Official: Rays finalize deal worth $14 million over two years with 30-year-old Reliever

Reliever Phil Maton and the Tampa Bay Rays finalized a $6.5 million, one-year contract Wednesday, a deal that includes a 2025 club option and could be worth $14 million over two years.

Maton gets a $6.25 million salary this season, and the Rays have a $7.75 million option with a $250,000 buyout.

A 30-year-old right-hander, Maton was 4-3 with a 3.00 ERA with 74 strikeouts over 66 innings last year for Houston, his 89 mph average fastball velocity down 2 mph from 2022. Maton is 16-12 with a 4.25 ERA and two saves in 344 games over seven seasons with San Diego (2017-19), Cleveland (2019-21) and Houston (2021-23).

Tampa Bay announced the agreement Wednesday, the first day of spring training workouts for pitchers and catchers — and the first day the Rays could utilize the 60-day injured list. To open a roster spot, the Rays put left-hander Shane McClanahan on the 60-day IL. He is recovering from Tommy John surgery on Aug. 21.

 

 

 

 

Wander Franco ‘misses Rays deadline for spring training as investigation continues over alleged inappropriate relationship with 14-year-old girl’

• Wander Franco is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a minor
• The All-Star shortstop reportedly remains in his native Dominican Republic 
• DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news 

Tampa Bay shortstop Wander Franco failed to report for spring training with the Rays on Sunday – the deadline ahead of the team’s first official full-roster workout.

The 22-year-old is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old girl back in his native Dominican Republic.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the rest of the Rays’ position players reported for training on Sunday ahead of Monday’s workout.

MLB’s ‘mandatory report date’ is February 24, giving the Rays another week before a decision has to be made regarding Franco’s status for the start of the season.

The All-Star shortstop reportedly remains in the Dominican Republic and would face a battle to return to the US while the investigation remains ongoing.

MLB players are paid from the start of the regular season and if Franco is still unavailable by then, he could be placed back on administrative leave or on the restricted list.

He is due to be paid $2million this season as part of his 11 year, $182m contract with Tampa Bay.

Franco was expected to be back in court in his homeland earlier this month. The 22-year-old is also accused of physical abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of a 14-year-old girl.

According to prosecutors, and testimonies from the girl and other members of her family, Franco paid the girl’s mother thousands of dollars in cash and other gifts, in exchange for the mother’s consent to engage in a sexual relationship with her daughter.

The Code for the Protection of the Right of Children and Adolescents, Law 136-03 in the Dominican Republic, considers sexual abuse as any relationship between a minor and a person five years older. Franco started engaging in a relationship with the girl when she was 14 and he was 21.

Franco was due back in court on February 8, when the girl was set to face questioning from the judge.