Tampa Bay signs Wacha
Starting pitcher gets one-year deal worth $3 million
The American League champion Tampa Bay Rays signed right-hander Michael Wacha to a $3 million, one-year contract on Friday to fill a void in the rotation with the departure of Charlie Morton.
The 29-year old Wacha has a 60-43 record with a 4.01 ERA over eight seasons. After seven years with the St. Louis Cardinals, he went went 1-4 with a 6.62 ERA with the New York Mets in 2020.
Morton signed a $15 million, one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves last month after Tampa Bay declined his $15 million option. The 37-yearold joined the Rays in 2019 and helped Tampa Bay reach the playoffs the past two seasons. The righthander was 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA during this year’s postseason.
Mets: New York sent minor league right-hander Ryder Ryan to Texas as the player to be named in a trade for infielder Todd Frazier on Aug. 31. Ryan is a 25-year-old reliever who last pitched at Double-a Binghamton in 2019 because the pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor league season. He was 3-1 with a 3.05 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 441⁄
3 innings with the Rumble Ponies. Blue Jays: Each time Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo has made a pitch to free agents this offseason, there’s one topic he’s known will come up. “The number one question is if we’re going to play in Toronto,” Montoyo said Friday. “That’s rightly so. Our answer is, ‘Yeah, we’re hoping so.’” So far, it’s hope and not certainty for the Blue Jays, who have yet to receive clearance to host games at Rogers Centre. Although Canadian officials allowed the Blue Jays to host their summer training camp in Toronto last July, a request to play regular-season games north of the border was denied. That left the Blue Jays scrambling to find a solution just days before the season opener. Toronto played on the road for more than two weeks before moving to Buffalo, the home of their Triple-a affiliate.
Indians: Manager Terry Francona praised Indians for trying to “do the right thing” with a name change that was inevitable — and necessary. On Friday, Francona complimented the team’s decision to drop its name after 105 years, a switch that came after months of internal discussions, meetings with numerous groups and one that will signal a new beginning for the AL club. “I am proud of the fact that we are going to do something that is correct,” Francona said on a Zoom call from his home in Arizona. The team announced its decision on Monday.
Note: ESPN will open its “Sunday Night Baseball” schedule on April 4 when the Angels play host to the White Sox.