ST. PETERSBURG -- Steven Matz spent last offseason preparing to pitch in the Cardinals’ rotation. He worked as a starter throughout Spring Training. Then, shortly before Opening Day, he moved into a more flexible role.
Matz pitched multiple innings out of the bullpen. He worked in high-leverage situations. He started twice. After a month, Matz settled into St. Louis’ staff as a multi-inning arm. When he was shipped to Boston before the Trade Deadline, he became more of a one-inning reliever.
Whatever Matz was asked to do, he did it well -- all without a single complaint, always asking what would be best for the team.
“Ultimately, as a player, what is more beneficial to the team is the most important, and it worked out that way,” Matz said, citing the example set by former teammates like David Wright and Adam Wainwright. “There was a desire to start, but I understand, ‘Hey, we need to win games. We need to have good morale in the clubhouse and not have people complaining. That stuff's contagious.’ So I think all that stuff is important.”
Matz’s selfless success earned him the respect of his former clubs, caught the Rays’ attention and ultimately led to another opportunity to start. Tampa Bay signed Matz to a two-year, $15 million contract on Tuesday with the intent to slot him into its rotation next season.
“We're going to give him the opportunity to prepare as a starter, to come in and try to lock down a day. The investment was made with that in mind,” Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “Believe that's something that he's going to be able to do, and we believe he's going to be able to do it well.”
Of course, the Rays’ interest in Matz was mostly about what he can do on the mound, not just the attitude and impact he’ll carry into their clubhouse. From that perspective, Matz believes he’s more prepared than ever to rejoin a starting staff and benefit from Tampa Bay’s track record of getting the most out of experienced arms.
“I just feel like my stuff is as good as it's been in my career, even when I had success as a starter, and that’s just kind of always been a desire of mine,” Matz said. “Ultimately, I'm going to do what the team needs of me to win games. But that's just kind of been the desire -- to get in a rotation and be a starter and be successful as a starter.”
Matz’s desire to start again stood out to the Rays, who had unsuccessfully attempted to acquire him before. And their interest in him made a strong impression on Matz, whose previous admiration for the club only intensified after a call with Neander, manager Kevin Cash and renowned pitching coach Kyle Snyder and rave reviews from former teammates like Andrew Kittredge and Phil Maton.
A veteran with more than 10 years of Major League service time, Matz has made 246 appearances -- including 172 starts -- for the Mets, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Red Sox. In addition to his experience in the rotation, he has the kind of traits the Rays look for in their starters.
Matz has a starter’s arsenal, a four-pitch mix consisting of a fastball, curveball, changeup and slider. He throws strikes with the best of them, as his career-low 3.6% walk rate this past season ranked fourth in the Majors among pitchers who worked at least 50 innings. And above all, he wants to start.
“The curiosity, the intrigue was there for us, but it only goes so far as the player wanting to do it,” Neander said. “And it was very clear early on that that was something he had a lot of interest in doing. Then from there, it's like, ‘All right, well, let's see if we can make this work.’ And we're grateful that we did.”
With Matz on board, the Rays could have more capable pitchers than spots in their rotation, even if they don’t add another veteran this offseason. That’s where Matz’s team-first attitude and proven flexibility could come in handy.
Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot and Shane Baz are set to return after career-high workloads this past season. The Rays have depth options in Ian Seymour, Joe Boyle and Yoendrys Gómez. And then there’s ace Shane McClanahan, who hasn’t pitched for the Rays since 2023 due to Tommy John surgery and a nerve issue in his left triceps.
If they’re all healthy and effective, the Rays could have to get creative to fit them on the same staff. Fortunately, they can count on Matz to do whatever is needed.
“You’re always starting with talent. You need to make sure that’s in place,” Neander said. “But there’s a lot of benefit to having the right veterans around, at any given time, a younger, developing, ascending core of talent that is critical to our sustained success.”