Southpaw Raley a 'perfect fit' in Rays' bullpen

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Heading into free agency at the end of last season, left-handed reliever Brooks Raley figured the Rays were the last team he’d hear from. They already had a deep bullpen. They probably wanted a right-hander to counter the American League East’s powerful and predominantly right-handed lineups. He admired the Rays from afar during his time with the Astros the last two seasons, but how would he fit in Tampa Bay?

So naturally, the Rays were one of the first teams to call Raley during the offseason. And they had a message, Raley said: “Hey, you’re one of the big pieces that we want.” He was flattered. And on Nov. 30, he was signed for two years and $10 million guaranteed, with a club option for 2024 -- a rare multi-year deal from the Rays for a free-agent reliever.

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President of baseball operations Erik Neander referred to Raley and veteran starter Corey Kluber as the club’s “priority targets” during the pre-lockout phase of the offseason. The appeal of Kluber is obvious -- the pair of American League Cy Young Awards, the impressive career track record when healthy, the renowned work ethic that could rub off on the Rays’ talented young starters.

Why were the Rays so locked in on Raley? He offered a taste of what he brings to the table Wednesday afternoon, striking out two batters in a perfect sixth inning during the Rays’ 7-7 tie against the Braves at CoolToday Park.

“Really crisp,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “There's deception with left-handed hitters. He drives the ball into righties. You can tell he's got a very good feel, confident feel for pitching.”

Raley’s 4.78 ERA with the Astros last season may not jump off the page, and it might seem unusual that the Rays committed so strongly to a 33-year-old who was on his fifth season in South Korea only three years ago. But consider: Raley struck out nearly 32 percent of the hitters he faced while walking fewer than 8 percent last season, and among pitchers who worked at least 40 innings, nobody produced a better hard-hit rate (21.5 percent) or average exit velocity (83 mph) than Raley.

“He’s really good, and Erik didn't waste time or mince words. He went right after him,” Cash said. “Appreciate Brooks taking his approach and saying, ‘All right, I want to be a Ray. Let's go.’”

Indeed, Raley came in with exactly the kind of attitude the Rays love. He’s open to any role. He can use his deep arsenal to handle multiple-inning bursts, high-leverage work or left-handed matchups. And he has been eager to learn and improve, believing pitching coach Kyle Snyder and bullpen coach Stan Boroski can help unlock the best version of him like they’ve done with so many other talented arms.

“I feel great about everything that's gone on, and the communication's been phenomenal,” Raley said. “Ever since I've been in here, the guys have been awesome. From Day 1, trying to get feedback from one guy or another … so it's been really cool to be part of it. And we're just getting started.”

Raley said the Rays’ instruction has been fairly straightforward so far, which falls in line with their history of condensing complex information into simple messages: “Attacking. Staying ahead.” He did both during a quick inning of work Wednesday, his first game in a Tampa Bay uniform.

“Just kind of getting into the flow of the game and feeling comfortable and all those things kind of right out the gate, so I'm sure the plan will get a little more elaborate as we get a scouting report,” Raley said. “I thought coming out healthy was the big thing today.”

Raley’s desire to learn and improve was evident even after he walked off the mound. Rather than retreating to the clubhouse, getting treatment and leaving, he remained in the dugout to watch fellow reliever JT Chargois (two strikeouts) and catch partner J.P. Feyereisen (one hit, one run) on the mound.

“I obviously played against those guys, but you want to see the things that they're working through … just kind of see how guys tick, right?” Raley said. “Throughout the year, there's ups and there's downs, and I think there's ways for us to encourage each other and then there's ways for us to [say], 'Hey, man, remember when you were doing this?' It all starts in spring, so with a shorter spring, I felt like it was a good opportunity to see the other guys throw.”

Raley believes the Rays can help make him better. The Rays believe Raley can help make them better. Turns out there’s a fit here, after all.

“I felt like it was a perfect fit,” Raley said. “The opportunity has been there, and hopefully we can just get it going and roll.”