Jake Fraley Returns to the Rays with a Million-Dollar Contract
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rays have announced the signing of outfielder Jake Fraley to a one-year, $3 million contract, after he was released last week.
The agreement includes the possibility of Fraley earning an additional $400,000 in bonuses. These bonuses will be awarded in increments of $100,000 for every 85, 115, 145, and 175 active days on the Major League roster.
In the past season, the 30-year-old player had a combined batting average of .241, with six home runs, 23 RBIs, and an OPS of .714 in 217 plate appearances, playing for Cincinnati and Atlanta. He participated in 67 games with the Reds and nine with the Braves, the team that claimed him on August 19th.
Fraley was claimed again on November 6 by the Rays, who designated him for assignment on November 18. Subsequently, he became a free agent three days later, when Tampa Bay decided not to offer him a contract for 2026 that would have made him eligible for salary arbitration.
Fraley, throughout his career, has a batting average of .248, with 47 home runs and an OPS of .735 in seven seasons in the Major Leagues, playing for Seattle, Cincinnati, and Atlanta. The left-handed hitter was selected in the second round of the 2016 amateur draft by the Rays, who traded him to the Mariners in November 2018.
