Headlines

  • Marlins Place Eury Perez On 15-Day Injured List, Select Jeff Lindgren
  • Sandy Alcantara Shut Down For Rest Of 2023 Season
  • Brandon Lowe To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Kneecap Fracture
  • Rays Promote Junior Caminero
  • Sean Doolittle Announces Retirement
  • Tigers Name Jeff Greenberg General Manager
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2023-24 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Shane Baz To Undergo Tommy John Surgery, Brandon Lowe Won’t Return In 2022

By Darragh McDonald | September 24, 2022 at 2:32pm CDT

The Rays got two pieces of bad news today, with Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relaying both (Twitter links). Right-hander Shane Baz will undergo Tommy John surgery which will keep him out of action through the end of the 2023 campaign. Furthermore, Brandon Lowe won’t return here in 2022 due to an ongoing back issue.

Baz will end his 2022 season with only 27 innings pitched over six starts, as arthroscopic elbow surgery and then an elbow sprain (which has kept him on the injured list since July) limited his ability to get onto the mound. Unfortunately, those elbow problems have now resulted in the worst-case scenario of TJ surgery, and Baz now faces another completely lost season in 2023.

It was just over a year ago that Baz made his MLB debut, making three starts for the Rays at the end of the 2021 season and then getting another start in their playoff rotation during the ALDS. While entrusting an inexperienced pitcher with a big postseason start didn’t work out well for Tampa Bay, it was a sign of just how much faith the Rays have in Baz as one of the key arms of their future. The righty had become one of baseball’s top pitching prospects during his excellent 2021 minor league season, and thus entered 2022 as a favorite for AL Rookie Of The Year honors.

Instead, Baz will now be out of action until Opening Day 2024. It is a testament to the Rays’ pitching depth that they are still in prime position to return to the playoffs even without Baz or several other notable injured hurlers (such as another Tommy John patient in Tyler Glasnow, who has missed all of 2022 but might be close to returning for some bullpen work late in the regular season or in the postseason). Still, losing Baz to TJ surgery is naturally a blow to the Rays’ present and future plans, given how young and controllable pitching is such a key plank of Tampa Bay’s strategies.

Between 2022 and 2023, Baz will bank two full seasons of Major League service time while on the injured list, though he still isn’t eligible for arbitration until after the 2024 season. Assuming he is able to return from rehab in good form, he can use 2024 as a platform for a decent arb payday, but obviously Baz’s first priority is just getting healthy.

In regards to 2022 alone, having Lowe for only 65 games was an even bigger short-term problem for the Rays than losing Baz, given how Lowe is an established big league talent. After top-10 finishes in AL MVP voting in each of the last two seasons, Lowe hit only .221/.308/.383 over 266 plate appearances, as he was limited by three separate stints on the IL. One of those absences was a minimal 10-day stint due to a biceps contusion, but Lowe was mostly hampered by his lower-back problem.

It remains to be seen if Lowe might require a surgical fix to fully solve his back problems, and if so, such a procedure might impact his readiness for the start of the 2023 campaign. Arbitration isn’t a factor for Lowe, who had two guaranteed seasons remaining on a six-year, $24MM extension he signed back in March 2019, and he is owed at least $15MM more on that deal (which includes two club options). Given how the Rays are always open to dealing veteran players, it would seem like Lowe’s injury and down year would certainly lessen the chance of a trade, but a move cannot be entirely ruled out.

Such a decision would hinge on how comfortable the Rays are with their other options at second base. Isaac Paredes, Taylor Walls, Jonathan Aranda, and Vidal Brujan have handled most of the workload with Lowe out, with varying degrees of success. Walls is a premium defender who hasn’t hit much, while Paredes has shown some pop in his first season with the Rays, and Aranda has gotten off to a solid start in his first month in the big leagues. Tampa will now be counting on this mix to help them in the postseason, with Lowe no longer a possibility.

Share 0 Retweet 7 Send via email0

Newsstand Tampa Bay Rays Brandon Lowe Shane Baz

A’s Designate Sheldon Neuse For Assignment
Main
Tony La Russa Won’t Return As White Sox Manager This Year
View Comments (30)

Comments

  1. Sideline Redwine

    1 year ago

    Ugh. Two lost years for Baz. He looked so good last year. Maybe Bradley can come thru next year.

    1
    Reply
    • CaptainJudge99

      1 year ago

      The makings of a Championship

      1
      Reply
      • CleaverGreene

        1 year ago

        GCole ACE hahahahahahaha

        Reply
  2. SliderWithCheese

    1 year ago

    They were done before this news.

    Reply
  3. retire21

    1 year ago

    “Worst trade in MLB history.”
    Not. Even. Close.

    6
    Reply
    • Latino Heat

      1 year ago

      Larry Anderson for Jeff Bagwell gets my vote

      3
      Reply
      • Mercenary.Freddie.Freeman

        1 year ago

        Doyle Alexander for Smoltz gets mine.

        2
        Reply
        • mlb1225

          1 year ago

          Cubs shipped out Lou Brock for three guys who would barely play in Chicago and when they did, they did not do well.

          2
          Reply
        • stymeedone

          1 year ago

          Doyle Alexander did exactly what you want for a trade deadline pick up. 9-0 down the stretch. It wasn’t a good trade in the long run, but there are definitely worse. How about Bob Sykes for Willie McGee?

          1
          Reply
        • hiflew

          1 year ago

          Doyle Alexander was WONDERFUL for the Tigers and did exactly what he was supposed to do in that trade. For that matter, so did Larry Andersen. When you trade a prospect for a veteran designed to get you into the postseason that year, it’s not a bad trade because in both cases the veteran performed exceedingly well and both teams made the playoffs.

          Neither were bad deals for Detroit or Boston. They were outstanding deals for Atlanta and Houston respectively, but that doesn’t make it bad for the other team.

          1
          Reply
        • Prospectnvstr

          1 year ago

          Doyle Alexander helped the Tigers get to the World Series, even though they lost to the Cardinals. Yes, Smoltz ended up with a HOF career w the Braves (for the most part). They say hindsight is 20/20.

          1
          Reply
        • censorshipsuxblowme

          1 year ago

          lcs, not world series.

          twins beat him twice there to knock out the tigers.

          and folks forget, the braves lost a doyle trade, too.

          braves got him from the blue jays for duane ward, ward helped the jays win 2 world series, and was a terrific set up man and closer before the arm went bust in 1994.

          Reply
        • censorshipsuxblowme

          1 year ago

          yep.

          and if the red sox win the world series that year, not a single sox fan would care 1 bit they traded bagwell.

          thing folks forget about bagwell, though, is that they had several guys ahead of him on the depth chart, one of whom (mo vaughn) would win the mvp in 1995.

          Reply
        • brickhaus

          12 months ago

          That’s not even the worst ‘both teams got what they wanted in a rental’ trade. The Expos gave up Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips and Cliff Lee for two months of Bartolo Colon. Colon was lights out and the Expos made the playoffs, but the Indians got three all-stars in return and started a monster trade tree that helped them stay competitive for a couple decades.

          FWIW, Babe Ruth for cash considerations was a pretty bad trade.

          Reply
    • matthew767676

      12 months ago

      For the first year or so, it did look like one of the worst trades ever. Now a few years later, the Rays still won the trade since Archer was a net negative and they got some a couple years of great baseball from Meadows, Baz & Glasnow. Even if Baz & Glasnow don’t pitch another inning for them, the Rays will won the trade pretty easily, it’s just no longer as lopsided as it could have been since they all got hurt.

      Reply
    • sonorawind

      12 months ago

      Too soon to tell. Certainly, the Pirates got nothing from Archer. Interesting that all three of the players the Rays received will have had major IL stints. Hard to predict if Meadows will ever come back.

      Reply
  4. mlb1225

    1 year ago

    That sucks for the Rays and Baz. Never like to hear about TJ surgery, no matter how frequent it happens anymore.

    1
    Reply
  5. DarkSide830

    1 year ago

    Tampa did win the Archer trade, but it was by attrition.

    5
    Reply
    • Robertowannabe

      1 year ago

      Pretty much a tossup. All 4 players involved have spent significant time on the IL since the trade.

      Reply
      • cubshoops5

        1 year ago

        Meadows had a solid season for them and then they flipped him for Paredes who has 20 homers this season, people keep forgetting about that part too

        1
        Reply
        • hiflew

          1 year ago

          You shouldn’t really consider follow up deals when judging the original deal. It’s not Pittsburgh’s fault that Detroit was foolish enough to give up Paredes for a clearly not working Meadows.

          2
          Reply
        • cubshoops5

          1 year ago

          I mean, meadows was still an asset they acquired which they then used for another asset. I get the point you’re trying to make but to me they still got paredes as a direct result of the first trade

          1
          Reply
        • stymeedone

          1 year ago

          What are you smoking? Meadows was healthy, and Paredes had shown no power to that point, though he had hit for average in the minors. Now he can’t hit for average and only plays because Lowe is injured. What psychic power did you have that you foresaw Meadows coming down with Vertigo after the trade occurred, and then had Achilles problems? Too early to judge, especially if Lowe and Meadows are both healthy, next year.

          1
          Reply
        • Prospectnvstr

          1 year ago

          Hiflew: It’s called the domino effect or six degrees of separation. The players are considered assets to the team. Similar to stocks. They invest, hold, trade/sell them to try to improve their portfolio (team) either for the short term or the long term.

          Reply
    • KermitJagger

      12 months ago

      Yeah as a Pirates fan I feel better about this deal every year. Still a black mark in our history but not the all time worst trade it once looked like.

      Reply
  6. Latino Heat

    1 year ago

    Nooooo. Come on rays you need to beat the blue jays to save the Astros season!!

    Reply
  7. Latino Heat

    1 year ago

    Noooo!!! Rays you need to be the blue jays to keep them away from the Astros

    Reply
  8. holecamels35

    1 year ago

    Never get excited for how good your pitching looks, especially prospects. Always a matter of time, just hope they can bounce back and you can get some good years out of them when healthy. Teams like Detroit also had tons of top starting pitching prospects and it hasn’t amounted to much.

    Reply
  9. Sa'ed Faoul

    1 year ago

    Could be a big offseason for the Rays between Yandy Diaz, Ji-man Choi, Shane Baz, and Brandon Lowe, with all the prospects they need to find a spot for or trade.

    Reply
  10. HarryO

    1 year ago

    It sure seems like Tampa has more arm injuries than most teams. Maybe it’s because they’ve got a farm system full of “throwers” rather than “pitchers”. We’ll see if McClanahan is the next victim of their development philosophy.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Marlins Place Eury Perez On 15-Day Injured List, Select Jeff Lindgren

    Sandy Alcantara Shut Down For Rest Of 2023 Season

    Brandon Lowe To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Kneecap Fracture

    Rays Promote Junior Caminero

    Sean Doolittle Announces Retirement

    Tigers Name Jeff Greenberg General Manager

    Qualifying Offer Value To Land Around $20.5MM

    Shohei Ohtani Undergoes Elbow Surgery

    Marlins Claim Matt Moore From Guardians

    Rays To Announce New Stadium Deal

    Reds Designate Hunter Renfroe For Assignment

    Shohei Ohtani Out For Season With Oblique Strain

    Marcus Stroman To Pitch Out Of Bullpen

    Red Sox Fire Chaim Bloom

    Orioles Select Heston Kjerstad

    Jasson Dominguez To Undergo UCL Surgery

    Max Scherzer Unlikely To Return This Year Due To Teres Major Strain

    Ryan Mountcastle Being Evaluated For Shoulder Issue, Heston Kjerstad Promotion Possible

    Nationals Agree To Multi-Year Extension With Mike Rizzo

    Mets Reach Agreement To Hire David Stearns As President Of Baseball Operations

    Recent

    Fantasy Baseball Chat with Brad Johnson

    Reds Designate Kevin Newman For Assignment

    Offseason Outlook: Colorado Rockies

    The Opener: Robert, Cy Young, Astros/Mariners

    Braves Place Charlie Morton On 15-Day Injured List

    Quick Hits: Moore, Astros, Senga, Royals

    AL Central Notes: Paddack, Perez, Scholtens, Guardians

    Phillies Outright Drew Ellis

    MLBTR Chat Transcript

    NL East Notes: Arraez, Waldrep, Kay

    ad: 300x250_5_side_mlb

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Shohei Ohtani Rumors
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • 2023-24 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List
    • MLB Player Chats
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version