A's Add Right-Hander From Tampa Bay Rays in Needed Trade
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With just days until the season is set to open, the A's have made a minor trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, a familiar trade partner. The A's are sending over Cooper Bowman, an intriguing prospect that never quite put it together with the A's, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Gerlin Rosario.
This is the type of trade that was somewhat expected for the A's to make, as they could use more lower-level pitching talent. Rosario is also Rule 5 eligible already, which could lead to some difficult decisions later this year if this trade pans out for the A's.
This trade adds some lower-level depth for the A's, while also providing a near-ready prospect for the Rays to potentially deploy later this season. At the very least, it provides both clubs with options to utilize moving forward.
Get to know Bowman and Rosario
Rosario, 24, spent the 2025 season with High-A Bowling Green, where he went 2-0 with a 2.27 ERA across 47 2/3 innings of work. He made 30 relief appearances with 43 strikeouts, 18 walks, and a .190 opponents batting average. In four minor league seasons within the Tampa Bay organization, Rosario was 9-5 with a 2.45 ERA to go along with 211 strikeouts in 205.2 innings pitched.
Bowman, 26, is a prospect with a little pop and some real wheels. In five minor-league seasons, Bowman has racked up 163 stolen bases, including a run of 47, 38 and 43 swipes from 2022-24. This past season he battled injuries and played in just 78 games, swiping 22 bags. Even with all of those attempts, he has only been caught 17 times, good for a success rate of 90.5%.
He should arguably be running more often, and perhaps that is that the Rays plan to do with him. Bowman certainly feels like the type of player that can excel with Tampa, because he is versatile and speedy, which will make him an issue for the opposition. This past season he spent the majority of his time in left field and at second base, but also collected time at first, third and right field.
Last offseason, the A's actually lost Bowman briefly in the Rule 5 Draft, with the Cincinnati Reds taking a chance on him, only to return him to the Athletics around this time last year.
He was originally acquired by the A's from the New York Yankees as part of the return for Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino, and is the third piece of the deal to leave the green and gold in a matter of months. JP Sears was traded to the San Diego Padres in the Mason Miller/Leo De Vries deal, while Ken Waldichuk was designated for assignment back in December.
He spent a couple of weeks with the Rays in January, before they too DFA'd him, and he landed with the Washington Nationals.
Overall, this trade addresses areas of need for both clubs, and is a very low-cost deal for each.
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Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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