On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays traded left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs to the Athletics for a package highlighted by pitching prospect Joe Boyle.

The 25-year-old Missouri native made his major league debut in 2023 and has 16 games of experience under his belt at the major league level. He went 5-6 with a 5.23 ERA during that span.

However, when you look under the hood, people are very excited about what Boyle has the potential to bring to the Rays.

By Rays Metrics on social media:

The Rays acquired Joe Boyle (25) from OAK. He has an incredibly snappy 4-seam that goes all the way to 102, and a devastating slider to match.

The command is subpar, however, and the Rays will try to get him into the zone more often. He has held SP and RP positions.

And from “Fuzzy” at Underdog Fantasy:

Rays fans, introducing Joe Boyle

He’s 6’7, throws a million miles an hour and has an insane slider. In 93 innings in MLB/AAA last year, he had 127 strikeouts… and 79 walks!!!!!

If the Rays can figure out his command, he could be an absolute demon.

It’s unclear how the Rays view Boyle right now, as they figure to have Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Taj Bradley, Ryan Pepiot, Shane Baz and Zack Littell as rotation options ahead of Boyle. If the team wanted to put Boyle in the bullpen, he could become a late-game weapon for manager Kevin Cash.

THE Rays will spend its 2025 season playing minor league George M. Steinbrenner Stadium due to damage to Tropicana Field during Hurricane Milton.

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