"There's a real desire on his end to want to start and give that a real shot again, despite his success last year out of the bullpen, and we just believe that he has the the ability to do it,"
"So we're going to give him the opportunity to prepare as a starter, to come in and try to lock down a day."
Steven Matz signed a two-year, $15MM contract with the Rays and will compete for a rotation spot in Spring Training. He made 53 appearances last season, with all but two coming from the bullpen, and the Rays will prepare him as a starter. Matz signed with St. Louis as a starter and missed time from 2022–24 due to a shoulder impingement, knee sprain, lat strain and back issues that limited his starts. He posted a 4.68 ERA in the rotation with a 22.6% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. Matz relies on a 94 MPH sinker, a curveball and a changeup used mainly against right-handed hitters. Right-handed batters have hit .276/.322/.446 against him over the last four seasons, while same-handed opponents are at .225/.280/.339.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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