Jeffrey Springs

Springs, like a few Tampa Bay pitchers, was making his way back from 2023 surgery and the rustiness showed more with him than the likes of Shane Baz and Drew Rasmussen. That should not have been surprising since the changeup is Springs' signature pitch and that's a feel pitch which takes some time to fully rediscover after a major surgery. Righties did have a 44.2 percent whiff rate on the changeup, but also hit .333 off the offering, albeit with a .222 xBA. Springs' fastball and changeup are a symbiotic pair as the latter makes the former better, so the changeup struggles led to a decline in his fastball outcomes as well. Springs also introduced a cutter as the season went on, giving him at least four pitch types to throw both lefties and righties. Jeffrey is no Springs Chicken at 32, and has just once worked even more than 50 innings in a major-league season, but it is still in Tampa Bay's best interest to manage his workload since the club has two more guaranteed years of his contract plus a club option in 2027. We would be surprised if Springs set a new career high for innings in 2025. Read Past Outlooks