The Tampa Bay Rays signed Cy Young Award-winning left-hander Blake Snell to a new contract this week, but the organization’s pattern has been to trade players not long after locking them down with long-term deals. Tampa Bay rarely enters the free-agent market because the cost can be grossly inflated by competing bids. While the contract has advantages for both sides, it won’t drastically change Snell’s future in Tampa Bay. Way back in 2008, the Rays signed Scott Kazmir to a three-year deal with one option season. By the time those players were dealt, their contracts no longer made sense for Tampa Bay.

Source: thestar March 22, 2019 21:00 UTC