Yesterday potentially marked the end of an era for the Tampa Bay Rays, as longtime center fielder Kevin Kiermaier’s option for 2023 was not picked up, making him a free agent.
In all likelihood, the Rays will not bring back the three-time Gold Glover.
Yesterday, the Rays took to Twitter to thank Kiermaier for his time in Tampa Bay and expressing what he meant to the organization.
One MLB analyst took note of this however, and pointed out a sad fact, that being that the social media team is posting a goodbye because they already know that the organization will not spend the money to keep him around.
It’s incredibly sad that an MLB franchise is putting out a “thank you” graphic tweet for a guy that spent 10+ years there the second he hits free agency because they know they’re not gonna spend the necessary $10M or whatever to bring him back https://t.co/oNr9UNWXW7
— Max Mannis (@MaxMannis) November 10, 2022
MLB Analyst Points Out Sad Reality For The Rays
This is something that is common for smaller-market teams.
While yes, funds can be quite limited, it’s still common knowledge that these small-market teams most likely have more money than they say they do.
The Rays certainly won’t sign anybody to a mega contract, but a one-year, $10 million deal would be more than enough to keep Kiermaier around.
There’s no reason not to spend that money when it’s available.
The Rays, despite being a small-market team, should be able to afford somebody like Kiermaier.
At the very least, the Rays will still make the necessary moves in the trade market to try and improve the team and keep their winning ways intact, which is quite the opposite from other small-market teams like the Cincinnati Reds.
But it is a sad reality for Rays fans that the organization won’t spend $10 million to keep Kiermaier, and that because of that, the social media team is already posting a farewell message.