By Fred Goodall, The Associated Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays have traded a key component of their offense for a young pitcher the budget-minded franchise believes can help it re-emerge as a playoff contender.
Second baseman Logan Forsythe was dealt Monday to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Jose De Leon, a 24-year-old right-hander who’s viewed as one of the top starting pitching prospects in baseball.
Rays senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager Erik Neander described the opportunity to land a player with De Leon’s potential as simply too good to pass up.