ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays on Tuesday completed and announced a three-year contract extension for infielder Yandy Diaz that guarantees the corner infielder $24 million with a 2026 option could be worth $36 million.
Diaz, 31, hit .296 with nine homers and 57 RBIs last season, ranking third in the American League with a .401 on-base percentage and career-high .824 OPS. He was one of six big-leaguers (with enough plate appearances to qualify for the leaderboards) to have more walks (78) than strikeouts (60).
Diaz will get a $6 million salary in 2023, then $8 million in 2024 and $10 million in 2025, when he would have been eligible for free agency. The team has a $12 million option for 2026, with no buyout. Diaz was seeking a $6.3 million salary in arbitration while the team offered $5.55 million.
He is the third Ray in the past week to sign an extension, joining starter Jeffrey Springs, who got a four-year deal for a guaranteed $31 million (with a potential of $65.75 million over five), and reliever Pete Fairbanks, who got three years and a guaranteed $12 million.
All three were slated to go to arbitration hearings. The Rays still have four players headed for hearings, beginning with reliever Ryan Thompson on Monday. Outfielder/DH Harold Ramirez and relievers Jason Adam and Colin Poche also could not reach agreement on their 2023 salaries before the filing deadline. The Rays may work out a multi-year deal with Adam and avoid the hearing.
