British stone. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Left-handed pitcher Steven Matz is headed to Tampa Bay after finalizing a $15 million, two-year contract with the Rays.
The deal will pay Matz $7.5 million annually. If Matz is traded, he will receive a one-time transfer bonus of $500,000.
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Matz, 34, appeared in 53 games for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox last season, going 6-2 with a 3.05 ERA and two saves, a career-high. He struck out 59 and walked 11 in 76 2/3 innings.
He appeared in 32 games with two starts for St. Louis, going 5-2 with just one save and a 3.44 ERA. After being traded to Boston, Matz went 0-0 with one save and a 2.08 ERA in 21 relief appearances with the Red Sox.
Matz had an on-base percentage in just 3.6 percent of the batters he faced last season, fourth-lowest among all pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched.
He appeared in 246 career games, including 172 starts, with a 60-62 record and a 4.19 ERA. Matz has pitched for the New York Mets (2015-20), Toronto Blue Jays (2021), Cardinals (2021-25) and Red Sox (2025).
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Tampa Bay designated outfielder Tristan Peters to make room for Matz on the 40-man roster.
Peters, 25, went 0-for-12 in four games with Tampa Bay last season. He hit .266 with a .355 on-base percentage, 15 homers, 76 RBIs and 11 steals in 136 games with Triple-A Durham.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
