The Rays are finalizing a two-year contract with free-agent left-hander Steven Matz, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The club has not confirmed the deal, which is pending a physical.
Matz’s first season as a primary reliever was by all accounts a success. The left-hander’s 3.05 ERA in 2025 was his lowest since his six-start debut season with the pennant-winning 2015 Mets (2.27), and it included a stellar stretch after a midseason trade from the Cardinals to the Red Sox. After posting a 3.44 ERA in 32 outings with St. Louis, Matz closed the regular season with a 2.08 ERA in 21 appearances for Boston.
Matz, who turns 35 next May, began a slow transition from starter to reliever after signing a four-year, $44 million deal with St. Louis before the 2022 season. The lefty, who started 136 of his 141 games before joining the Cardinals, started 10 of his 15 games in 2022, 17 of 25 in 2023 and seven of 12 in 2024. In 2025, though, Matz’s move to the bullpen became essentially full time: He started just twice in 53 appearances, topping out at five innings pitched.
The southpaw’s four-pitch arsenal is led by his sinker, which Matz threw 58.4% of the time in 2025, landing him inside the top 10 of qualifying pitchers. Matz’s most effective pitch was his curveball (.197 batting average against), while his changeup, which has elite vertical drop, also saw decent results. Matz’s repertoire also includes a little-used slider, which he threw only 18 times in all of 2025.
The lefty improved considerably on his 5.08 ERA in 44 1/3 innings for St. Louis in 2024 by limiting fly balls and pulled contact. He cut his 7.9% walk rate from ’24 by more than half, issuing just 11 free passes in 76 2/3 innings -- a 3.6% walk rate that ranked fourth among MLB hurlers (min. 50 innings pitched). Matz hasn’t had an above-average strikeout rate since 2022, but he’s still finding ways to get hitters out effectively.