By Sam Bush
With an $11 million salary for 2023, Zach Eflin becomes the highest-paid player on the Tampa Bay roster.
The Rays are now up to around $78 million in projected commitments for 2023, not far off their franchise-record $83 million mark from this past season.
The overall $40 million guarantee represents the largest free agent investment in Rays history.
The Phils elected not to qualify Eflin, and they won’t receive any compensation for his departure, while the Rays won’t lose any picks to add him.
To find Eflin’s replacement, they can dip into a free agent rotation market that offers a number of options beyond the top trio of Jacob deGrom, Carlos Rodón and Justin Verlander.
Players like Chris Bassitt, Kodai Senga, Jameson Taillon, Nathan Eovaldi, Noah Syndergaard, Andrew Heaney, Taijuan Walker and Sean Manaea all remain on the market as strong candidates for multi-year deals.
