Rays acquire De Leon in deal with Dodgers

Jose De Leon is swapping Dodger blue for a lighter shade.
MLB.com's No. 33 overall prospect is headed from Los Angeles to the Tampa Bay Rays in a straight swap for Major League infielder Logan Forsythe, the teams said Monday. 

De Leon, the Dodgers' top pitching prospect and No. 2 overall, appeared in 16 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City last season, going 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA before making his big league debut on Sept. 4. During his time in the Pacific Coast League, the right-hander struck out 111 batters while walking just 20 in 86 1/3 innings. He held opponents to a career-best .194 average while recording a 0.94 WHIP.
"De Leon is a talented starting pitching prospect who can soon become a key member of our Major League rotation," Rays general manager Erik Neander said via the Rays' Twitter account when the deal was made official.
"We are really excited to acquire someone we consider one of the top pitching prospects in baseball," he continued. "Tremendous makeup, tremendous character. The personality on and off the field is something we're really excited about having."

De Leon was a diamond in the rough uncovered by the Dodgers' scouting and player development staffs. Taken in the 24th round out of Southern in 2013 and signed for just $35,000, the Isabela, Puerto Rico native broke onto the scene a year later when he went a combined 7-0 with a 2.22 ERA in 14 games (12 starts) between Rookie-level Ogden and Class A Great Lakes. He followed up by going 6-7 with a 2.99 ERA in 23 starts between Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Tulsa in 2015.
Following his stellar start to the year in Oklahoma City last season, De Leon was summoned to aid the Dodgers' playoff push in September. The righty won both of his first two big league starts and finished his four-game stint in the Majors with a 2-0 record and a 6.35 ERA in 17 total innings.
After his penultimate start in the Minors, De Leon told MiLB.com of his pending big league call, "You always have had that dream since you were a little kid, so it's hard not to think about it. But you've got to control what you can control and that's not up to me. I've just got to keep working hard, throwing strikes and getting people out. Whenever they want me up there, whenever they need me and think I'm ready, they'll give me a call."
The 24-year-old finished his time in the Minor Leagues last year by going at least seven innings in five of his final six starts. De Leon ended his Oklahoma City stay with 17 2/3 straight scoreless innings and 33 strikeouts without a walk over his last three outings.
Forsythe returns to the National League West, where he spent his first three seasons with the Padres from 2011-13. In six big league campaigns, the infielder has batted .255/.326/.395.