Rays Receive Excellent Mark for Trading Shane Baz to Orioles

What grade did the Tampa Bay Rays receive for trading Shane Baz to the Baltimore Orioles?

Sep 6, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays Pitcher Shane Baz (11) pitches in the first inning during their game with the Cleveland at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Chris Tilley-Imagn Images

Following the winter meetings, the Tampa Bay Rays got extremely active in the trade market with two significant deals that have changed the roster quite a bit as of now. 

It was a busy Friday afternoon for the Rays, who traded two key players in about an hour span. First, it was announced that they were doing a three-team deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros that was most notably sending Brandon Lowe to the Pirates. 

In return, they were able to acquire two top 10 prospects from the Astros, with Jacob Melton and Anderson Brito coming to Tampa Bay. Getting two top 10 prospects coming back in the deal that featured Lowe is a good return for the team. 

Furthermore, following that deal, it was arguably an even better one by the Rays. With the Baltimore Orioles needing help in their rotation, they elected to trade four prospects and a draft pick to Tampa Bay in exchange for Shane Baz. 

This appears to be quite the haul for the Rays, who made significant improvements to their farm system in both trades. However, the Baz deal was arguably the better of the two, and that was recently recognized. 

David Schoenfield of ESPN recently gave the Rays an excellent grade of an ‘A’ for their decision to trade the right-hander to the Orioles. 

Tampa Bay Gets Excellent Value

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

When this trade was announced, it appeared to be quite the haul for the Rays. Even though Baz is still under team control for the next few seasons, his numbers weren’t overly spectacular in 2025. Last season, he totaled a 10-12 record and 4.87 ERA. While there were some bright spots for him during the campaign, the overall numbers were not strong. 

For Baltimore to give up as much as they did, the Rays have to be very pleased with the return that they received. Getting four Top 30 caliber prospects from the Orioles’ system was impressive, and they also got a draft pick. 

Following the trade, it will be interesting to see what direction Tampa Bay goes in. This is a team that now has one of the best farm systems in baseball, with a plethora of new talent added. They could elect to become buyers with some of those players, or they could let them develop for the future. Even though it was a bit of a surprise to see them deal Baz, the team has to be pleased with the return.