Atlanta Braves Acquire Pitcher Jeff Ridgway from Tampa Bay Rays

Infielders Willy Aybar and Chase Fontaine to Tampa Bay Rays

01/17/2008, ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays completed a three-player trade today, as the Braves acquired left-handed pitcher Jeff Ridgway from the Rays in exchange for infielder Willy Aybar and Minor League infielder Chase Fontaine.

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Jeff Ridgway, 27, went 2-3 with a 3.06 ERA and four saves in a team-leading 54 games for Triple-A Durham in 2007 before making three relief appearances in the Majors after being recalled on Sept. 16. With Durham, he struck out 67 hitters in 64.2 innings pitched. He held left-handed hitters to a .163 batting average, while right-handed hitters hit for a .269 batting average.

A 1999 14th-round Draft pick of the Rays, Ridgway has a 24-34 career Minor League record with a 3.58 ERA in 201 games over seven seasons. He will be added to the 40-man roster.

Aybar, 24, did not play during the 2007 season after going on the disabled list on March 30 for a sprained right hand. He was transferred to the 60-day disabled list on July 31 and while rehabbing it was determined he needed season-ending surgery for a fractured hamate bone in his right hand and underwent the procedure on Aug. 14. He was acquired in July 2006 in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit .313 with one home run and eight RBIs for the Braves in 36 games in 2006.

Fontaine, 22, was the Braves' second-round selection in the 2006 June free agent draft. In two Minor League seasons, he hit a combined .280 with seven home runs and 58 runs batted in at Danville (Rookie), Rome (A) and Myrtle Beach (A).

Source: MLB