Rays agree to terms with five players for 2020

January 10th, 2020

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to terms for the 2020 season with all five of their arbitration-eligible players: right-handed pitcher Oliver Drake, right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow, right-handed pitcher Chaz Roe, outfielder Hunter Renfroe and infielder Daniel Robertson.

Drake, 32, was a non-roster invite to spring training last season and selected to the active roster on May 26. He remained in the Rays bullpen through the end of the season, and his 51 appearances over that stretch were one shy of the team lead. He went 5-2 with a 3.21 ERA (56-IP, 20-ER) and .181 opponents’ avg. (36-for-199) for the Rays, and limited left-handed hitters to a .147 avg. (15-for-102). In 2018, he pitched in the majors for the Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins, becoming the first player in major league history to pitch for five different teams in one season. The five-year veteran is 10-8 with a 4.19 ERA (193.1-IP, 90-ER) over 185 career appearances.

Glasnow, 26, went 6-1 with a 1.78 ERA (60.2-IP, 12-ER) in 12 starts for the Rays last season but missed nearly four months with a right forearm strain suffered in mid-May. At the time of his stint on the injured list, he ranked among American League leaders (min. 40 IP) in ERA (1.86, first), WHIP (0.91, second), BB/9 IP ratio (1.68, third) and SO/BB ratio (6.11, third). He was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 31, 2018 and is 7-6 with a 2.94 ERA (116.1-IP, 38-ER) and 140 strikeouts (10.83 SO/9 IP ratio) in 23 starts for the Rays. He was selected by the Pirates in the fifth round of the 2011 June Draft out of William S. Hart (Calif.) High School, and was in the majors for parts of three seasons (2016-18) before the trade.

Roe, 33, went 1-3 with a 4.06 ERA (51-IP, 23-ER) in a career-high and team-most 71 appearances last season, including a 2.66 ERA (23.2-IP, 7-ER) in 32 appearances after the All-Star break. Over three seasons with the Rays, he is 2-6 with a 3.60 ERA (110-IP, 44-ER) in 141 appearances. The seven-year veteran has also pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks (2013), New York Yankees (2014), Baltimore Orioles (2015-16) and Atlanta Braves (2016-17). He is 9-8 with a 3.86 ERA (207.1-IP, 89-ER) in 234 career appearances and has held right-handed hitters to a .211 avg. (110-for-521).

Renfroe, 27, was acquired in a five-player trade from the San Diego Padres on December 6, 2019. He hit 33 home runs last season, which tied for seventh among National League outfielders and were the most by a Padre since Adrián González (40) in 2009. He tied for fifth in the majors with 27 home runs prior to the All-Star break, but endured elbow and ankle injuries in the second half to finish with a .216/.289/.489 (95-for-440) overall line in 140 games (111 starts). He tied for the NL lead last season with 13 outfield assists and tied for second among major league outfielders with 22 Defensive Runs Saved. He was selected by the Padres in the first round (13th overall) of the 2013 June Draft out of Mississippi State University. Over parts of four seasons in the majors, he is a .235/.294/.494 (311-for-1,323) hitter with 89 home runs and 204 RBI.

Robertson, 25, has hit .231/.340/.352 (163-for-707) with 16 home runs and 72 RBI in 237 games over parts of three seasons in the majors, all with the Rays. After a breakout 2018 campaign, he appeared in 74 games and made 58 starts over three stints with the Rays last season, batting .213/.295/.312 (44-for-207) with two home runs and 19 RBI. He owns a career .348 on-base pct. against left-handed pitching, including a .365 on-base pct. against lefties over the last two seasons. He was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the first round (34th overall) of the 2012 June Draft out of Upland (Calif.) High School and traded to the Rays in a five-player trade on January 10, 2015.