MLB Rumors: Rays Manager Kevin Cash, President Erik Neander Receive New Contracts

Coming off five consecutive playoff appearances, the Tampa Bay Rays have rewarded manager Kevin Cash and president of baseball operations Erik Neander with new contracts.

Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, terms of the deals weren't initially available, but the deals are expected to keep Cash and Neander under contract beyond the Rays' planned move into their new stadium for the 2028 season.

Topkin noted the club is expected to officially announced the extensions on Thursday.

Cash was entering the final guaranteed season of a six-year extension he signed with the Rays in October 2018. The deal included a team option for 2025, which Topkin noted was incorporated into this new contract.

Neander previously signed an extension late in the 2021 season that reportedly ran through the 2026 campaign.

According to Topkin, Rays officials aren't planning to publicly discuss the deals for Cash and Neander until a scheduled media conference on the first day of spring training this coming Tuesday in Port Charlotte, Florida.

Neander has spent his entire front-office career with the Rays when he was hired as an intern in 2007. He was hired as a full-time employee by the end of that season and was promoted to director of baseball operations in 2012.

The Rays named Neander their vice president of baseball operations in 2014. He took over as senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager two years later.

When Neander signed his most recent deal in 2021, the Rays promoted him to president of baseball operations.

Cash spent two years on Terry Francona's staff in Cleveland from 2013 to '14. He was hired by the Rays as their new manager in December 2014 after Joe Maddon left to join the Chicago Cubs.

At the time, Cash was the youngest manager (37 years old) hired by an MLB team since 2009 when A.J. Hinch got the Arizona Diamondbacks' job at the age of 34.

After missing the playoffs in each of Cash's first four seasons, the Rays have made the postseason every year since 2019. They have the fourth-most wins (421) in Major League Baseball over the past five seasons.

Cash is 15 wins away from tying Maddon for the most in franchise history (754). His .545 winning percentage is the best in team history.