Tampa Bay Rays acquire Dan Jennings from Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox continue to sell off bullpen arms, and the Tampa Bay Rays are the latest beneficiary.
The Tampa Bay Rays announced Thursday morning that they had acquired left-handed reliever Dan Jennings from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league first baseman Casey Gillaspie. To make room for Jennings on the 40-man roster, the club designated right-hander Diego Moreno for assignment.
The White Sox have recently focused on trading relief pitchers as they continue their rebuild. Last week they traded David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees along with Todd Frazier. On Tuesday they dealt Anthony Swarzak to the Brewers. Jennings was the next logical domino to fall.
The 30-year-old southpaw has been putting together a solid season, though perhaps not as impressive as last year’s. Jennings owns a 3.45 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 2.00 K/BB ratio over 44.1 innings. His 4.56 FIP tells a somewhat different story, however, as he has allowed home runs more frequently than usual (1.2 HR/9; career 0.6 HR/9) and he’s always been prone to walks (3.9 BB/9; career 4.0 BB/9).
Nevertheless, as the Rays themselves point out, Jennings boasts the third-best reliever ERA (2.33) since the start of August 2015, trailing only Zach Britton (1.41) and Andrew Miller (1.65). In 2016 he was quietly one of the more effective bullpen arms in the game, as he posted a 2.08 ERA over 60.2 innings. Incredibly, he also surrendered just one homer last season.
Jennings has been lethal against left-handed hitters this year, limiting them to a meager .169/.286/.211 slash line. No doubt Tampa Bay will make use of that. The only other lefty reliever currently on their roster is Adam Kolarek, who has thrown just 6.1 innings since making his big league debut last month.
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Eligible for free agency following the 2019 campaign, the Rays control Jennings for two more seasons beyond this one, providing them some extra value in the deal. He’ll join the third organization of his career after debuting with the Marlins in 2012 and spending the last three years with the White Sox.
Lefty relievers have been in high demand during this trade deadline season, with guys like Justin Wilson of the Tigers and Brad Hand of the Padres reportedly set for high asking prices by their respective clubs. Rather than pay a ransom for one of the top-tier options, Tampa Bay evidently decided to pursue a cheaper alternative that should still provide significant help to their bullpen. The Brewers took a similar path in acquiring Swarzak.
The Rays’ relievers haven’t been the team’s strongest point thus far. Their 4.34 ERA ranks 19th in baseball. Jennings should offer another dependable arm for manager Kevin Cash to call upon, and per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the club might not be done adding bullpen pieces either.
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Tampa Bay has remained one of the league’s more surprising contenders. They are only a game and a half behind the Yankees in the AL East, and 2.5 behind the Red Sox for the division lead. Look for them to continue seeking sensible upgrades for the stretch run.
The Rays begin a crucial four-game series against the Yankees in the Bronx tonight, one that could have a major impact on the division race.