ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays have signed right-handed reliever Oliver Drake to a $775,000, one-year contract and finalized a $2.5 million, one-year contract with free agent left-hander Rich Hill.
The AL champions announced the deals Wednesday night. The team cleared room on the 40-man roster by placing left-hander Colin Poche, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgery, on the 60-day injured list.
Drake, 34, was limited to 11 appearances with the Rays last season, when he spent time on the injured list due to right biceps tendinitis. He went 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA and two saves, both coming within the first five games of the season.
The right-hander has spent parts of the last two seasons with the Rays and is 5-4 with a 3.63 ERA in 61 appearances. He pitched one scoreless inning in his only postseason appearance last fall.
Drake can earn $325,000 in roster bonuses as part of his deal: $100,000 each for 30 and 40 days on the active roster, and $125,000 for 50.
The 40-year-old Hill ended the 2020 pandemic-shortened season as the oldest active player in the major leagues. He went 2-2 with a 3.03 ERA in eight starts for the Minnesota Twins after entering spring training recovering from surgery that repaired a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.
Hill, who agreed to terms with the Rays last week, is 67-44 with a 3.79 career ERA over parts of 16 seasons with nine different teams. He helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the NL pennant in 2017 and 2018 while compiling a 27-14 record over four seasons with the team.
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