Division Rival Reportedly Trading Former Red Sox Catcher

An American League East adversary made their first moves of a potentially fascinating deadline on Monday.

The Tampa Bay Rays are finalizing a trade that sends Danny Jansen to the Milwaukee Brewers, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Rays will receive infield prospect Jadher Areinamo for the former Red Sox catcher and cash considerations.

However, the move may not reveal the Rays as sellers. They quickly replaced Jansen by acquiring Nick Fortes from the Miami Marlins, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand said Tampa Bay is sending minor league outfielder Matthew Etzel to Miami.

The trade moves Jansen outside the AL East for the first time in his career. He spent over six seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, who traded the right-handed hitter to Boston almost exactly a year ago.

Jansen showcased significant power by slugging .487 from 2021 to 2023, but he was batting .212/.303/.369 before last summer’s move. He didn’t fare any better in Boston, hitting .188 with three home runs in 30 games.

Although he’s batting .204, Jansen tallied 11 long balls and a .703 OPS for Tampa Bay this season. The 30-year-old was receiving his most playing time in years, but his starting opportunities will likely dwindle behind William Contreras in Milwaukee.

Tampa Bay sacrifices offense by replacing Jansen with Fortes, a career .225/.277/.344 hitter with 25 home runs in 1,073 plate appearances. However, the 28-year-old has the same WAR as Jansen (0.7) on FanGraphs due to his defense.

Statcast rates Jansen as the worst pitch-framer among 56 qualified catchers. Fortes is 12th on that leaderboard with the sixth-best strike rate.

These deals don’t clarify Tampa Bay’s deadline agenda. They’re 53-53 entering a four-game series with the New York Yankees, but the Rays will reportedly consider moving Yandy Diaz and other veterans amid a four-game losing streak.