As spring training nears, news abounds about one of the key contributors to the Tampa Bay Rays’ bullpen, Garrett Cleavinger, who has been rumored to be “drawing trade interest,” according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
While rumors surrounding the Rays and trades are very often just that, it’s still fun to dive into some potential returns for the lefty. Before doing so, it’s important to establish just how valuable Cleavinger is to not only the Rays but, more importantly, to the teams potentially acquiring the former Los Angeles Dodger.
Possible Trade Returns for Rays Reliever Garret Cleavinger
To start with some baseline contributions by the southpaw, Cleavinger posted a 4.00 and a 3.59 FIP in the past two seasons, each coming in around 60 innings apiece.
His K/9 rate increased by about 1.5 strikeouts per 9 innings from 2024 to 2025, while his BB/9 rate decreased by about 2.
Cleavinger held pretty neutral production versus both righties and lefties last year, with each handedness putting up around a .272 wOBA. He didn’t tire throughout the season, with his xFIP actually decreasing in the second half.
He gets to these numbers with a mostly sinker-slider mix that produces exceptional whiff and barrel rates. That marks a shift from his 2024 approach, where he leaned a good bit more on his four-seam/cutter combination that produced above-average (but not quite good) results.
Knowing the Rays, the idea of another team unlocking another gear for Cleavinger might be a bit far-fetched, but that shouldn’t discourage teams from trading for the soon-to-be-32-year-old, as he’d be the best left-handed reliever on quite a few bullpens.
So, without any more hemming and hawing about how good Cleavinger is, here are some potential trade fits for the Rays if they end up dealing one of their better high-leverage relievers.
Rays Add Some Mayo to Their Team
Woof, that’s a rough pun to start out, but the basic premise is the Rays getting corner infield power-bat Coby Mayo from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Garrett Cleavinger.
This is a steep price for the Orioles to pay, making this one of the less realistic returns, as a power bat like Mayo could command a good bit more than a left-handed reliever. But Cleavinger is under contract for another season, and other teams throughout baseball know that while Mayo has options, their recent signing of Pete Alonso, the extension given to Samuel Basallo, and Jordan Westburg‘s emergence as a solid third baseman make Mayo expendable.
Baltimore might be selling low on Mayo in this case, and the reasoning is valid, as he’s struggled in his 102 games in the majors.
His wRC+ of 81 over that time frame is incredibly discouraging. Couple that with him being an average defender at a couple of low-impact defensive positions, and there is a case to be made that Mayo might be a bust. But taking a look at his minor league marks, combined with his lack of consistent playing time in the bigs, there’s also reason for optimism for the 24-year-old.
Mayo absolutely mashed at Triple-A during his 2023-2024 campaigns, posting a 98th percentile max exit velocity, a 13.7% barrel rate, as well as a .475 xSLG.
His spray chart also inspires hope, especially as the Rays move back into the Trop for the 2026 season, with a 28% pulled air % in his 2024 Triple-A season.
So, this might be a bit of an overpay for the Orioles, but hey, crazier things have happened, and the Orioles need bullpen help.
Rays’ Garrett Cleavinger Drawing Trade Interest https://t.co/A4Ruk3dn0O pic.twitter.com/ZBxBvxc46L
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) February 15, 2026
Cubbies Get Cleav
This is less about the return the Rays would get for Garrett Cleavinger and more about the fit for the Chicago Cubs.
Realistically, this might be the best fit, as the Cubs’ bullpen is light on talent across the board, but especially for lefties. Hoby Milner is a fun cult hero, especially as a former Ray, but his status as one of their two best lefty relievers might leave some folks wishing for more, especially in a suddenly competitive National League Central division.
The Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers aren’t going anywhere after their successful 2025 seasons, and the Pittsburgh Pirates made some additions in the offseason to bolster what should be one of the most talented young pitching staffs in baseball.
For the Rays, there’s not a perfect hand-in-glove fit in terms of major league-ready talent (no, Kevin Alcántara isn’t a realistic return for a left-handed reliever). Still, the team always has a way of finding hidden gems in the lower levels of teams’ farm systems. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them find another in Chicago’s.
Tigers Create Trio of Nasty Lefties
Tyler Holton is a quality left-handed reliever who can go multiple innings or open some games to set up a bullpen day or a long-term bulk man to fill the rest of a game’s innings.
The Detroit Tigers should also be very excited about Brant Hurter‘s excellent 2025 season, as he posted a sub-2.50 ERA over 63 innings on the strength of a very good sinker-sweeper combination.
So why not add another guy who can come in and shut the door with a funky release?
Hurter and Cleavinger are all arms and legs coming at hitters from around-30-degree arm angles, and they both have similar stuff with filthy sliders/sweepers and sinkers.
Not the worst thing in the world to have two of those guys. For the Rays, they could either take a shot at a lower-level minor leaguer (similar to the Cubs’ return) or see if they can find something in middle infielder Trey Sweeney. He has struggled mightily in his time with the Tigers’ major league club on both sides of the ball. However, he still has the size and prospect pedigree to perhaps be a fun project player for 2026 and beyond.
Main Photo Credit: © Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images