DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The Texas Rangers have traded hard-throwing reliever Peter Fairbanks to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for second baseman/outfielder Nick Solak.
Fairbanks, 25, has had a difficult time with the big league club. In eight appearances for the Rangers, he has a 9.35 ERA in 8 2/3 innings pitched. He's had a lot more success pitching in the minor leagues, pitching to a 4.15 ERA over 26 frames with the Rangers affiliates.
Fairbanks has a lot of upside as a back of the bullpen piece, however, helping the Rangers deal him from a position of strength to the Rays for a position they are particularly deep in.
Solak, 24, was the Rays no. 12 ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Now with Texas, Solak becomes the club's no. 10 ranked prospect.
Solak is mostly seen as a second baseman but the Rays have given him stints in the outfield in an effort to make him more versatile.
This is what MLB Pipeline wrote about Solak's offensive abilities:
"A pure hitter, Solak makes repeated line-drive contact with a quick right-handed swing and a hit-to-all-fields approach. He manages the strike zone well and consistently puts together good at-bats, employing a selectively aggressive approach that fuels his ability to hit for average and also get on base at a high clip. He has shown more power in the last two seasons and could hit 15 or more annually as an everyday player in the big leagues, and his solid speed and instincts make him a threat to steal."
Solak, a 2016 second round pick out of Louisville, is hitting .266 with 17 home runs and 47 RBI in 85 games with Triple-A Durham.
He's been transferred to Triple-A Nashville.
