Shortstop Willy Adames and right-hander Trevor Richards have been traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for two relief pitchers, it was announced Friday.
In return, the Rays will be getting right-handers Drew Rasmussen and J.P. Feyereisen.
Adames’ departure leaves the door open for any of a number of shortstop prospects for the Rays, including Wander Franco, Taylor Walls or Vidal Brujan. Walls was called up Friday from Triple-A Durham, where he is batting .327 with 2 home runs and 10 RBIs in 14 games.
The 20-year-old Franco, a switch-hitter, is widely considered the top prospect in all of baseball.
Adames, 25, had a .197 batting average with 5 home runs and 15 RBIs this season, his fourth with Tampa Bay. He is a .254 career hitter with 43 home runs and 124 RBIs.
The acquisition of Adames gives the Brewers some help at shortstop, which had been a growing concern. Luis Urias, a first-year starter, is hitting .205 and has nine errors in 38 games.
Brewers president/GM David Stearns said he’s had his eye on Adames for months. He also said Urias would transition into a “super utility” role.
Richards, 28, has a 4.50 ERA with 1 save and 16 strikeouts this season for Tampa Bay.
Feyereisen, 28, is 0-2 with a 3.26 ERA in 21 appearances this season. The 25-year-old Rasmussen is 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA and one save in 15 games.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.