The Rays bulked up their bullpen Wednesday, finalizing their previously reported one-year contract with free agent righty Phil Maton. The Paragon Sports International client is reportedly guaranteed $6.5MM, which takes the form of a $6.25MM salary and a $250K buyout on a $7.75MM club option for the 2025 season. Tampa Bay transferred left-hander Shane McClanahan, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgery, to the 60-day IL to open a spot for Maton on the 40-man roster.
The Cardinals, Phillies, and Yankees have been linked to Maton’s market this winter, but the reliever will now head to Tampa Bay as he enters his age-31 season. Maton has seven years of MLB experience, breaking into the big leagues with San Diego in 2017 and then landing in Cleveland and Houston. Maton had a 4.76 ERA over 215 1/3 innings in the 2017-21 seasons, but a 3.68 ERA in that same span and excellent spin rates and soft-contact numbers indicated that the ceiling was higher on the righty’s performance.
The results began to show over Maton’s last two seasons, both with the Astros. He delivered a 3.84 ERA in 65 2/3 innings in 2022 and then followed up even more strongly with a 3.00 ERA over 66 frames this past year. As per Statcast, Maton had the second-best hard-hit ball rate of any qualified pitcher in baseball in 2023, and the spin rates on his curveball and fastball were both in at least the 98th percentile of all pitchers.
Walks have been an issue for Maton, and his above-average but not standout barrel rates indicate that batters can hit for power on the rare occasions when they actually make solid contact on Maton’s offerings. Still, between his ability to generate soft contact and his above-average strikeout rates, Maton has rather quietly been one of the more effective relievers in baseball over the last two seasons. This success has also extended into the postseason, as while injuries forced Maton to miss the Astros’ 2022 World Series run, he has a sparking 0.83 ERA over 21 2/3 career playoff innings.
Given the Rays’ success at helping pitchers achieve higher levels of performance, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Maton at least continue or even improve on his strong numbers from 2022-23. Maton figures to essentially act as the replacement for Robert Stephenson, a reclamation project-turned-high leverage reliever after joining the Rays last summer.
Stephenson parlayed his spectacular four-month run in Tampa into a three-year, $33MM free agent deal with the Angels. Jake Diekman also signed with the Mets, Andrew Kittredge was traded to the Cardinals, and Jalen Beeks and Josh Fleming were both let go at the start of free agency, leaving the Rays with some holes to fill in the relief corps. Pete Fairbanks figures to be the team’s primary closer again, and though the Rays are traditionally pretty flexible with their bullpen roles, Maton will likely stick to set-up duty since he has only one career save.
According to Roster Resource, Tampa Bay has a projected $93.3MM payroll, which would already be the highest payroll in Rays franchise history even before Maton’s deal is added to the tally. President of baseball operations Erik Neander said in October that the club was open to spending at a (comparatively) higher level to help keep their core in place and to make a deeper playoff run, though the Rays did move Tyler Glasnow and his $25MM salary to the Dodgers in a trade.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand first reported the two sides were nearing a deal (via X). Robert Murray of FanSided reported (on X) the terms of the deal, while Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 reported the specific year-to-year breakdown (X link).
Solid pickup for the Rays.
And for Maton, he’ll come out of 2024 with either an arm in need of surgery, a sub 2 ERA, or both. That’s what happens when you pitch for the Rays.
“That’s what happens when you pitch”…Pitching is inherently risky to your arm’s health. “That’s what happens when you pitch” for any professional baseball team and in some cases college, high school or even Pony League team.
Yes but there’s clearly a pattern of pitchers joining the Rays, experiencing far more success than they ever have prior, then blowing out there arm. Not even accusing them of anything malicious, they clearly figured out a way to make pitchers better, but must have some additional impact on arm health
Yes. The Rays have indirectly even admitted this has been issue for them.
“Yes. The Rays have indirectly even admitted”…Pitching injuries are a BIG issue for EVERY pro baseball team my friend. That’s not exactly news.
No doubt, but let the Rays know. They’re investigating if their specific approach that often leads to an improvement in performance also is leading to an increase in injuries comparatively. Everything is a science with them. It’s the Rays Way.
I’d love to get a peek at the Rays laboratory. I wonder if it’s packed with tesla coils, lightning rods, bunsen burners, beakers, flasks, and such.
@mlb fan- What you’re failing to listen to is the explanation that the Rays themselves have acknowledged they’ve had a higher rate of long-term pitching injuries than the average team. Because of this, they are investigating how to address the issue in an attempt to minimize the number of injuries, as they feel it is disproportionately affecting them.
Everyone here knows throwing a ball at a high velocity 90+ times every 5 days is hard on the body and inherently risky. That doesn’t negate the added context. They made find that they’ve just been unlucky. Who knows? But it’s still context.
I just read the same article that you just wrote
@BHJ the Rays Lab has whatever local schools/universities sell as surplus old tools from their science departments.
Maybe they have more arm injuries because their team doctor is Dr. Nick Riviera?
Genius! Tell us something we don’t know.
Well, it’s really tough to confirm the correlation of a specific team to TJS because pitchers often pitch for multiple teams by the time they need it.
However, one correlation that can be drawn from pitchers and their teams is potential overuse leading to TJS.
How does that correlate to the Rays? Well, since 2021 they have used their RP more than any other team. Even going back ten years, to 2013, the Rays have used their RP more than any other team over the decade.
So, there may very well be associations with arm/shoulder problems and pitching for the Rays.
I think Jim kaat used to say it will fall off from rust before it falls off from overuse. I remember about idk 10 years ago Cashman seemed to only be drafting guys who already had the procedure. It’s a funny ligament, Tanaka hurt his like 30 seconds into his yankee career and pitched without problem for his contract. At least I think he did.
I probably wrote this a decade ago but, if you’d told me in 1990 that we wouldn’t have a better understanding of pitcher arm injuries, particularly UCL tears, by now, I’d have been very surprised.
Idk if it’s like it was some years back but at 1 point they were doing it to get it out of the way. At one point they were performing the procedure on some pretty young kids.
I remember in the 1990s it seemed like rotator cuff surgery was the big one pitchers were succumbing too … and now you never hear about it. I wonder what that was all about.
Good call. Does seem like we used to hear about the rotator cuff a lot more.
It’s like thoratic outlet surgery. We don’t hear of it much, but when a pitcher gets it, he’s usually done.
Fatigue seems to be one of the key factors.
Someone’s upset that the Rays own them
Wow, we signed a player to an actual major league deal? Crazy.
Watch him end up with an ERA under 2.50 in over 65 appearances in 2024. Relief pitchers often become almost unhittable once they put on that Ray’s uniform.
I respect what the Rays do with pitchers. However, the Astros have the same reputation. It will be interesting to see Maton’s numbers.
Astros_fan_84
Don’t tell my fellow Yankee fans this but aside from Don Mattingly my favorite player growing up was Jeff Bagwell
Was it because Mattingly refused to trim his sideburns for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant team?
They did Griffey dirty on that Simpson’s episode
And just as nice you take off one of the two remaining viable bullpen arms left so the Yankees can’t have him. Now it’s down to Brasier and he’s most likely heading back to the Dodgers.
Then how do you explain the other pitchers that have had arm surgeries on other teams?
Former Rays pitchers.
“Former Rays pitchers”…Last year the Astros lost virtually their entire pitching rotation to injury and so did the Dodgers. The act of repeatedly throwing extremely hard is very stressful to any arm so why do people think Tampa burns out pitchers anymore than any other team? What’s the specific basis for this claim?
I have no proof whatsoever but it does seem like the Rays have more tommy john surgeries than anyone else.
The Tigers have had the same issues and in 2022 essentially went through two full pitching staffs. You’re right it’s not just TB.
“It’s not just TB”..The Dodgers had Dustin May, Walker Buehler, Blake Trenien and I believe Tony Gonsolin all have major arm injuries the last couple years.
@mlb fan I’m new to the Internet too but I think person was utilizing sarcasm
Motor Beach: Interestingly, the Tigers have been right behind the Rays the last few years in RP innings, finishing second on the list of teams out of 30, IIRC.
I’m not surprised by that. Hopefully all the investments they have been making in upgrading their facilities and systems for their pitchers cam help with that. They can’t put a competitive team forward when their number 1-5 at the start of the year are all on the injured list.
Let’s face it…for the Astros, Lance McCullers make any IL list look longer than it needs to. I love that he’s had some big moments for the team, but he’s made of glass.
Not all.
This is a big pick up!! Maton is just now coming into his own in the league! Last year was a breakout year. I see why we let Stephenson walk.
??
$$
Somebody is going to have big year in ’24!
Maton’s agent?
No doubt many MLB players will have big years.
Of course they are. Rays doing Rays things.
Maton is an excellent middle reliever. He’s just not a guy you want in consistently high leverage situations. And even though his advanced metrics favor him he throws 91 mph fastballs that get rocked. I like the signing for any team though. He belongs in anyone’s pen.
“Maton is an excellent”..I won’t get into underlying analytics metrics, because I don’t rely on them and Phil Maton passes the eye test. Like a lot of effective relievers, he gets overused sometimes. Personally, I would try to limit him to 25-27 appearances per half season and I think he’d be even more effective.
Obviously the Astros don’t share your opinion of him. They need another reliever or two and Maton is cheap, but they haven’t even tried to sign him.
Apparently, Wander is still a perv. Beyond that, there’s really nothing new as the legal case is ongoing.
Rays made a trade for a SS to fill in plus they have Carson Williams who is not far away (+ Basabe & JC).
For this year it is., so the Yankees will have a chance to not finish 16 games behind the Rays. 2025 brings Junior Caminero at 3rd and Carson Williams at SS. Rays will just reload and continue to be a thorn in the side of the Evil Empire as they try to buy championships.
Who’s pretending mate?
If you follow the rays you’d know wander was a huge clubhouse problem and had problems with multiple players on the team. The rays actually started playing better after he was suspended.
His libido continues to wander.
“This is America’s real official sports stadium and Americas real official baseball team and America’s real official sports sports city”
The quote is referencing the Rays/Tampa Bay
Do you just recycle the same comment?
Even with no stars, a low payroll and no Franco what was the Ray’s record last year compared to the Yankees who sign all the stars and have a huge payroll? Franco was not integral to their success because they play as a team and have replaced him. Let us know how it goes when you guys break your new toy Soto this year and finish under .500 while Tampa keeps on rolling to the playoffs again 😉 Yanks keep trying to buy championships but teams arent built that way anymore (just ask the Mets). You guys need pitching and will buy an ex-Ray like Snell and break him too. Whats the plan for 3B in NY? With their resources (which we are all envious of), if the Yanks could build their team more like TB does they’d be a juggernaut. Until then, you finished well below them last year so they should likely be throwing shade at you guys not vice versa.
Yankees were in on josh hader, now pitches for the Astros, Yankees were in on Maton, now with the rays. Yankees were in burnes, he is with the orioles. Every yankee fan knows they need another bullpen arm and yet, these $4-7 million arms are going to rivals. They are at least in on brasier, we will see. Only the Red Sox will complete the Al sweep of “ins” with relief pitching.
At least we have Soto for a year.
Don’t expect any additional big league relief signings. Middleton stated he wanted to be back with the Yankees at the end of the year, they let him go. They are well past the final luxury tax threshold, meaning any signing will be taxed at a 110% rate. They will pick up scrap pieces and look for healthy seasons from Effross and Loaisiga.
Or they’ll make a trade for Ferguson, who now gives the Yankees three of the top six contact managers in the game out of the bullpen.
Maton is just quietly consistent. Nice signing.
“Quietly consistent”…Yes and he’s got the best poker-face, facial expressions I’ve seen on any pitcher. Lol.
As a CLE fan I can say he was a key part of the Guardians’ bullpen, and I hated seeing him go……..especially when the return was Myles Straw, and don’t even get me started about that stiff.
Out of the list presented on here of pitchers still available, this is the guy I thought was worth the investment. Good for the Rays to pick him up.
I bet he will win reliever of the year in 2024 just because it’s the Rays and he was already elite. Look at Robert Stephenson, Jeffrey Springs, and countless other pitchers who were bad when acquired.
The Rays having to sign a reliever to a contract seems like such a rarity given their historical propensity to develop small armies of bullpen guys / sprout them out of the ground at will when needed at the MLB level.
Did the same with Brooks Raley, were able to trade him before year 2.
Do you guys proofread? “Maton had a 4.76 ERA over 215 1/3 innings in the 2017-21 seasons, but a 3.68 ERA in that same span and excellent spin rates and soft-contact numbers indicated that the ceiling was higher on the righty’s performance.”
What does that mean?
Most likely the second number should read FIP, not ERA.
His recent numbers are better than his previous. The batted ball stats also indicate his recent numbers could be even better
Last I heard Franco was looking for a minor league deal
“Maton had a 4.76 ERA over 215 1/3 innings in the 2017-21 seasons, but a 3.68 ERA in that same span”
Which one is the ERA?
I assume 4.76 since his lowest ERA in those seasons was 4.19. They are quoting ERA+ or some other stat.
He improved to 3.84 and 3.00 in ‘22 and ‘23 with the Astros. Also opponents only batted .207 against him last year.
Refraining from punching walls will go a long ways toward maintaining his arm health.
The guy I was really hoping the Cardinals would sign. Curious to see what the financials are.- the asking price may have been too high for St. Louis, thus their pivot to Middleton
Can the Rays please take his brother Nick too?
I’ve heard 2 years, 14M.
Maton has good stuff, just cannot locate very well. If the Rays can get him to locate (and I think they will), Maton will probably post a sub 1.70 ERA.
The Rays do this as well as any team.
Salary dump coming…
You misspelled AL pennant
But the birds will have that
he’s still mad about his brother getting that hit off him. Now he signs his FA contract the same day his brother gets DFA’d.
Rays finally revert back to the old Tays this year they will finish ahead of the Red Sox and avoid last place tho
Rays
Is this the guy who punched himself in the jaw or was that Ken Giles
Giles punches his face
Maton punches lockers
Osuna punches his wife
Verlander punches out Yankees hitting
I think that covers recent Astros punchers or pitchers or pitching punchers if you will