Rays Officially Sign Veteran Pitcher to Two-Year, $15 Million Deal

The Tampa Bay Rays have officially signed a veteran pitcher to a two-year deal

Sep 26, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The hat and glove of Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) in the dugout during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays made one of their signings official from the winter meetings recently as the team continues to try to improve. 

It has been a reasonably busy offseason for the Rays as expected, and there are still a lot of areas that the team will likely want to address. So far, the one spot that is now seemingly taken care of is the outfield. 

With the additions of Cedric Mullins and Jake Fraley, the team now has a surplus of options in the outfield. They could go into spring training and let some of them battle it out for roster spots, or they could elect to move one of two players this winter. 

Furthermore, while those two should help in that area of need, the team also brought in southpaw Steven Matz. The left-hander has had a very nice career and was a relief pitcher in 2025 after being a starter for most of his career before that. 

Tampa Bay recently made the signing official with Matz receiving a two-year, $15 million deal. He is coming off a strong year, but what his role will be heading into 2026 is going to be something worth monitoring. 

What Role Will Matz Have?

Matzy on the mound 💪⁰⁰Welcome, Steven! pic.twitter.com/e0wc0wmD2b

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) December 16, 2025

Initially, the signing of Matz, coming off a year in which he was very effective out of the bullpen, figured to have him be in that same role with the Rays. However, it appears that he is going to get a shot to be in the rotation for Tampa Bay in 2026, and that is a need for the team. 

While he has had some good years as a starter in the past with the New York Mets, his recent years with the St. Louis Cardinals in that role weren’t great. The move to the bullpen seemed to help him quite a bit. In 2025, with the Cardinals and Boston Red Sox, he totaled a 3.05 ERA in 53 games and 76.2 innings pitched. 

Even though he might get a chance to earn a spot in the rotation, the left-hander might be best-suited in the bullpen based on recent performance. Following Pete Fairbanks' heading to free agency, adding another bullpen arm like Matz could help provide the unit with some additional depth. 

While Matz might get a shot to be a starter again, the Rays should be looking to add at least another veteran arm for that unit. There is no such thing as too much pitching, and the team should still be seeking upgrades for the rotation.