Sep 24, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe (11) at bat against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired second baseman Logan Forsythe from the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.
Tampa Bay picked up top pitching prospect Jose De Leon in the trade and also signed fellow right-hander Shawn Tolleson to a one-year, $1 million deal. Tolleson’s contract includes an additional $1.15 million in incentives, the club announced.
Forsythe, who spent the last three seasons with the Rays, batted .254 with a career-high 20 homers and 52 RBIs in 127 games in 2016. The 30-year-old batted .255 with 55 homers and 203 RBIs in six seasons with the San Diego Padres and Rays.
De Leon posted a 2-0 mark with a 6.35 ERA in four starts in September last season. The 24-year-old owned a 7-1 record with a 2.61 ERA in 16 starts with Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2016.
“We are very excited to add Jose De Leon to the Rays organization. He’s a talented starting pitching prospect who can soon become a key member of our Major League rotation,” Tampa Bay general manager Erik Neander said in a statement. “It’s a bittersweet day, though, as we part ways with Logan Forsythe in this trade. He’s not only a first-class player, but he’s also a great teammate and leader in the clubhouse. We will miss him, and we thank him for all he did as a Ray.”
Tolleson, 29, recorded a 2-2 mark with 11 saves and a 7.68 ERA in 37 relief appearances in 2016 before a lower-back strain sidelined him for the final two months of the season.
