Ryan Pepiot learned of Dodgers-Rays blockbuster in most brutal way possible

By the time Tyler Glasnow was dealt to the Dodgers, talk about a big Tampa/LA trade had already been humming for a while. Some theories involved Glasnow, others involved Randy Arozarena, but a blockbuster deal of some kind was known to be in the works by the time Glasnow and Manuel Margot were eventually sent over to Los Angeles.

In return, the Dodgers sent Jonny DeLuca and Ryan Pepiot after both were starting to get their feet wet in the majors with the team. Pepiot was the bigger name involved on the Dodgers' side; he was their No. 6 prospect in 2022 and pitched very well for them in 2023 (2.14 ERA over 42 innings), and he'll most likely be able to get starts in Tampa where there wasn't room for him to do so in LA.

However, being traded is never fun, and Pepiot happened to find out he was being sent packing in the worst possible fashion: while he was out to dinner with Dodgers teammates. In an appearance on MLB Network Radio, he recounted the exact circumstances of the call informing him of the trade.

Ryan Pepiot learned he was being traded to the Rays while at dinner with Dodgers teammates

Pepiot said he was in Scottsdale at a Mexican restaurant with James Outman, Yency Almonte, Alex Vesia, other former teammates, and all of their partners when he ultimately got the call. He was just sitting down for dinner when the phone rang. It seems, at least, the Dodgers gave him some amount of warning, as he also said that he was awaiting the call throughout the day. Still, the team's timing couldn't have been worse and the result was pretty brutal.

It's hard not to wonder what you would say to a player who just found out he was being traded, especially in such a social setting. "We'll miss you"? "The weather in Tampa is nice"? No matter how you shake it, the Dodgers did Pepiot dirty with their timing, even if it happened to be a coincidence. However, he will get more opportunities to pitch with the Rays, which will hopefully help scab the wound left from such a poorly timed incident.