The Tampa Bay Rays locked down the second piece of their pitching staff to a long-term contract this week, following up their four-year contract to Jeffrey Springs with a three-year deal with reliever Pete Fairbanks on Friday.
The new contract will pay the right-hander $12 million over the next three seasons, with a club option for the 2026 season. With the option and all bonuses, the deal could be worth as much as $24.6 million.
The 29-year-old right-hander missed the first half of the 2022 season due to injury, but was one of the most dominant relief pitchers in the second half of the season, amassing no record, but just a 1.13 earned run average with 38 strikeouts in 24 innings of work. He also worked the final 22 appearances of the regular season without allowing a run.
The Rays are now down to just five players that are scheduled to go to arbitration: relievers Jason Adam, Colin Poche, and Ryan Thompson, infielder Yandy Diaz, and DH/outfielder Harold Ramirez.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
