Former Pittsburgh Pirates Star Takes Front Office Job with Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays have made an interesting hire, bringing aboard former Pittsburgh Pirates star Tony Watson to serve in the front office.

The following comes from MLBTradeRumors, with a link to the original report (subscription required) from Marc Topkin of the Tampa-Bay Times:

The Rays hired Tony Watson for a job in their player development department, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Watson will be working under director of pitching Winston Doom. A veteran of 11 big league seasons from 2011-21, Watson retired in 2022 due to shoulder problems, and the 38-year-old is now moving into a new stage of his baseball career.

This is one of several things to happen to the Rays front office this offseason. The team lost Peter Bendix, who had served as general manager, to the Miami Marlins. They also announced that they won't be filling his position moving forward.

As for Watson, he made the All-Star team in 2014 with the Pirates. One of the most effective relievers in the game for a spell, he went 10-2 that season over a league-leading 78 games. He pitched for the Pirates, Dodgers, Giants, and Angels over his career, going 47-29 with a 2.90 ERA. He also had 32 career saves.

Working with the Rays is certainly a good opportunity for Watson, as the organization is long known as one of the best developers of talent in all of baseball. They are coming off a season in which they won 99 games, finished second in the American League East, and were beaten in the AL wild card round by the Texas Rangers.