Rays closing in on deal with former Astros reliever

The Tampa Bay Rays have quite the offseason to deal with in 2024. The team more or less reached the expectations fans had for them last season. They had a white-hot start to the season, and eventually finished in the Wild Card round. However, they were booted out of the playoffs pretty early on. With many key free agents due for new contracts and the whole Wander Franco fiasco, there’s going to be a lot of questions that need to be answered.

First, though, the Rays are bolstering their bullpen with this move. Tampa Bay is signing ex-Astros relief pitcher Phil Maton, per Mark Feinsand. It’s a move that adds stability to a position that is likely to get more burn next season.

“RHP Phil Maton is finalizing a deal with the Rays, per source. Maton had a 3.00 ERA in 68 appearances for the Astros in 2023.”

The Rays had one of the better pitching staff last season. In particular, their starting rotation was formidable. A lineup of Shane McClanahan, Shane Baz, Drew Rasmussen, and Tyler Glasnow is a dangerous rotation to face. Unfortunately, their rotation was destroyed by injuries. These injuries will linger on to the 2024 season, with McClanahan missing the entire 2024 season and Rasmussen scheduled for a midseason return.

The weakness of their starting rotation might have inspired the Rays to go after a reliever in the offseason. Maton was a solid reliever for the Astros last season, helping the team hold a lot of leads. With many of their starters injured, we might see more pitcher relays or the bullpen getting used much earlier in games.