please!
We will get a RH bopper when Diaz comes back. We needed to get a RH hitter that can hit well against lefties.
Comments are cancer (as always)
Tampa Bay Indians
Will Ryan Braun get any time at 1B now? He played a few games there last season but, not very well.
Jesus Aguilar isn’t a terrible 1B; he’s not graceful. However, Ji-Man Choi is out-hitting Jesus Aguilar.
As of now it’ll be Thames there almost entirely. Still some time left before the deadline, though ;)
N. Lowe is outhitting Ji man and there’s no reason for 2 Left handed hitting 1st baseman according to Cash. He’s big on lefty righty matchups
I have Nate Lowe on my fantasy team and pondering whether or not I should add Aguilar.
Far more logical trade for the Brewers than that Lyles head scratcher. At least this Faria kid has some upside.
Brewers gave up nothing for Lyles. A mid 30’s prospect in one of the worst farms in baseball. Brewers need arms in the pen and who can start. Faria and Lyles both will give you innings
Seems to be a decent move for both sides, Brewers need pitching (Faria has upside), and the Rays get a RH bat with thump they needed. Hopefully it works out for both sides.
Brewers are adding marginal MLB players. They will soon fade from the playoff picture with such dismal pitching. Stearns was aware last Winter starting pitching tskentcand depth were issues. He didn’t address it. Now the Brewers are cooked without legitimate starters after Woodruff and Chacin went down.
You wrote an entire paragraph bashing Stearns. Then you call Chacin a “legit starter”. Oh boy.
Exactly. Chacin was the problem not the solution.
Stearns should have never let Wade Miley walk. I really like Stearns but that one I will never understand. Probably could have signed Wade to a 2 or 3 year deal for a very modest amount. Chacin on the other hand is terrible.
I think id rather have the pitcher. You can reclimate a decent arm. Aguliar has looked DREADFUL at the plate this year. Token homer k k k k k k trend in 2019.
Brewers adding crap. They will soon drop from the playoff picture.
At least they used crap to do it.
Should the Ray’s have gone for Eric Thames instead they need left handed hitting ?
They do not need left hand hitting because 1st base is there platoon spot between D’Araund and N. Lowe. Now D’Araund is gonna catch regularly and Aguilar will get 1st against lefties
I’m gonna laugh next season when Aguilar is crushing it again and this looks much more like a steal for the Rays…Generally you can bet if the Rays are calling about a major league guy you should say no because they rarely miss. They have a few meh trades but no real one sided trades they always get value even if they end up flipping g that for more guys they just keep plugging along