After a decade-long run with the Tampa Bay Rays, the team decided not to pick up Kevin Kiermaier’s option, making him a free agent. While it may surprise some, the Rays are moving forward with a younger roster, and the season-ending hip injury spelled the end for the three-time Gold Glove winner. The brass for the Rays determined that an option with the price tag of $13 million was too much to allocate to Kiermaier. A fan favorite for such a long time will certainly be missed. “I am the luckiest man on the planet to have been a part of Rays Baseball for 12 years,” Kiermaier Tweeted.
— Kevin Kiermaier (@KKiermaier39) November 10, 2022
Other players set to become free agents are SP Corey Kluber, LF David Peralta, and “Florida Man” C Mike Zunino.
Last season, the Rays desperately needed a power hitter with Wander Franco, Harold Ramirez, Manuel Margot, and Zunino all out. The Rays have been known to make trade deadline moves for what – typically – turns out to be a half-season rental. That scenario continued as the Rays sent 19-year-old catcher Christian Cerda to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Peralta.
Kluber was signed to a one-year contract in the offseason to bolster the pitching rotation. The 12-year vet and former AL Cy Young Award winner (2014) finished his 2022 outing with a 10-10 record and a 4.34 ERA. For a team that struggled to generate runs for most of the season, mainly due to injuries, a 4.34 ERA is nearly impossible to overcome.
Zunino was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome in 2022, which required season-ending surgery after playing just 36 games. It is believed that he could be back to full strength for training camp- so we cannot entirely rule out a return to the Rays.
An early Wild Card Series exit in a 2-0 sweep of the series by the Cleveland Guardians to follow up a 100-win season in 2021 is sure to leave a bitter taste for the remainder of the offseason. Now it’s a wait-and-see to see if Stu Sternberg and the Rays open up the checkbook to bounce back in 2023.
