The Rays acquired Jax from the Twins on Thursday in exchange for Taj Bradley, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Jax briefly appeared poised to step in as Minnesota's closer after Jhoan Duran was dealt on Wednesday, but the Twins instead fully committed to being deadline sellers. Jax had been operating has a setup man and is likely to fill the same role in Tampa Bay, though closer Pete Fairbanks' 5.79 ERA in his past nine outings could provide a path to saves.

Jax threw a scoreless eighth inning with a walk in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Rays. He has a 3.86 ERA with 18 holds in 37.1 innings this season.

EDGE Analysis

It was a rare appearance for Jax without a strikeout, as he has an eye-popping 61:9 K:BB and 39.1 percent strikeout rate. After early struggles (10 earned runs in his first eight innings) that saw him briefly demoted to lower-leverage work, Jax has a 1.84 ERA since April 22 and has been the primary set-up man to closer Jhoan Duran. Unlike previous seasons, manager Rocco Baldelli has mostly kept Duran in the ninth inning instead of deploying him in higher-leverage spots earlier in the game, limiting Jax's save opportunities.

Jax allowed a run on a home run with a strikeout in an inning of work in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox to earn his ninth hold.

EDGE Analysis

After his early struggles (10 earned runs in his first eight innings) that saw him demoted to lower-leverage work, Jax had improved before Sunday with five scoreless innings and a 11:0 K:BB. Even with giving up the home run Sunday, it looks like he's back to working in the eighth inning ahead of closer Jhoan Duran.

Jax (0-2) took the loss in Friday's 6-4 loss to Atlanta. He allowed four runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one over one-third of an inning.

EDGE Analysis

Jax began the eighth inning with a three-run lead but couldn't hit his spots and wasn't helped by a shaky defense. It's his second poor outing in a row that has cost the Twins a lead. He has an ugly 11.25 ERA and 2.13 WHIP. He does have a strong 12:3 K:BB in eight innings with an unsustainable .480 BABIP, so there's plenty of reasons to believe he'll turn his season around. Still, he may see usage in lower-leverage spots the next few games to get him back on track.

Jax pitched one inning, surrendering two runs on three hits while striking out three batters on his way to a blown save in Sunday's 9-7 extra-inning loss to the Astros. He did not factor into the decision.

EDGE Analysis

Jax was tasked with protecting a 7-5 lead in top of the ninth inning and promptly allowed a leadoff single to Isaac Paredes and a subsequent game-tying two-run homer to Yordan Alvarez to open the frame. The right-hander settled in from there, working around a double from Christian Walker and striking out the final three batters of the inning. Jax has now allowed two home runs this season while giving up three runs on six hits and a walk over 2.2 innings in three appearances out of Minnesota's bullpen.

Jax allowed a run on a home run and a walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning Thursday against the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

Jax wasn't sharp in his first outing of the season as he was pulled after 21 pitches. Jax will reprise his late inning setup role again this season where he is often used to close games when Johan Duran is unavailable or if the matchup calls for Duran to be used earlier in the game.

Jax and the Twins avoided arbitration Thursday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.365 million contract, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Jax was arbitration eligible for the first time, coming off a 2024 campaign in which he turned in a tidy 2.03 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 95:15 K:BB while collecting five wins, 10 saves and 24 holds in 71 innings out of the bullpen. Though reports earlier in the offseason suggested that Jax could be a candidate to move into the rotation in 2025, general manager Jeremy Zoll confirmed Wednesday that the right-hander will remain a key part of the late-inning ranks during the upcoming season. Jhoan Duran will presumably head into spring training as the Twins' preferred closer, but Jax will likely be first in line for save chances if Duran misses time or is removed from the role for performance-related reasons.

Jax will remain in the Twins' bullpen rather than move into the rotation, general manager Jeremy Zoll confirmed Wednesday, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Twins' coaching staff indicated earlier in the offseason that a shift to the rotation for Jax was a possibility, but it appears it's no longer being considered. Jax was a starting pitcher in the minors and made 14 starts for the Twins in 2021, but he's since blossomed as a reliever, most recently posting a 2.03 ERA and 95:15 K:BB over 71 innings in 2024. The 30-year-old will enter the upcoming season as Minnesota's top setup man, but he picked up 10 saves last season and, with manager Rocco Baldelli not committed to traditional bullpen roles, Jax should see some save chances in 2025.

Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler indicated in a recent interview that the team is open to the possibility of moving Jax into the rotation, Mike Ferrin of MLB Network Radio reports.

EDGE Analysis

Jax came up through the minors as a starting pitcher and made 14 starts for the Twins in 2021, posting a 6.10 ERA. He's since turned into a lockdown reliever, most recently collecting a 2.03 ERA and 95:15 K:BB over 71 innings this season. With a five-pitch mix and past starting experience, Jax would seem more equipped for a shift to the rotation than most relievers. The question, of course, is whether the uptick in stuff since his move to relief would translate back to a starting role.

Jax yielded an unearned run and struck out one batter in one inning Friday. He earned a save in the extra-innings win over Boston.

EDGE Analysis

Jax allowed the automatic runner to score after a pair of groundouts in the 12th inning but had no trouble finishing off the 4-2 victory. It was his second save over his last three appearances after not converting one since Aug. 5. Jhoan Duran threw a scoreless eighth inning while the game was tied 1-1. Jax has racked up 10 saves while posting an impressive 91:15 K:BB and 2.10 ERA through 68.2 innings this season.