The Rays have granted right-hander Cory Wade his release from Triple-A Durham upon his request, the team announced on Twitter. He signed a minor league deal with Tampa Bay back in May after struggling through 16 innings with the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate.
Wade, 30, saw a drastic turnaround in the Rays organization, pitching to a brilliant 2.17 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 49 1/3 innings of relief for the Durham Bulls. His Major League career has been up and down, as he's twice pitched a full season with a sub-3.00 ERA (in 2008 with the Dodgers and 2011 with the Yankees) and twice posted an ERA north of 5.50 in significant action (2009 with the Dodgers and 2012 with the Yankees).
All told, Wade has a career 3.65 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 39.5 percent ground-ball rate in 177 2/3 innings between the Bronx and L.A. His recent minor league success with the Rays and his Major League track record should allow him to latch on with a new club.
