Fastball

Former Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays' Pitcher is in High Demand This Offseason

Robert Stephenson, who finished up 2023 with the Tampa Bay Rays, is drawing widespread interest on the free agent market.

Brady Farkas

Former Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays' Pitcher is in High Demand This Offseason
Former Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays' Pitcher is in High Demand This Offseason /
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Eight-year Major League veteran Robert Stephenson is reportedly in high demand this offseason.

Per Jon Morosi of MLB.com:

RHP Robert Stephenson has been one of the most popular free-agent relievers this offseason, sources say. 

Stephenson, who had a 0.678 WHIP over 42 appearances with the Rays this year, is drawing interest from the Dodgers, Cubs, and Angels, among other teams.

@MLBNetwork @MLB

Stephenson started his career in 2016 with the Reds, staying there until partway through the 2022 season. With Cincinnati, he served mostly as a reliever, but he did start 11 games that season.

In 2022, he finished up the year with Pittsburgh, staying there partway through 2023, when he finished with Tampa Bay, putting up the numbers that Morosi referenced.

Overall in 2023, he went 3-4 with a 3.10 ERA over 60 games, but he just a 2.35 ERA with Tampa in those 42 games. He was a big part of a Rays team that won 99 games and finished second in the loaded American League East.

Lifetime, he's 17-20 with a 4.64 ERA. He has served exclusively as a reliever since that 2017 season. At 30 years old, he has plenty left in the tank and can be an asset to any team that needs help in the bullpen.

He struck out a whopping 77 batters in 52.1 innings in 2023. Lifetime, he's struck out 406 batters in 364.1 innings, proving he has the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that front office executives salivate over.

MLBTradeRumors projected him to get a four-year, $36 million deal.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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