Griffin Jax Reportedly Traded to Rays, RP Among 10 Twins Players Dealt Before Deadline

Yet another bullpen arm has been moved, and right before the buzzer.

The Tampa Bay Rays are reportedly acquiring reliever Griffin Jax, per ESPN's Jeff Passan, as the Minnesota Twins continued their comprehensive fire sale on Thursday.

The Twins were basically a retail store this past week, moving on from notable players like Jax, Jhoan Duran, Carlos Correa, Harrison Bader and Chris Paddack, among others. The team's clubhouse is going to have a much different look on Friday.

Meanwhile, the 30-year-old Jax is 1-5 this season with a 4.50 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 72 strikeouts in 46 innings. It's been a bit of a down year, though his ability to miss bats remains consistent—in 336.2 career innings, he has 378 strikeouts.

Jax will pair with Pete Fairbanks (2.90 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 34 strikeouts, 18 saves in 22 opportunities) in the back end of Tampa's bullpen.

The Rays focused on bolstering their pitching staff on Thursday, also swinging a deal with the Chicago White Sox for Adrian Houser.

It was uncertain whether the 54-56 Rays would be buyers or sellers on Thursday, with the AL East likely out of reach—the Rays trail the Toronto Blue Jays by 10 games. The Rays are just 3.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers for the final Wild Card berth, however.

It helps that Jax is under club control for two more seasons beyond 2025, making him far more than a rental. But it's also an indication that the Rays aren't folding on the current season.