The Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels completed a three-team trade Thursday, as reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Outfielder Josh Lowe went from the Rays to the Angels, infielder Gavin Lux and minor league pitcher Chris Clark will go to Tampa Bay, and left-handed reliever Brock Burke will go to the Reds as part of the deal.
Lowe, who turns 28 on Feb. 2, is arguably the most important piece of this deal. Last season, the right fielder hit .220/.283/.366 with 21 doubles, 11 homers, 40 RBIs and 18 stolen bases in 108 games with the Rays.
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A first-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2016 (13th overall), Lowe had his best season in 2023 when he hit 20 home runs with 83 RBIs and 32 steals, batting .292/.335/.500. He is arbitration eligible for the first time this year, giving the Angels three years of control of the club.
In return, the Rays get Lux, who hit .269/.350/.374 with five homers and 53 RBIs in his lone season for the Reds after being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers. He still has one season of arbitration eligibility remaining before becoming a free agent. In six MLB seasons, Lux is a .256/.332/.381 hitter with 33 home runs and 208 RBIs. He primarily played second base, but also appeared at shortstop, left field, and center field.
Additionally, Tampa Bay adds Clark. The 24-year-old right-hander pitched primarily in Single-A last year, eventually moving up to High-A and then Double-A. Overall, he compiled a 4.73 ERA and a 4-10 record with 153 strikeouts in 144 2/3 innings. Clark was the Angels’ fifth-round selection in 2023 out of Harvard.
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Burke comes to Cincinnati after pitching the last two seasons with the Angels. Last year, the southpaw notched a 3.36 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings. Burke, 29, was originally a third-round pick of the Rays in 2014, but finally reached the big leagues with the Texas Rangers in 2019. In five MLB seasons, he has a 3.88 ERA with a rate of 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
