ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays completed a trade with the Braves on Monday that added depth to two potential areas of need and brought back a former Tampa Bay farmhand.
The Rays acquired utility infielder Brett Wisely and left-hander Ken Waldichuk from the Braves in exchange for a player to be named or cash considerations. To make room on their 40-man roster, the Rays designated right-hander Osvaldo Bido and infielder Tsung-Che Cheng for assignment.
TRADE DETAILS
Rays get: INF Brett Wisely, LHP Ken Waldichuk
Braves get: Player to be named or cash considerations
Wisely, 26, was Tampa Bay’s 15th-round pick in the 2019 Draft out of Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Fla. After a few strong seasons in the Rays system, including a run as Double-A Montgomery’s MVP, he was traded to the Giants in a prospect-for-prospect deal for outfielder Tristan Peters in November 2022.
Wisely debuted for the Giants in 2023 and spent the last three years bouncing between San Francisco and Triple-A Sacramento before being claimed off waivers by the Braves in September. The Braves designated Wisely for assignment last week to make room for the addition of George Soriano. He is out of Minor League options.
In 168 Major League games over parts of three seasons, Wisely has produced a .214/.265/.319 slash line and 0.6 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball-Reference. But he has shown a knack for playing all over the field, getting big league work at second base (107 games), shortstop (39), third base (seven) and first (one) while also appearing in center field (19 games) and left field (one).
Cheng could also compete for that job in Spring Training if he clears waivers and remains in the organization, although he has a Minor League option remaining. The Rays just claimed Cheng off waivers from the Pirates last Thursday before choosing to DFA him on Monday.
Waldichuk, 28, was once a Top 100 Prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The A’s designated him for assignment earlier this offseason, then the Braves DFA’d him on Saturday after re-signing Tyler Kinley. The lefty pitched for the A’s in 2022-23, then underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024 and didn’t get back on the mound until last June.
His numbers last year would seem to indicate some rust upon his return, as he posted an 8.17 ERA and 1.96 WHIP in the Minors with 68 strikeouts and 42 walks in 54 innings over 17 outings, including 16 starts.
But Waldichuk has Minor League options remaining, so if he stays on the roster, the Rays could send him to Triple-A for further refinement. He would add depth to Tampa Bay’s rotation, which could include Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot, Steven Matz and, potentially, Joe Boyle, Ian Seymour, Yoendrys Gómez or Jesse Scholtens.
The Rays could also use more left-handed depth in general, as the only lefty relievers on their 40-man roster are Garrett Cleavinger and Joe Rock.
