Right-hander Zach Eflin, who is leaving the Philadelphia Phillies, has been signed by the Tampa Bay Rays, significantly bolstering their pitching staff.
Ken Rosenthal, a major league baseball expert, tweeted that the Rays had offered Eflin a three-year, $40 million contract. Joel Sherman of the New York Post and Jeff Passan of ESPN were also acknowledged by Rosenthal.
Eflin has been a veteran for seven years and has worked exclusively in Philadelphia. In 2022, Eflin was only allowed to pitch 75.2 innings and finished with a 4.04 earned run average and 65 strikeouts. Last year, he had a knee cap issue that put him on the 60-day injured list.
The pitcher’s greatest season was in 2013 when he threw a career-high 163.1 innings while recording a 4.13 ERA and 129 strikeouts. On the downside, that season he gave up 28 home runs.
Since the Rays had to compete with the Boston Red Sox for Eflin’s talents, it’s conceivable that the contract Eflin received seems a little exorbitant. The Red Sox reportedly tendered a comparable offer
Eflin chose to join with Boston’s American League East opponent, according to insider Bob Nightengale. The Rays’ richest free-agent contract in history is this one. In prior years, they had never paid a free agent more than $35 million.
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Shortstop Xander Bogaerts, a free agent who is one of the most desirable and valuable players available this offseason, is being pursued by the Red Sox. Although the Red Sox require starting pitching if they are unable to sign Bogaerts.
Red Sox supporters will express their displeasure openly. Tyler Glasnow, Shane McClanahan, and Drew Rasmussen, three seasoned starters in the Rays rotation, are likely to be joined by Zach Eflin.
