Pepiot, DeLuca raring to make waves with Rays

ST. PETERSBURG -- There were some awkward, anxious moments for Ryan Pepiot and Jonny DeLuca last week. Word surfaced late on Dec. 12, then spread further the next morning, that the two young players would be dealt to the Rays in the framework of the swap that sent Tyler Glasnow and Manuel Margot to the Dodgers.

Neither went into the offseason expecting to be traded; Pepiot said a deal “wasn’t really on my radar.” And when the news first broke, neither had heard anything other than what they read online and saw on TV. Then they waited three more days, as Glasnow negotiated his extension with the Dodgers, before the deal finally became official last Saturday.

Once the surprise and initial sadness of leaving their first professional home wore off, and they could finally confirm to their friends and families what was happening, both Pepiot and DeLuca were thrilled about the new opportunity with the Rays.

“It was just kind of waiting around, seeing if it was going to go through. And then once it did, obviously, there was a little bit of sadness to leave all my friends and everything I've known so far,” Pepiot said Thursday during an introductory Zoom call with DeLuca. “But then there was also the excitement to go have a new organization, which I've only heard good things about.”

“Yeah, when it happens, you're like, 'OK, this is the real deal. It's happening,' and you start looking forward to the newness of being in a new org and the excitement of it all,” DeLuca added. “Just looking forward to meeting new guys and winning.”

Pepiot and DeLuca should have a chance to impact the Rays right away. The 26-year-old Pepiot could fill the spot Glasnow left vacant in the Rays’ starting rotation, and the 25-year-old DeLuca is a natural replacement for Margot in Tampa Bay’s outfield mix. President of baseball operations Erik Neander acknowledged on Saturday that Pepiot and DeLuca were “not only our greatest return, but also our greatest fit” as “two players that are well-positioned to step in in the near-term here and keep us in a very competitive space.”

“Me and Pep obviously have gotten this far because we're both good, and a new opportunity I think is going to be good for both of us,” DeLuca said. “We're just going to keep doing us and keep trying to ball out and help this organization win a World Series.”

But how they fit on a new roster wasn’t either player’s first concern last week. First, they had to figure out if the reports of a trade were accurate.

Pepiot said his phone “blew up” early Wednesday, with 20 to 30 text messages and a bunch of calls. DeLuca’s family and friends also reached out. They were all wondering the same thing: “Is this true?” Neither one could answer with any confidence until a Dodgers official updated both players on Wednesday, informing them that a deal was possible but not complete as trade talks were ongoing.

At that point, they knew who else they needed to talk to: Each other.

“I was like, ‘Hey, did they call you and tell you?’ And then the next few hours, like, ‘You hear anything else? Did you hear anything else?’ Kind of a back-and-forth,” Pepiot said, smiling.

They scanned the roster for other familiar faces and found former Dodgers like first baseman/outfielder Luke Raley and lefty reliever Garrett Cleavinger. Getting traded presents all sorts of logistical challenges, like moving and finding a place to live, and they went through that experience together, too.

“Obviously it's a great opportunity for both of us to go there, but it's also nice to have somebody that I've played with, comfortable with and that we're friends so, like, I'm not going through this alone,” Pepiot said. “We're going to be the newbies, but one of us isn't just a newbie by ourselves.”

When the dust settled on the deal, they heard from the Rays front office, manager Kevin Cash, coaches, staff and rehabbing starter Shane McClanahan. Both said they already feel welcome with the Rays, and they’re looking forward to joining them on the field in a couple months.

“The Rays traded for both me and Pep because they value us, and that's exciting for both of us,” DeLuca said. “Obviously, [we want to] go out there and prove ourselves that they made a good trade.”