The penny-pinching Athletics traded for Tampa Bay Rays hurler Jeffrey Springs Saturday after nearly pulling off a stunning free-agent acquisition last week.
Freed from Oakland, the A’s have begun to actually spend money this winter, as evidenced by the signing of pitcher Luis Severino. However, the $67 million handed to the former New York Mets starter would have paled in comparison to a deal that the now Sacramento-based club nearly pulled off.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the A’s were a major player in the market for former Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried before he signed with the New York Yankees.
“Believe or not, one of the most aggressive teams in the Max Fried sweepstakes were the Athletics before he signed his 8-year, $218 million deal with the Yankees,” Nightengale posted on X.
The $27.25 million AAV Fried got from the Bronx Bombers would have represented nearly half of the Athletics’ approximate current payroll of $62 million. It would have been an earth-shaking signing for a team that will be playing in a minor-league ballpark for at least the next three seasons.
However, Fried went to the Yankees, and the Athletics moved on to a Plan B.
According to multiple sources, including ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the A’s are acquiring Springs as part of a six-player trade with the Rays.
The deal will push the Athletics payroll into the $100 million range, Passan reports. The organization’s previous all-time high payroll was $98 million in 2019.
Springs brings a career ERA of 3.39 over seven big-league seasons. He rose to the occasion in his first campaign as a full-time starter in 2022, going 9-5 with a 2.46 ERA with the Rays.
However, an elbow injury led to Tommy John surgery in 2023, costing him the majority of the past two seasons.
He returned last year to go 2-2 with a 3.27 ERA in seven starts.
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