Steven Matz News: Will get another chance to start

Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said Tuesday that Matz will be given a chance to open the season in the rotation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Neander said that Matz -- whose two-year, $15 million contract became official Tuesday -- has "a real desire" to be a starting pitcher again, and the "the investment was made with that in mind." All but two of Matz's 53 regular-season appearances in 2025 came out of the bullpen, but the 34-year-old has predominantly been a starter in his career. He posted a 3.05 ERA and 59:11 K:BB over 76.2 regular-season frames between the Cardinals and Red Sox this past season.