Rays announce deal with lefty Jeffrey Springs 4 year contract extension. The southpaw will be guaranteed his $31 million during the term of his deal, but there are also incentives and his $15 million club his options for 2027 and his $75 million buyout. If Springs wins all incentives and the Cy Young Award escalator and the club chooses the option, he will earn $65.75MM over his five years. The exact details of these incentives and escalators are unknown. His salary is $4 million this year, $5.25 million next year, and $10.5 million each for his next two seasons. Springs was slated to reach free agency after 2024, so if the Rays end up triggering that option, they could potentially secure him for three more seasons.
Springs, 30, has had a unique baseball journey. A 30th-round pick by the Rangers, he elicited little fanfare from prospect evaluators in his first few seasons as a pro. He had a rotation job for several years, but the Rangers used him exclusively for relief in 2018 with good results. pitched 56 2/3 innings. A 4.13 ERA may not seem all that impressive, but it was definitely inflated by his .438 batting average on the ball in play. He struck out an incredible 41.7% of the batters he faced while holding bases to his reasonable 8.1% level. He made his MLB debut that year, appearing in 18 games where he threw 32 innings and had his 3.38 ERA.
He took a step back in 2019, missing months with left bicep tendonitis and posting a 6.40 ERA. Texas drafted him for 2020 and traded him to the Red Sox. Sam TravisThe change in circumstances did not help Springs get back on track as they posted a 7.08 ERA in the shortened 2020 campaign. He was reassigned and converted to the Rays. Chris Mazza for potential customers Ronaldo Hernandez When Nick Sogard.
A move to Tampa seemed to be what Springs needed, and his results have completely turned around since then. He appeared in his 43 games in 2021, posted a 3.43 ERA, stole his 35.2% of hitters, and walked his 7.8% of them. In 2022, he started in the bullpen, but the club began promoting him to the starter as the season progressed. , recorded a 26.2% strikeout rate, a 5.6% walk rate, and a 40.9% ground ball rate.
After years of struggling, it’s no big surprise that Springs jumped at the chance to make life-changing money here. He reached arbitration for the first time in his 2022, but he only made $947.5K. This is just above the league’s $700K minimum.he was projected by MLBTR Contributor Matt Swartz That jumps to $3 million this year, but he and the club failed to reach an agreement by the filing deadline earlier this month. submitted A figure of $3.55MM compared to the $2.7MM raised by the Raise. Instead, he earns his $4 million and locks in his eight-figure salary for the future.
The Rays are confident Springs will be an effective starter, but there are risks. Springs has had a great run in 2022, but still he’s only had one season, not a full one. As previously mentioned, Springs started the season in the bullpen and was not stretched out until the end of May. He also went on the disabled list for a few weeks in July for a right lower extremity strain.Concerns aside, the Rays are confident enough in their lefties that they are willing to bet on him. ing.
For a low-spending team like the Rays, overtime is an important part of keeping talent on the roster.They don’t typically shop at the top of the free agent market, so you need to lock them in before they approach the open market to keep them, increasing their earning power. It offers extensions to players like Kevin Kiermeier, Blake Snell, Brandon Law, Wonder Franco, Manuel Margot When Tyler GlasnowSprings has joined that list.
This won’t have a significant impact on the club’s salary for 2023, but it does add significant commitments for 2025 and 2026. Zac Eflin About the book there, along with Lowe’s club options. In exchange for putting that money on the table, the Rays have probably the most rotational stability they’ve had in years. ephrine, Drew Rasmussen When Shane McClanahanwith a depth option like Yonny Chirinos, Luis Patino When Josh FlemingMost of that group is still in its pre-arbitration years, giving clubs a year of affordable control. only club is Glasno. Taj Bradleyfinished in Triple-A last year and may debut this year.
First reported in four years by Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times transaction and many of detail. Joel Sherman of the New York Post The breakdown of annual salaries was released for the first time.
Image credit: USA Today Sports.
