ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Defensive whiz Kevin Kiermaier was among nine players who agreed to one-year contracts with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday to avoid salary arbitration.
Kiermaier's deal is worth $2,975,000, according to multiple reports. He made $514,400 last season, when he won his second straight Gold Glove Award in center field.
The Rays also agreed to give substantial raises to infielder Brad Miller and outfielder Corey Dickerson. Miller agreed to a $3,575,000, one-year deal and Dickerson got a $3,025,000, one-year contract, according to multiple reports. Both made just more than the league minimum in 2016.
Tampa Bay also agreed on one-year contracts with infielder Tim Beckham, starting pitcher Alex Cobb and relievers Brad Boxberger, Xavier Cedeno, Danny Farquhar and Erasmo Ramirez.
The only arbitration-eligible Rays player to not agree to a deal is starter Jake Odorizzi, who asked for $4.1 million and got an offer from Tampa Bay for $3,825,000. Odorizzi was the only member of the starting rotation to finish with a winning record last season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
