Springs (knee) and the Rays agreed Tuesday on a one-year, $947,500 contract to avoid arbitration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Before he tore the ACL in his right knee July 31 and required season-ending surgery, Springs proved to be a weapon out of the bullpen for the Rays. Over his 44.2 innings, Springs was prone to the long ball (nine home runs allowed) but otherwise dominated hitters to the tune of a 3.43 ERA and 63:14 K:BB. He picked up 10 holds and two saves along the way, but the Rays' wealth of quality relievers and manager Kevin Cash's preference to mix and match in the ninth inning will make it tough to extract consistent value from Springs or any of the team's other bullpen options. Springs threw a live batting practice session Monday and plans to test out his surgically repaired knee next week by jumping off the mound and fielding bunts, but his availability for Opening Day is in flux at the moment.