5:20 PM: Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Occasions notes that the commerce between the Phillies and Rays could possibly be for a participant to be named later or money issues.
5:11 PM: Mike Vasil wasn’t with the Phillies for lengthy. Quickly after the Phillies chosen the right-hander from the Mets within the Rule 5 draft, they rotated and flipped him to the Rays for money issues. Each groups have confirmed the deal.
As soon as a promising draft prospect in highschool, Vasil suffered an harm in his senior yr. He ended up withdrawing himself from the 2018 draft and attended the College of Virginia as an alternative. Sadly, his inventory plummeted after a tough few years in school. The Mets finally took him within the eighth spherical of the 2021 draft. To make issues worse, his struggles have solely continued in affiliated ball. Over 43 begins at Triple-A throughout the previous two seasons, he has pitched to a 5.78 ERA and 5.42 FIP.
Nonetheless, the Rays evidently noticed one thing they appreciated within the soon-to-be 25-year-old. Getting into the 2024 season, The Athletic’s Keith Regulation described Vasil as “a league-average starter at his peak with the potential to eat some innings.” Equally, the employees at Baseball America thought-about him “a high-probability starter who may match at no. 4 or 5 in a rotation.” After all, each of these observations got here earlier than his tough 2024 season (6.04 ERA, 5.75 FIP in 134 IP at Triple-A). Nonetheless, Vasil’s choice within the Rule 5 draft suggests the Rays see him as an arm that might eat main league innings in 2025. What’s extra, the Rays are identified to take pleasure in tinkering with pitchers’ arsenals, and Vasil’s big selection of pitches appears to have made him a very interesting goal. In line with Baseball Savant, Vasil threw six completely different pitches in 2024: a sinker, cutter, four-seam fastball, changeup, sweeper, and curveball.
Rays assistant GM Kevin Ibach praised Vasil’s versatility, telling Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, “There are plenty of alternative ways he can influence a 26-man roster, extra so than only a conventional reliever.”
It’s attainable the Rays and Phillies tentatively agreed to this swap earlier than the draft. Then once more, if the Phillies hadn’t picked Vasil, the Rays might have scooped him up themselves within the second spherical. The overwhelming majority of groups go in spherical two; this yr, solely the Braves made a second-round choice. Regardless, the Rays are presumably higher capable of think about giving Vasil important innings to pitch in 2025. As a Rule 5 decide, he wants to remain on his new workforce’s 40-man roster (or the 60-day IL) all season. In any other case, he must be positioned on waivers, and if he clears waivers, he should be supplied again to his unique membership (the Mets).
If Vasil thrives in a Rays uniform, he wouldn’t be their first Rule 5 commerce success. Two years in the past, the Rays acquired Kevin Kelly from the Rockies for money issues shortly after Colorado chosen him within the Rule 5 draft. Kelly has been one in all Tampa Bay’s prime relievers over the previous two seasons, pitching to a 2.88 ERA and three.34 SIERA in 125 appearances.
