ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Rays have ensured that manager Kevin Cash will be at the helm of the of his hometown team for the foreseeable future.
The Rays extended the 40-year-old Tampa native through the 2024 season with an option for 2025, the team announced on Tuesday.
“Kevin’s abilities, leadership and character have exceeded our lofty expectations,” team owner Stuart Sternberg said via press release. “I look forward to having him and his family a part of our organization for the years ahead.”
Last season under Cash — the manager’s fifth with the club, the Rays finished with 90 victories for the franchise’s best record since 2013 and the second consecutive season the team made double-digit improvement in wins.
“We couldn’t be happier with the impact that Kevin has made on our organization, an impact that extends well beyond our major league club,” said Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations/General Manager Erik Neander. “We’re thankful for this stability and the many advantages that it provides, especially the opportunity to continue learning and improving together.”
Cash, who has been named to the AL All-Star game coaching staff in each of the past two seasons and is frontrunner for the AL Manager of the Year honors, is the youngest manager in MLB. Should Cash finish out his contract, he would pass Joe Maddon for the longest-tenured manager in franchise history.
A former catcher who played parts of eight seasons in the majors, including 2005 with the Rays, Cash is one of four current managers who played for Tampa Bay along with Nationals manager Dave Martinez (1998-2000), Mets skipper Mickey Callaway (1999, 2001) and Phillies manager Gabe Kapler (2009-10).
