The Tampa Bay Rays made two separate trades on Monday. In the process, they traded a catcher to the Milwaukee Brewers and acquired a catcher from the Miami Marlins.
What were the trades made?
The Rays traded catcher Danny Jansen of Elmhust, Illinois to the Milwaukee Brewers for infielder prospect Jadher Areinamo of Maracay, Venezuela. Areinamo has versatility as he can play second base, third base and shortstop. According to Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors, the Rays will include cash in the deal.
Then, the Marlins traded catcher Nick Fortes of Miami, Florida to the Rays for minor league infielder Matthew Etzel of Webster, Texas. Like Areinamo, Etzel has versatility as he can play left field, centerfield, and right field.
Why were the trades made?
The Brewers were in need of catching depth because the Brewers’s two-time All-Star catcher William Contreras of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela has been playing with a broken finger lately and may need some time off. Fortes will now be the primary catcher for Tampa Bay with Matt Thaiss of Jackson, New Jersey as his backup.
Who has Jansen played for in the past?
The Brewers will be Jansen’s fourth Major League Baseball team. He was previously with the Toronto Blue Jays for seven seasons from 2017 to 2024, the Boston Red Sox in 2024, and the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025. While with the Blue Jays and Red Sox last season, Jansen was in the unique situation where he played for both teams in the same game.
Who has Fortes played for in the past?
Fortes has been with the Marlins the last five seasons. He is being traded without switching states.
Jansen in 2025
Jansen is batting .204 with 11 home runs and 29 runs batted in. During 73 games, 221 at bats, and 259 plate appearances, Jansen has scored 28 runs and had 45 hits, eight doubles, 33 walks, 86 total bases, one sacrifice bunt, one sacrifice fly, an on base percentage of .314 and slugging percentage of .389.
Both sacrifices came in Rays wins over the Kansas City Royals. The sacrifice fly came in a 5-1 Rays win over the Royals on June 24, and the sacrifice bunt came in a 3-0 Rays win over the Royals on June 25.
Fortes in 2025
Fortes is batting .240 with two home runs and 10 runs batted in. During 59 games, 129 at bats and 141 plate appearances, he has scored 11 runs and had 31 hits, six doubles, one triple, 45 total bases, two sacrifice bunts, one sacrifice fly, an on base percentage of .288 and slugging percentage of .349. The triple came in a 5-4 Marlins win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 27. The sacrifice fly came in an 11-9 Marlins win over the Washington Nationals on June 13.
