Getty Image / Dylan Buell
We are just a day away from the start of the MLB regular season, but it appears that a couple of teams weren’t quite ready for their offseason fun to come to an end.
The Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays are set to begin their regular seasons against each other tomorrow in the first game of a 3-game series at Tropicana Field.
Today, those two teams decided to have one player switch sides of that matchup as they squeezed in one last trade before the start of the season.
According to Tigers beat writer Evan Petzold, the Tigers have acquired outfielder Grant Witherspoon from the Rays.
Sources: The #Tigers have acquired outfielder Grant Witherspoon in a trade with the Rays.
Witherspoon, 26, hit .266 with 17 home runs, 45 walks and 112 strikeouts in 115 games with Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham last season.
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) March 29, 2023
The Rays will be receiving cash in exchange for Witherspoon.
Can confirm the Tigers are sending cash to the Rays in exchange for OF Grant Witherspoon
Witherspoon hit .266 with 17 home runs in the minors last year. He'll start in the minors with the Tigers.
— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) March 29, 2023
The Tampa Bay Rays drafted Witherspoon in the 4th round of the 2018 MLB Draft and he has since worked his way up through the minor league ranks.
Last year he split his time between the Durham Bulls and the AA team with one of minor league baseball’s best names, the Montgomery Biscuits.
His AAA performance last season wasn’t the most impressive as he hit just .241 with 10 home runs and 28 RBIs while striking out 65 times in 66 games.
With those numbers, Witherspoon may have had a tough time making it to the majors with a playoff contender like the Rays, but he could have a shot to compete for a spot on the Detroit Tigers’ major league roster.