Medford’s Jacob Melton reportedly on move in 3-team trade
Published 1:30 pm Friday, December 19, 2025
Houston Astros’ top prospect set to join Tampa Bay Rays in unofficial deal that includes Pittsburgh
Medford’s Jacob Melton is reportedly on the move as part of a pending three-way deal between the Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates that was set in motion Friday.
As part of the deal, which has not been confirmed by the clubs, the Rays are set to acquire Melton — an outfielder and Baseball America’s No. 1 prospect for Houston — and right-hander Anderson Brito from the Astros in a move that is pending physicals.
Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery are going from the Rays to the Pirates in the deal, while the Astros are receiving right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows.
Jacob Melton
As a matter of coincidence, the 6-foot-3, 208-pound Melton recorded the first hit of his MLB career against the Rays this past season during his June 1 debut.
When Baseball America released its prospects list for Houston on Tuesday, the 25-year-old Melton was also said to have the best strike-zone discipline, and be the best defensive outfielder in the organization’s minor league system.
The former South Medford High and Oregon State standout split his time between the Astros and Triple-A Sugar Land this past season. He hit .157 in 78 plate appearances with Houston, and hit .286 with six home runs and 12 steals in 35 games at Triple-A. Injuries hampered the progress for Melton, who has been a top-two prospect for the Astros by MiLB.com over the past two seasons.
Among all Triple-A hitters in 2025, Melton ranked in the 93rd percentile with a 113 mph Max Exit Velocity on Prospect Savant. He kept the strikeout rate at 20%, with a near 15% walk rate.
Brito, 21, has a 2.36 ERA in two seasons in the Astros system.
Lowe is the most established player in the prospective trade after becoming just the sixth player to spend the first eight years of his career with Tampa Bay. The 31-year-old Lowe has hit 157 career homers, third-most in Rays history behind Longoria and Carlos Peña. His 446 career RBIs also ranked seventh in franchise history.
Burrows, 26, was an 11th-round pick and spent many years in the mid-range of Pittsburgh’s top 30 prospects. However, he has increased his stock lately, logging 99 1/3 innings in his big league career with a 3.90 ERA, 23.8% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 41.9% ground ball rate.
Reach sports editor Kris Henry at kris.henry@rv-times.com or 458-488-2035