Catcher Mike Zunino Signs $2M Contract With Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, FL —Catcher Mike Zunino will return to the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2021 season after the sports club recently signed him to a $2 million contract, a news release said.

The deal includes a 2022 club option worth another $4 million, with the potential to grow to $7 million with incentives. The 2022 club option includes a $1 million buyout, for a total guarantee of $3 million. In addition, the Rays have agreed to terms with right-handed pitchers David Hess and Andrew Kittredge and catcher Joe Odom on minor league contracts with invitations to major league spring training.

Zunino, 29, was acquired by the Rays in a five-player trade with the Seattle Mariners on November 8, 2018. Over eight seasons in the majors, he is a career .200/.270/.394 (446-for-2,226) hitter with 108 home runs and 283 RBI, including a combined 45 home runs over the 2017-18 seasons with Seattle, according to Major League Baseball.