The Athletics have made another big move to upgrade their rotation by acquiring Jeffrey Springs from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the A's will receive Springs and another unidentified player from the Rays in exchange for pitchers Joe Boyle and Jacob Watters, outfielder Will Simpson and Oakland's pick in competitive balance round A in the 2025 MLB draft (No. 36 overall).

The A's already planned on increasing their payroll over the next two years before their planned move to Las Vegas.

They were also at risk of violating MLB rules that require teams to spend 1.5 times the amount of local revenue-sharing money they receive on payroll or be at risk of discipline from the league if the MLBPA files a grievance.

That plan to increase payroll combined with the need to spend more money resulted in the A's pulling off one of the most surprising moves of free agency so far. They signed Luis Severino to a three-year, $67 million contract that is the richest deal in franchise history.

Springs will add $5.25 million to the Athletics' 2025 payroll. The 32-year-old is under contract for two more seasons with a $10.5 million team option for 2027. He had a 3.27 ERA in seven starts for the Rays in 2024 after having Tommy John surgery in April 2023.

Boyle was a fifth-round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2020 before being traded to the A's during the 2023 season. He has a 5.23 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 63.2 innings over two MLB seasons.

Watters was the Athletics' fourth-round pick in 2022. The right-hander had a 5.23 ERA in 18 appearances across two levels in the minors last season.

Simpson is the 29th-ranked prospect in the Athletics' farm system by MLB.com. The 23-year-old hit .282/.378/.482 with 18 homers and 90 RBI in 127 games between High-A and Double-A in 2024.

The Rays will also have three of the top 36 picks in the 2025 draft thanks to the trade. They also own picks No. 14 and 34, in addition to the A's pick at No. 36 overall.