Tampa Bay Rays Land Elite Reliever in Last-Minute Deal at Trade Deadline

The Rays bolstered their bullpen by giving up recently demoted right-handed starter Taj Bradley.

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Griffin Jax (22) yells to his team as he comes off the field after pitching against the Texas Rangers during the game at Globe Life Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In a last-minute move before the trade deadline, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired right-handed reliever Griffin Jax from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday.

The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired RHP Griffin Jax from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for RHP Taj Bradley.

— Rays Communications (@RaysPR) July 31, 2025

The Rays sent 24-year-old right-hander Taj Bradley to the Twins as compensation for Jax.

The deal happened in a flurry of moves made by the Rays' front office this week. The deals -- seven in all -- included trading starting right-hander Zack Littell to the Cincinnati Reds and shortstop José Caballero to the New York Yankees. Caballero is the American League leader in stolen bases with 34.

Moving on from Bradley

The Rays demoted the 24-year-old Bradley to Triple-A Durham on July 24 after he surrendered four earned runs in 1.2 innings against the Chicago White Sox the day prior. In his third season with the Rays, Bradley registered a 6-6 record over 21 starts with a 4.61 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in 111.1 innings pitched. 

“I think there's no dispute about the talent, where Taj is, and I certainly wish him well and a ton of success,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said after Thursday’s 7-4 loss to the Yankees. “Taj has a chance to be a very good major league pitcher for a long time.”

Wednesday night, Bradley pitched seven-no hit innings for the Bulls against the Gwinnett Stripers (Atlanta Braves affiliate).

Boost to the bullpen

In Jax, the Rays get a legitimate bullpen piece who ranks third among relievers in Major League Baseball with 72 strikeouts. His chase rate is in the 100th percentile, while his whiff and strikeout rates sit in the 99th and 98th percentiles, respectively. He is under team control through the 2027 season.

“We think really highly of Griffin Jax,” Cash said. “We have for a long time. He's going to make our team better; we feel really good about that.”

“This is the guy that you put in your bullpen," Cash continued, "and you immediately get better the second he puts on our uniform.”

Related Rays Stories

• RAYS TRADE BIG CONTRIBUTOR TO DIVISION RIVAL: The Rays made the most of the waning minutes before the MLB Trade Deadline with the decision to move José Caballero to the New York Yankees. CLICK HERE

• RAYS RAVAGED BY INJURIES: The Rays lost three key players to injury before the fifth inning of their Thursday game concluded. CLICK HERE

• ZACK LITTELL REACTS TO TRADE: With less than 24 hours to go until the MLB trade deadline, the Tampa Bay Rays made the decision to sell big. CLICK HERE