The Tampa Bay Rays traded catching prospect Roberto Hernandez and utility prospect Nick Sogard to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for relievers Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza. Springs has pitched significant portions of the past three seasons in the majors and will slide into an already deep Rays bullpen mix, but maybe the more interesting trade target is Mazza, who will be 31 year old starter/long reliever with a 5.05 ERA over only 46.1 major league innings.
In most years, on most teams, a pitcher like Mazza would be an afterthought. But for the Tampa Bay, coming off the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he figures to be a part of arguably the most radical experiment in pitcher usage the Rays have tried yet.