Left-hander Steven Matz and the Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement on a two-year contract, pending a physical, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Monday night.
Matz finished this past season with Boston after the Red Sox acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals the night before the MLB trade deadline.
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Matz, 34, has experience starting and relieving, although the bulk of his work was out of the bullpen in 2025. Of his 53 appearances with Boston and St. Louis, 51 came out of the bullpen, with both of his starts for the Cardinals. He had a 3.05 ERA across 76 2/3 innings, striking out 59 while holding left-handers to a .211 batting average.
Matz spent his first six major league seasons with the New York Mets, where he primarily was a starter, then spent a year with the Toronto Blue Jays before signing as a free agent with St. Louis in 2021.
Matz’s best season came in 2021, when his 14 wins for Toronto were second most in the American League.
The Tampa Bay Times first reported Matz’s agreement with the Rays.