Blake Snell agrees to a five-year, $50M extension with Rays

On March 21, 2019, in Tampa Bay
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The Rays agreed to a five-year, $50 million deal with reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, the club announced Thursday. The deal extends through the 2023 season and the left-hander could make an additional $2 million in incentives.
“Since being drafted in 2011, Blake’s talent and hard work have enabled him to establish himself as one of the most dominant pitchers in the game,” said Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg. “We’re looking forward to seeing him take the mound for the Rays for years to come.”
There are no club options and the deal will cover all three years of arbitration and the first year of free agency. Snell's new deal is the largest contract in Major League history given to a pitcher before reaching arbitration.
En route to winning his first Cy Young Award, Snell finished with a league-leading 21 wins and 1.89 ERA. Snell was only the third AL pitcher to record at least 20 wins and a sub-2.00 ERA, along with Ron Guidry in 1978 and Roger Clemens in '90.
Snell is the second player signed to a contract extension this week, as infielder/outfielder Brandon Lowe completed a six-year, $24 million deal Wednesday. After the deal, senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager Erik Neander said that signing Lowe was a “really good step” in keeping the young core together. Thursday’s deal with Snell is a huge step in that direction.
“We have a group of players here -- and we’ve talked about it for a while -- that collectively we really believe in,” Neander said. “In terms of what else we can do to continue down that path, we’re going to find ways to do it.”
Juan Toribio/MLB.com
 
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Facebook Twitter

Comments are closed.



Go To Top »