According to Tampa Bay Times Rays insider Marc Topkin, the Tampa Bay Rays have traded RHP Drew Smith to the New York Mets for 1B Lucas Duda.
Duda has been a part of the Mets since 2010 and emerged as a prime trade candidate in advance of the July 31 deadline because he's on an expiring deal that is paying him $7.2 million this season. He owns a .246/.347/.532 line with 17 homers in 75 games with New York so far this season.
PRESS RELEASE FROM TAMPA BAY RAYS COMMUNICATIONS
The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired first baseman Lucas Duda from the New York Mets in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Drew Smith. He will wear No. 21.
Outfielder Shane Peterson was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Duda and on the 25-man roster for left-handed pitcher Dan Jennings, who was acquired earlier today from the Chicago White Sox.
Jennings is active for tonight’s game in New York. Duda is expected to join the Rays for tomorrow’s game with a corresponding move to be announced at that time.
Duda (DOO-duh), 31, is batting .246/.347/.532 (62-for-252) with 17 home runs and 37 RBI in 75 games (67 starts) this season. The left-handed batter leads the Mets with 21 doubles, ranks second in slugging pct. (min. 50 games) and third in home runs, walks (37) and on-base pct. (min. 50 games). He is batting .283 (13-for-46) in 13 games (12 starts) since the All-Star break, compared to .238 (49-for-206) in the first half. Over his eight-year career, all with the Mets, he is batting .246/.343/.457 (614-for-2,494) with 125 home runs and 378 RBI, and 105 of those home runs have come against right-handed pitching. He has made 442 career starts at first base (including all 67 of his starts this season), 115 starts in right field and 108 starts in left field.
Duda ranks seventh on the Mets’ all-time home run list and has 71 home runs at Citi Field, most in the ballpark’s history. He has 16 career multi-homer games, including 10 multi-homer games since the start of the 2015 season, tied for fifth in the majors over that span behind Khris Davis (13), Chris Davis (12), Giancarlo Stanton (12) and Nolan Arenado (11). He was selected by the Mets in the seventh round of the 2007 June Draft out of the University of Southern California.
Smith, 23, was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the third round of the 2015 June Draft out of Dallas Baptist University. He joined the Rays organization in late-April this season as the player to be named for outfielder Mikie Mahtook. Between the two organizations and four teams—Class-A Lakeland (Tigers), Class-A Charlotte, Triple-A Durham and Double-A Montgomery—this season, he is 1-2 with a 1.60 ERA (45-IP, 8-ER) and 7 saves in 31 appearances. Following today’s trade of minor league first baseman Casey Gillaspie to the White Sox, MLB.com ranked Smith as the No. 30 prospect in the Rays organization. He is 5-4 with a 1.80 ERA (124.2-IP, 25-ER) across three minor league seasons.
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