Tampa Bay Rays trade prospect, Adrian Rondon, to the Los Angeles Angels

The Tampa Bay Rays have traded infield prospect, Adrian Rondon, to the Los Angeles Angels for cash considerations.

Rondon, now 20, was among the top prospects in his class during the 2014 signing period. Baseball America actually ranked him number one overall in the class.

Rondon separated himself as the top player available for his game skills--several scouts considered him the best hitter in the class--along with athleticism and solid tools that should allow him to stick at shortstop.

He received a $2.95M signing bonus when he sign with the Rays that July. Baseball America would rank him as the 4th best prospect in the Rays system. Rondon would make his stateside debut the following Summer, but struggled during his first taste of professional baseball.

He would never get his footing under him, struggling year in and year out in the lower levels of the Rays system. His best season was in 2016, when he hit .249/.301/.430 with 7 HR over 210 plate appearances. He finished this past season in Low-A after being demoted from the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Rondon finished the season with the Hudson Valley Renegades, with whom he hit .170/.210/.246 over 181 plate appearances.

The Rays may have missed on Rondon, but still landed a pretty good prospect haul from that signing period as they landed the likes of Jesus Sanchez, Ronaldo Hernandez, Resly Linares, and Diego Castillo that summer.