Left-hander is drawing interest from clubs as he continues rehabbing from Tommy John surgery over the summer, according to a report from . The Cubs and Yankees are among the clubs to have reached out and some teams have discu sed multi-year arrangements with Raley, though its not clear if the Cubs and Yankees are among the teams to have expre sed multi-year interest. Raley, 36, made his big league debut with the Cubs back in 2012 but totaled just 38 1/3 innings of work before departing stateside ball for South Korea back in 2015. He spent several years pitching in the KBO before resurfacing in the majors during the 2020 season as a middle relief option. He enjoyed a late-career breakout in Tampa back in 2022, however, and since then has been nothing short of excellent when healthy enough to take the mound with a 2.58 ERA (153 ERA+), a 3.13 FIP, and a 27.3% strikeout rate over the past three years with the Rays and Mets. Dominant as hes been in recent years, a player on the wrong side of 35 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery comes with plenty of question marks. That might make the idea of a multi-year deal seem somewhat surprising, but in some ways it could actually help the acquiring club more reliably secure a return on their investment. After all, Raley figures to only be available for the second half in 2025 and some players need time to shake off the rust following a long layoff like the one Raley is currently Dylan Coleman Jersey experiencing. Given that, a deal that pays Raley a relatively low salary for 2025 but comes with a second guaranteed year at a higher rate could make sense for both sides by guaranteeing Raley a longer-term opportunity coming off surgery while affording the club some protection against Raley struggling in his initial return from surgery before righting the ship and returning to form later on. Looking at the teams being connected to Raley, its fairly easy to see why hed be of interest to them. The Cubs have been in the market for relief help all winter. While the club already signed as a left-handed option for their bullpen last month, that likely wouldnt preclude them from adding a player like Raley because he is both more of a bonafide late-inning arm than Thielbar and wouldnt factor into the clubs Opening Day roster due to his rehab timeline. Chicago has shown a willingne s to sign rehabbing players in the past, as well. They were involved in market last winter and previously signed players like and while they were rehabbing. The Yankees, meanwhile, have already added to replace in the ninth inning, giving them a strong one-two punch at the back of the bullpen with set for an eighth-inning role. One place where the clubs bullpen could stand to be upgraded, however, is from the left side. Southpaw pitched well for the Yanks in 2024 but is currently a free agent. While Raley wouldnt be available for at least the first half of the season, the club currently has no left-handed relievers on their 40-man roster and could be forced to use a reverse-splits righty like against tough left-handed relievers in 2025 without an external addition. Houston Astros Jersey