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Rays’ Hope Springs Eternal

 

Above: In this picture, Rays lefty Jeffrey Springs pitches on the road during the 2022 season. He will continue donning a Rays jersey after signing a four-year contract extension on Wednesday. The 30-year-old became a key starter in Tampa’s rotation in May and became a crucial part of their success. Photo Credit – Kevin Jairaj, USA Today Sports.

The Tampa Bay Rays signed starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs to an extension Wednesday, keeping him in Florida.

The Tampa Bay Rays’ hope springs eternal. What do I mean by that pun? Well, the news recently broke that Jeffrey Springs and the Rays are in agreement on a four-year extension Wednesday. The official details include $31 million in salary, plus incentives that could bring the total value north of $65 million.

After moving to the starting rotation in early May, Springs posted an 8-5 record with a solid 2.66 ERA and 133 strikeouts over 125 innings of work.  Of course, the guarantee is nowhere close to what their large-market rivals can offer, but Springs locks in some financial security.

And, as Marc Tompkin of the Tampa Bay Times notes here, the 30-year-old is still developing, but could turn into a top-tier arm.

Improvements After Starting

After starting his career as a bullpen guy with the Rangers, Springs went to Boston in 2020 before being dealt to Tampa in the ’21 season.

Springs will likely be the number three in the Rays rotation behind Shane McClanahan and Tyler Glasnow. But don’t sleep on the effectiveness of the former Appalachian State Mountaineer.

The lefty was sixth in the Junior Circuit in ERA last season and only gave up more than three runs in three out of his 25 starts.

In a media call Wednesday, he says “I don’t know if it’s all sunk in quite yet. It’s kind of hard to believe.”

Overall, Jeffrey Springs is developing himself into a premier lefty starter in MLB. With Shane McClanahan and free-agent acquisition Zach Eflin in tow, the Rays could have one of the best rotations in the Majors in 2023.

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