Astros Acquire Right-Hander Evan Reifert From the Rays for Cash
Houston added a bullpen arm on Saturday night, acquiring Evan Reifert from Tampa Bay for cash after the right-hander posted a 2.48 ERA in 46 appearances for Triple-A Durham. He arrives still looking for his first major-league chance.
HOUSTON - The Astros' first full day under a new general manager ended with a new arm. Houston acquired right-hander Evan Reifert from the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night in exchange for cash, MLB Trade Rumors reported, citing Robert Murray of FanSided and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times on the terms.
Reifert's case is a Triple-A season: a 2.48 ERA across 46 appearances with Durham, Tampa Bay's top affiliate. He heads to Houston, in the report's framing, in search of his first chance in the majors - a depth reliever with a full season of late-inning Triple-A work behind him.
The move comes one day after the Astros hired Randy Flores as general manager, replacing Dana Brown, and in an offseason in which the club also needs a manager. A cash trade for a Triple-A reliever is the smallest kind of first step, and it is also the kind contenders make in November's first hours: bullpen depth, acquired before the roster deadlines arrive.
Houston reached the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years this fall before being swept in the wild-card round. Reifert's opportunity, if it comes, comes with a club that treats its bullpen as a rolling audition.
