The Tampa Bay Rays were recently involved in a trade exchange business with the Detroit Tigers as the two franchises swapped players on Monday. Starting from the release of outfielder Austin Meadows from Tampa and infielder Isaac Paredes from the Tigers together with a competitive balance round B pick in this season’s amateur draft for the Rays.
Meadows has to part ways with the Rays after playing for the franchise since 2018. He debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa decided to pick him relatively fresh from the Pirates soon after the 26-year-old is open for trade. Meadows was also involved in a July trade that year in a Chris Archer trade deal.
Meadows joins the Rays just at the right time and has helped the franchise improve last season, leading in AL East standings, eight-win points in front of the Yankees. Parting ways with Tampa presents a direct effect on the Yankees since New York has one less batter to worry about who has given them “fits” in the division last year.
The 26-year-old outfielder has played 375 career games that span over four seasons and recorded a batting average of .260, 70 home runs alongside 225 RBIs. Meadows made into the AL All-Star team in 2019 after he finished with a batting average of .291, 33 home runs and 89 RBIs.
As for Isaac Paredes, he had a little too close of a rough start before the Rays signed him. At the start of the 2021 season, Paredes did not earn a spot in the Tigers’ major lineup. Only on June 8 that year, the 23-year-old was recalled as No. 4 prospect from Triple-A Toledo.
Last season with Detroit, Paredes recorded a batting average of .208 and managed a single home run alongside five RBIs in 23 games.
