Rays Expected To Change Role for Free Agent Signing Steven Matz

Tampa Bay Rays free agent signing Steven Matz could be in for a role change this season.

Oct 1, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Steven Matz (41) pitches against the New York Yankees during the sixth inning of game two of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays have been pretty active, by their standards, thus far this offseason. They have already signed multiple free agents, looking to upgrade a roster that won only 77 games in 2025.

In need of outfield help, the Rays signed veteran Cedric Mullins to a one-year deal. They also brought back Jake Fraley, who was non-tendered a contract but signed for less than his arbitration price was projected to be.

Most recently, Tampa Bay added to its pitching staff, signing veteran Steven Matz to a two-year deal. Over the last four seasons, he has yo-yoed between being a starter and a relief pitcher while taking the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals for 84 games and the Boston Red Sox for 21 appearances.

He started 36 times over that span, but didn’t make a start with the Red Sox. Matz dominated out of the bullpen with a 2.08 ERA across 21.2 innings with a 0.5 bWAR.

Rays predicted to shift Steven Matz to rotation

Jul 29, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Steven Matz (32) pitches against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

While he found some success as a relief pitcher, he is expected to transition back into being a starter with the Rays, in the opinion of Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors.

“The Rays are likely to give Steven Matz a starting opportunity, but they’d certainly need to backfill the rotation if they traded two starters,” he wrote.

The two starters being mentioned as potential trade chips are Shane Baz and Ryan Pepiot. It has been rumored that there are two pieces of a possible trade package to the Arizona Diamondbacks to acquire Ketel Marte.

An All-Star second baseman, it would certainly be an interesting addition for a Rays team that normally doesn’t add long-term salary. Marte would be an impactful addition to a lineup in desperate need of an upgrade.

Rays could be in market for more starting pitching

Aug 19, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz (11) throws a pitch in the first inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

However, Tampa Bay already has an All-Star second baseman in place. Brandon Lowe is one of the only above-average offensive producers Tampa Bay has on its team right now; acquiring Marte would likely make him expendable.

Trading away pitching to acquire Marte could be replenished with a Lowe trade. But, signing Matz with the intention to move him into the rotation could certainly have been made with the idea of trading pitchers for offense in mind.

The veteran lefty hasn’t been a full-time starting pitcher since 2021, when he made 29 starts with the Toronto Blue Jays. He performed well with a 3.82 ERA across 150.2 innings with 144 strikeouts and a bWAR of 2.2.

If he got anywhere close to that level of production with the Rays, they would be thrilled. He will very likely fill that backend role that Adrian Houser filled in the second half of the 2025 campaign, with a goal of eating as many innings as possible.