Tampa Bay is looking to find a ray of light among the Mets’ castoffs.
Hours after signing veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel, the Rays agreed to a minor league deal with outfielder Austin Slater on Tuesday, FanSided’s Robert Murray reported.
Slater, 33, was designated for assignment by the Mets last week after appearing in nine games with the team, slashing .250/.286/.300 with one RBI across 20 at-bats.
The veteran right-handed hitter elected free agency on Sunday after he cleared waivers, allowing him to sign with any team.
Tampa Bay marks Slater’s fourth organization of 2026 as he began the year with the Tigers in spring training before brief cameos in the majors with the Marlins and Mets.
The Amazin’s originally acquired Slater, who spent the second half of last season with the Yankees, in late April after DFA’ing Tommy Pham.
Slater has long been regarded for his ability to hit lefties, notching an outstanding .285/.374/.463 line with an .837 OPS against southpaws from 2017-23.
This season has been a different story, however, as Slater wields a .175/.244/.200 line in 45 plate appearances versus lefties.
Slater will serve as minor league depth for the Rays, unlike Kimbrel, who signed a major league deal with the team earlier in the day.
Kimbrel, 37, was also DFA’d by the Mets after a rough 14-game stretch that saw the nine-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer post a 6.00 ERA.
The Rays became Kimbrel’s 11th team when he made his debut with the club on Tuesday against one of his former teams, the Orioles.
Kimbrel threw a scoreless eighth inning at Camden Yards, allowing one hit and striking out two batters in a 6-1 Rays loss.