You know the phrase, “The rich keep getting richer?” That’s exactly what the Los Angeles Dodgers are doing. Not even a week after signing the best player in all of baseball Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers have struck a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, trading rising star Ryan Pepiot and Jonny Deluca for Tyler Glasnow and Manuel Margot. The news was announced by ESPN's Jeff Passan this morning.
The Dodgers needed a number two starter to compliment Walker Buehler and Glasnow does exactly that as last season he pitched to a 10-7 record in 21 games with a 3.53 ERA. Along with that, he struck out 162 batters in 120 innings while only walking 37. The worry with Glasnow is always going to be his injury history as he was sidelined with a forearm injury in 2019, and most recently Tommy John surgery that sidelined him all of 2021 and almost all of 2022. When healthy he’s electric and be an integral piece to the Dodgers rotation for years to come by signing a 4 year, 110-million-dollar contract along with the 25 million he’s already earning this year, which will keep him under contract until his age 35 season.
Manuel Margot is a solid platoon bat to have in the outfield, allowing guys like James Outman and Jason Hayward to get days off. In 99 games last year Margot hit to the tune of a .264 batting average with 4 home runs and 38 RBIs along with 21 doubles and an above-average glove and speed in the outfield. For a team that needs some bonafide role players, Margot will be just fine for them, just happy it’s not Arozarena who went back.
As for the return for the Rays, the highlight of the deal is RHP Ryan Pepiot. Last year in 42 innings he pitched to a 2.14 ERA, striking out 38 and only walking 5. He’s a young guy, only 26 years old, and a former top prospect in a relatively loaded Dodgers system. Why he’s the “highlight” of the deal is due to what the Rays do with their pitching. Simply put, they can turn a nobody into a somebody and Pepiot has already seen success at the majors so one can only imagine what the Rays will do with his untapped potential.
Jonny Deluca on the other hand is a 25-year-old outfielder who made his debut last season with the Dodgers. In 24 games (45 plate appearances) he hit .262 with only 2 home runs and 6 RBIs. Small sample size but the kid is young and can play all 3 outfield positions and takes over the role that Margot had on the Rays, he’s just younger and has a lot more control as he’s not a free agent until 2030.
Final Verdict
Overall this was a good trade for both sides.
LA got another ace-caliber pitcher for a rather weak rotation along with a solid roll player while Tampa Bay got a young pitcher with a lot of potential in Pepiot and a young controllable outfielder in Deluca. Win-win for both sides as we know the Rays weren’t going to pay Glasnow.
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