A trio of teams rarely thought of as in the running for top-tier free agents reportedly struck a deal nonetheless Thursday, as the Los Angeles Angels, Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays agreed to a trade involving four players, multiple outlets reported.
The deal would see the Angels send left-hander Brock Burke to the Reds and righty Chris Clark to the Rays, with the Reds sending infielder Gavin Lux to the Rays and outfielder Josh Lowe to the Angels.
Lowe is the most proven player of the bunch, a .250 hitter with a .721 OPS across four seasons (plus two games in his call-up year in 2021) with the Rays.
In 403 career games, the 27-year-old has 43 home runs and 170 RBIs with 79 stolen bases and only eight caught stealing. His best season was 2023, when he hit .292 with 20 homers, 83 RBIs and 32 steals in 135 games — all career-best marks.
Lowe also brings versatility to Anaheim as he has played all three outfield positions in his career (with the overwhelming majority of his time spent in right field).
Lux, once a top prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization, will play for his third team in as many seasons in 2026. After winning the World Series with the Dodgers in 2024, Lux was traded to the Reds last January.
In his one season in Cincinnati, the 28-year-old played in a career-high 140 games and batted .269 with five home runs and 53 RBIs. Lux is another player with defensive versatility, with at least 69 games played at shortstop, left field and second base, with games also played in center, right and third base.
Lux has batted .256 in his 552 career games, leading the National League in triples with seven in 2022. A knee injury suffered in spring training in 2023 cost him all of that season.
Burke, 29, is a veteran of five seasons with 214 career appearances, including eight starts. With the Angels last season Burke pitched in 69 games with one start, compiling a 7-1 record with a 3.36 ERA, 52 strikeouts and 18 walks.
In his career (he was with the Texas Rangers from 2019 until he was designated for assignment and claimed by the Angels in August 2024), Burke is 21-12 with a 3.88 ERA over 264 1/3 innings pitched. He has 249 career strikeouts.
Clark is the lone player in the deal yet to play in the majors.
The Angels selected Clark in the fifth round of the 2023 draft out of Harvard. He pitched in A, high-A and double-A last season, compiling a 4.73 ERA as a starter while going 4-10 in 26 starts with 153 strikeouts in 144 2/3 innings.
