When the Los Angeles Dodgers welcomed the Tampa Bay Rays into Dodger Stadium this past week, it was a welcome home for a pair of players in Ryan Pepiot and Jonny DeLuca.
This past offseason, the Dodgers dealt the pair to the Rays in exchange for right-hander Tyler Glasnow as the headliner. He was subsequently signed to a five-year, $136.5 million contract to be one of the ace arms in the National League West.
The Dodgers viewed Pepiot highly, but so did the Rays for them to covet him in the exact same light. For Pepiot, it was a new beginning that he now looks at as a positive change in his Major League career, per Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic:
“If they were going to trade me away, they traded me to a great place,” Pepiot told The Athletic. “It’s been a blessing.”
Pepiot has posted a 3.61 ERA across 104.2 innings with 110 strikeouts over the course of his first, full big league season.
The 27-year-old is still under team control, with several years of arbitration. To this, being give the runway to pitch at the front of the Rays starting rotation without worry has helped him in the mental aspect, as well:
“It’s been a big weight off your shoulders,” Pepiot said. “You don’t have to look over your shoulder, don’t have to worry about what’s next. If I throw the ball well, am I staying? If I don’t throw the ball well, am I going down? … The process has yielded results early in the season and it’s going to continue to do that. Just get back to that process. Don’t make it too difficult. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
Pepiot unfortunately won’t be pitching in the postseason in 2024, and with a churn going on with the Rays this season, there’s a possibility he’s once again dealt to another contender in the coming years.
Some commonality between the Rays and Dodgers shouldn’t be lost on why he’s continued his current upward trajectory as their philosophies are very similar.
Looking back at Ryan Pepiot trade
Through the majority of the 2024 season, the debate between the winner of the trade that involved Glasnow, Pepiot and DeLuca, is a viable conversation. Outfielder Manuel Margot was also sent back to the Dodgers in the deal, but was flipped to the Minnesota Twins after a short time.
DeLuca has overall been very subpar in his new landing spot, posting a .568 on-base plus slugging. His second-half has been better than his first, and he’ll continue to grow with the Rays.
For Pepiot, he missed some time with some lower leg issues, but overall has been tops around the league in some notable swing and miss categories. In the second-half of the year, Pepiot owns a 2.08 ERA in 17.1 innings pitched.
The financial obligation to Glasnow is notable, and given the production from Pepiot, there is an argument that this trade was one that could have been over the top.
Still, the Dodgers landed an ace for their rotation, and they will rely on Glasnow in October.
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