Locally grown reliever could be ideal target for Rays after being DFA'd by Tigers

Alex Faedo, a local guy, could be a great addition for a Rays bullpen that might not have room for him at the majors, but could certainly afford to do some shuffling and give him a shot if he passes through waivers or even if they determine he's better than their current internal options.

After attending Alonso High School, Faedo went to the University of Florida and had enough success to get drafted in the first round of the 2017 draft.
After attending Alonso High School, Faedo went to the University of Florida and had enough success to get drafted in the first round of the 2017 draft. | Duane Burleson/GettyImages

While he's not a household name, Alex Faedo quietly had a productive 2024 campaign by pure result metrics, if not posting wonderful under-the-radar marks.

The Tigers decided to move on from the former Florida Gator, designating him for assignment after signing veteran reliever Tommy Kahnle to a 1-year deal.

While Faedo might not be the dominant, lights-out reliever of Pete Fairbanks' ilk, he could be an interesting guy to look at as a depth option as the Rays always love to find hidden gems in the bullpen.

Faedo sports a 4-pitch mix, featuring a four-seamer, a sinker, a slider, and a changeup, mostly using his slider, fastball, and changeup, with his sinker just being added in 2024 and being used sparringly.

The big plus for Faedo over the past couple of seasons has been his ability to limit hard contact, and last season he was able to miss a lot of bats, with a 31.1% whiff rate that was among the best in baseball.

Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to limit the walks, and with a fastball that sits around 94, that's not super encouraging.

He does have a very good slider, which he used at a 40% clip for very good reason last season, as it's a pitch that's rated at 112 in Stuff+ for his career.

Alex Faedo
Faedo sports a solid slider and a changeup that showed some improvement in 2024, but his fastball isn't great and he needs to clean up his walks. | Nic Antaya/GettyImages

His changeup has quite a bit of tail, averaging 16.4 inches in that category, making for an interesting pitch that could be well-equipped to go through the Rays' pitching lab, especially as it graded out at 108 last season in Stuff+, the best mark for that pitch so far in his career.

The Rays could tell him to scrap the sinker and increase his changeup usage while bringing down his fastballs, or if they figure something out with his sinker they could have him scrap the fastball entirely.

Regardless, his big whiff rate and consistent ability to induce weak contact could be something for the Rays to work with moving forward, especially as injuries undoubtedly come.

It wouldn't be shocking to see the Rays pass on Faedo on waivers with their 40-man roster being full, but if he happens to pass through unclaimed (which isn't out of the ordinary) and he decides to explore other options, the Rays could bring him on with a chance to go to work in their pitching lab and compete in Spring Training for a spot in the bullpen.

If not, the Rays are still incredibly well-equipped to be a great team in all aspects, especially in the bullpen, where they're always strong.

Schedule