Rays give out biggest free-agent contract in team history to surprising player

The Tampa Bay Rays are breaking the bank (at least relatively speaking) for an unexpected player.

The Rays agreed to a three-year, $40 million contract with free-agent right-hander Zach Eflin on Thursday, per multiple reports. Jeff Passan of ESPN notes that the contract is the largest for a free agent in Rays club history.

The 28-year-old Eflin, a native of Orlando, is a fairly obscure name. He has never made an All-Star team, is not a very dynamic swing-and-miss pitcher and has a pedestrian 36-45 record with a 4.49 ERA over his MLB career. While Eflin has versatility as either a starter or a reliever and posted a solid 3.56 FIP last season, he also carries with him a history of knee issues.

Tampa Bay has handed out much larger extensions before. (The 11-year, $182 million deal they gave shortstop Wander Franco last year is one that comes to mind.) But Eflin is now the owner of the biggest true free-agent contract in the Rays’ quarter-century history. Giving that kind of distinction to a mid-rotation pitcher is pretty surprising, especially since it effectively takes Tampa Bay out of the running for this other rumored target of theirs.