Rays Surprisingly Add Jack Suwinski in Trade With Dodgers
In this story:
The Tampa Bay Rays were active ahead of the MLB trade deadline, addressing several areas of need on the roster.
Right before the buzzer sounded on the 6 pm ET deadline, they got one more deal in. The Rays are acquiring Jack Suwinski from the Los Angeles Dodgers to shore up their outfield depth. According to Marc Topkin, in exchange, Tampa Bay is sending catcher Hunter Feduccia to the Dodgers.
It makes a lot of sense that Feduccia is on his way out of town after the Rays made a splash, acquiring Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins. He is going to almost certainly split time with Nick Fortes behind the plate, with Hicks excelling against right-handed pitching and Fortes doing his damage against lefties.
However, some people will certainly question the return. Outfield depth is something Tampa Bay has plenty of. There is already a logjam at the Major League level with Cedric Mullins, Chandler Simpson, Jonny DeLuca and Victor Mesa Jr. on the depth chart along with the versatile Ryan Vilade and Richie Palacios.
Rays acquire Jack Swuniski from Dodgers for Hunter Feduccia
It would even be hard for the Rays to justify having Suwinski above Jacob Melton on the organizational depth chart at this point. Melton has been on fire at Triple-A Durham since returning from injury and has certainly earned the opportunity to be the next man up in the outfield.
A left-handed slugger, Suwinski could have been brought aboard as insurance for Jake Fraley. Signed to a one-year deal this past winter after being non-tendered, he suffered a setback during his injury rehab that has clouded his return to the Big League team.
Mesa has thrived in his opportunity with the club, but having some extra insurance and depth within the organization is never a bad thing. Alas, fans would have assuredly preferred to see the team add some help in the infield, where second base has been a rough spot in the lineup.
#Rays are sending Hunter Feduccia back to #Dodgers https://t.co/9xdqEekzS5
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) August 3, 2026
Suwinski, who has not appeared in an MLB game in 2026, does provide some pop at the plate. He has a home run rate of 4.2%, which is well above the league average of 3.0%. However, that rate has dropped each year he has been a Big Leaguer, going from 5.2% as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022 down to 1.7% last year.
However, with Triple-A Oklahoma City, he has been raking. Suwinski has a .291/.386/.562 slash line with 21 home runs, 25 doubles and 72 RBI in 402 plate appearances.
That is two years in a row he has mashed in Triple-A, but the production has not carried over into the Major Leagues.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.