Back in 2013, Matt Moore looked like the future of the Tampa Bay Rays' starting rotation. Now he's headed to San Francisco to bolster the Giants' quest for an NL West pennant. The 27-year old left handed pitcher will move west after being traded to the Giants on Monday afternoon.
Rays trade Matt Moore to Giants for Matt Duffy, prospects
Tampa Bay embraced its rebuild by trading away a pitcher who once ranked behind only Mike Trout and Bryce Harper on prospect lists.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
In return, the Rays received third baseman Matt Duffy along with minor league prospects Lucius Fox and Michael Santos.
Moore was MLB.com’s No. 3 ranked prospect in 2011 and broke into the Tampa Bay rotation in 2012 with 175 strikeouts in 177⅓ innings. He was even better his sophomore campaign, going 17-4 as the budding star of the Rays staff.
However, Tommy John surgery limited him to only 14 total starts in 2014 and 2015. He hasn’t been as impressive in 2016, but he’s still been effective. Moore has a 4.08 ERA and career-low walk rate through 21 starts.
In return, the Rays will receive a 25-year old third baseman with major league experience as well as a pair of prospects. Matt Duffy has slumped after a strong 2015 campaign in which he finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting, with his OPS falling from .762 that year to .671 this season, but he's a live young bat who will give Tampa Bay additional depth at third base behind Evan Longoria.
Lucius Fox is a lightning-fast 19-year old shortstop currently playing in Single-A ball. He played high school baseball in America, but a senior-year move to the Bahamas made him an international free agent. The Giants showed their faith in the young infielder by offering him a $6 million contract.
He’s still years away from making an impact in the big leagues, but his athleticism and defensive skill could make him a contributor at short or in center field.
Michael Santos isn’t as well-regarded as Fox, but the lanky right-hander has the frame to be an effective pitcher down the line. The 6’4 Dominican has a fastball that ranges into the mid-90s and three more pitches he can throw for strikes -- a slider, curveball, and change-up.
Prior to Monday’s trade, MLB.com ranked Santos as San Francisco’s 24th-best prospect, while Fox rated fourth.
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