The Rays have signed Carlos Pena to a one-year deal that will bring the powerful first baseman back to Tampa Bay, the team announced. The Scott Boras client will earn $7.25MM in 2012.
“Carlos is one of the most accomplished players in team history and he is a great fit for our club in 2012 both on and off the field,” Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “He adds to our offense with his power while maintaining the high defensive standard we seek.”
Pena, 33, posted a .225/.357/.462 line with 28 home runs in 606 plate appearances for the Cubs in 2011. He earned $10MM last, when the Rays spent $42MM on their entire Major League payroll. Pena averaged 36 home runs and a .238/.368/.516 line in his four seasons in Tampa Bay from 2007-10. Just 9.36% of 15,700 people who participated in MLBTR's December poll expected Pena to return to Tampa Bay.
The Rays have added substantial power to the lineup in Pena and Luke Scott. Casey Kotchman, who played first base for the Rays in 2011, will presumably sign elsewhere — possibly in Cleveland — now that the Rays no longer have an opening at first base. Potential suitors for Pena such as the Yankees, Tigers and Indians will have to turn elsewhere for power bats.
The Cubs offered Pena arbitration after the season, so they'll earn a compensatory draft pick for losing the Type B free agent. However, the Rays don't have to surrender a pick to add Pena. Pena ranked 16th on MLBTR's list of top free agents entering the offseason.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported the agreement, after Yahoo's Tim Brown reported that the Rays were "in pretty deep" with Pena. Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
JALAPENA! Welcome back!!
on a steeek
Pena and Scott, good replacements over Damon and Kotchman.
Replacing high-average and low-power with low-average and high-power
Haha…see, I told you I could be totally wrong and they could sign him! I think this was a good move for them. I didn’t like the Luke Scott signing, but that’s probably at least partly because I think Luke Scott is a knucklehead.
Ryan Howard 2011 .253/.346/.488 11.6BB% 26.7K% 33HR Bad D Salary 25 MilCarlos Pena 2011.225/.357/.462 16.7BB% 26.6K% 29HR Good D Salary 7.35 Mil
Bill James would approve.
good call…… Damon and Kotchman have better OPS.. I will take (2) .290 hitters over a 28HR .225 hitter and Luke Scott any day… HR or K, that’s about it for these two
Well thats cool I guess but like I said, they replaced Damon and Kotchman. Damon and Kotchman are not .290 hitters.
Scott has stats too you know, and he averages almost .850 OPS.
You’re kidding yourself harder than me right now if you actually think Kotchman will replicate anything close to 2011 ever again.
Damon has lost all plate discipline in his search for hit # 3000. Can he still play DH? Sure.
But Scott can play it better.
Pena is better than Kotchman in every way except for batting average.
DH and 1B are two positions where you need some power, especially when
the ‘defense’ positions of SS and C pretty much just drove down air
conditioning costs at the Trop last year with all those whiffs. Pena hit more homers and walked more than Kotch and Damon combined last year. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll miss Damon, but his AVG and OBP have declined the past three years and he hasn’t hit that .290 mark since he hit over .300 with the Yanks in 08. Kotch exceeded expectations but even if he reproduces his 2011 numbers a first baseman who drove in under 50 runs over an entire season won’t cut it on a contending team.
Good move by the Rays, I think. Just thinking the other day that the Rays are a solid first base option away from contending again.
Well that sucks. I was hoping Cashman would swoop in and sign him. How much do we think the deal was for? 1 year at about $8mm?
I’d say 2/14 or 1/7 with an option
$7.25 million on a 1 year deal. I was close
yeah. i was thinking 2/15. didn’t think he would sign a 1 year deal again. nice move by the rays.
That would be a 3 million cut from last year.
except when you add in the 5M he just got paid by the Cubs for this season…
He’s including it with that statement…it was a one year, $10 mill deal with 5 mill being paid last season and 5 mill being paid this month
I’m thinking a multi-year deal, but yeah around 8mm for year 1.
boo only one year. oh well ill take it.
$250 mil over 10 years with a 5 year player option.
thats a tough batting average to swallow in the AL East
Last batted .196 on the Rays in almost 500 PA’s
That was accompanied by a .222 BABIP, which is low even for someone like Pena, and well below is .278 career BABIP. As a Ray’s fan, we need power, which is exactly what he brings with his.248 career ISO.
I’m usually not one of those guys who fixes people’s grammar mistakes. (Hey I make plenty myself). But since you typed your sentences well, I thought I’d let you know there is a spelling mistake. It’s not Ray’s, it’s Rays.
Unless the Rays actually own Matt. Maybe they are that desperate for fans.
And seriously, who rely’s that much on battle average anymore?
And it’s relies, not rely’s.
He was a good fit for the Rays before, and hes a good fit for them now.
He consistently OPSes over .800. His batting average isn’t that important.
lets not forget the fact that pena and crawford were the leaders when the rays went to world series and penas defense is equal to kotchmans id say and you get more power and heart. love longoria but penas leadership is far more contagious to the rest of the players
…And that pre-game boogie he does in the dugout is a happy plus!
Watch the Yanks sign Kotchman now.
To DH? Lol.
You don’t sign kotchman to hit lol.
Projected .268/.344/.402 slash line next year. He doesn’t need to hit the longball. Just has to get a hit.
You get Kotchman to play great defense as well. And given the Yankees have arguably the best defensive 1B right now, it seems superfluous.
You use him at 1B when you need to give Teix a half day off.
I like to look at what he’s done before, than what someone thinks he might do in the future.
Um..trying actually looking at his stats pretty consistent with that projection. 2010 he had a fluke year where he had a .229 Babip. Yankees don”t need another guy to hit homers they need a guy who can draw a walk or get a base hit.
Very good points here. Yanks have plenty of power.
What’s his 162 game average babip? 2011 was near .335 (fluke year).
Well regression is in order, I know that but Kotchman isn’t going to regress to 2010 levels either.
He hit 30 points better in his season with the cubs where he earned $10 million so he should be getting a raise…
No sir. 7.25 mil on 1 yr deal.
It was a joke, because him getting $10 million for a .195 BA was a joke.
You’re not taking the Hendry Factor into consideration.
Much rather have seen Pena in Cleveland than Kotchman… especially with him signing for 7.25MM… much cheaper than I expected. Go figure that how things shake out in Cleveland.
Would rather see them use the bullpen depth they have and swing a trade for someone else…. If the Angels aren’t interested in moving Trumbo, who could be a potential suitor?
Damn. Was hoping the the Nats/Rays would work something out for LaRoche or Morse
For who on the Rays?
Upton. Rays needed a first baseman, Nats need a CF and it was rumored that Rizzo is in love Upton.
Except Upton had trade value and LaRoche doesn’t.
Well, until the All-star break at least. When Adam LaRoche turns into a superstar.
Woooooo Hooooooo PENA!!!!!
Why didn’t the Rays resign Kotch?
Because he can’t hit for power. And do you actually think he can duplicate last year’s performance? Not me
As much as I like Kotchman, Pena is a better player.
I’m actually surprised he got $7m – especially from the Rays. Was there that much demand for him?
He’ll be worth it but I didn’t think the market was breaking right for him to cash in.
Holy Jalapena !! It’s a thing of beauty to watch Carlos swat those majestic homers and pick errant throws out of the dirt. The pitchers and former team mates will gladly welcome him back. I just wish he’d find a way to figure the shift and cut down on those awfuls whiffs.
I guess Indians will have to go with Kotchman or wait to see where Fielder signs, I’m sad for this
Oh no, I was hoping for tigers to sign him…but Rays is my second best team so good luck Calrose
Very nice signing by the Rays.
LF Jennings
2B Zobrist
1B Pena
3B Longoria
DH Scott
CF Upton
RF Joyce
SS Rodriguez
C Molina
Not bad.
Rays New Line-UP VS. the Orioles Current line-up as of 1/20/12
LF Who knows?
2B TBD… I like Andino, but others do not
1B Who knows! I hear Chris Davis is back and Reynolds to 3rd
DH Who Knows?
CF Adam Jones, then again who knows. Since Fan Fest is tomorrow and if the O’s were going to trade him. They should have done it by now.
RF Markakis when he recovers fully
SS Hardy
C Wieters
Rotation: More Question Marks, than the Riddlers outfit in the “Campy” Batman Series from the 60’s!
Not Good! Way to go “Dumpster Diving” Duquette!
Buying “Them” Cheap and Stacking “Them” Deep! Just how Angelos Likes “Them”
I like the “open lineup”.
Might have been a mistake, but there’s no way the Rays bat Pena 3rd. He’ll bat 4th or 5th (depending upon Joyce’s progress).
i would have put pena in the 4 spot. or maybe scott. i dont know i just love longo in the 3 spot.
i would have put pena in the 4 spot. or maybe scott. i dont know i just love longo in the 3 spot.
More like:
LF Jennings (R)
2B Zobrist (S)
3B Longoria (R)
1B Pena (L)
CF Upton (R)
DH Scott (L)
RF Joyce (L)
C Molina (R)
SS Rodriguez (R)
Of course predicting a Maddon lineup is an exercise in futility.
LF Jennings (R)
CF Upton (R)
3B Longoria (R)
1B Pena (L)
DH Scott (L)
2B Zobrist (S)
RF Joyce (L)
C Molina (R)
SS Rodriguez (R)/ Brignac (L)
This will likely be the lineup except with Zobrist flipping with Scott verse lefthanders. Zobrist probably should bat 2nd, but Upton produced a 1.000+ OPS at the end of the year when Maddon moved him up to 2nd. He won’t mess with that until Upton proves otherwise I think.
Things have shaped up nicely. I wish Kotchman and Damon well. They were tremendous contributors to last years team. Scott and Pena will add much needed pop to this line-up. Great signing.
With Pena’s LH/RH split so bad, I really saw him a perfect fit for the Yankees as their LH DH. But good for him getting a full time gig. I gotta imagine he will likely only see 1/2 the LH starters this season.
I had commented the exact same thing regarding Pena and Yankees. It was just too perfect to happen
Newsflash: he is NOT playing full time.. The have a right hand compliment in a AAA player who hit lefties to a tune of .350
Getting rid of Damon and Kotchman are additions by subtractions in and of itself.
Only $875,000 more than James Loney will cost the Dodgers this season.
Good job, Ned.
Seems fair. Loney was about just as good.
Only $875,000 more than James Loney will cost the Dodgers this season.
Good job, Ned.
hope he can hit better than .225 for the Rays. The only thing he was good for last season was saving Castro from making even more errant throws and meaningless home runs! (.175 avg with RISP)
I don’t know why the A’s didn’t sign this guy to DH…
Because they’re apparently “very interested” in 112 games of Manny Ramirez now.
Wow.. the little baby got my comment removed. Get a sense of humor, there was nothing offensive about what I posted
I wouldn’t expect the Sox to collapse again this year. It should be a three team race with the Yanks with the best chance to repeat.
Your right it might not need to get that far.. They have one of the worst SP rotations in the AL that is trending down. I mean did you see those SP numbers in the second half… Their aging hitters trending down in Ortiz, Youkilis, etc.
Beckett, Clay (still missing 3 mphs on his fastball) trending down and the worst SP contract in the MLB in Lackey.
Lester is very good but they are moving a reliever with poor K/BB to the rotation is their answer. They need that NY/Seattle trade for them, expect their farm system is not as good because of trades for players.
They are still going to score runs.. But prevent them.. hmm.. haven’t done anything yet.. Rays and Yankees have gotten better in the meantime
i think bj in his contract year is going to finally hit for a better average. powers always been there prolly wont improve much but with better average everything else for him falls into place
That’s $17 mil for two years. For a .220 hitter? Absolutely crazy.
You guys should have learned by now to not question any of the Rays moves…every year is the same!
As far as I’m concerned the Rays moves haven’t gotten them a title.
Coming from a New York fan, no one would expect differently..
He (like almost every player who plays here) likes Tampa
He wants to win a ring…Probably felt he had a better shot in TB. Indians should be tough next year. With Vic Martinez out I can see tribe making a run for the central…that was until that nonsense happened carmon’s name deal.
Yeah, he’s said he’s not returning because of the money, but playing for the Rays.
You can’t pay some people enough to live in Cleveland.
It’s certainly not the fan.
Boston probably gets that extra wild card spot. So there’s that
Because the Rays signed a 2-3 WAR 1B?
Extra WC spot. And, Roy Oswalt is still a free agent, and he’s a major improvement for the Sox.
Texas says hello.
As does the extra wildcard spot that could be put in next year.
Texas says hello.
As does the extra wildcard spot that could be put in next year.
Good one. Recycled jokes that were old 3 years ago are still absolutely hilarious. Thanks for sharing.
carmona sucked and was only kept in therotation cuz of that one amazing year he had and they prayed hed catch that lightning bolt once again instead he was blocking the way for some of the better performing starters who are at least consistent..example david huff or one of their younger pitchers. huff at least could get ground out and if you put a defense behind him you stand a chance. carmona gets them when his sinkers on but when its off its home run derby
I love people overreacting to the Martinez injury as if the Tigers are now crippled by the loss of V-Mart.
That’s all they needed to sign.
see LeBron James
I don’t care if you think the Rays are a better team than the Red Sox or not, but signing a league average-ish 1B is not what seals the deal.
UZR doesn’t do first basemen justice.
I would put Gonzo at first, Tex second, and Votto/Pujols to fight for third place. It’s one of those things you have to see with your eyes to really get it.
EDIT: Actually, I should mention that I haven’t seen enough of Votto to really draw a conclusion. Pujols is not better than Tex or Gonzo defensively though.
And I’m talking about being a full time DH either, I’m just saying use him in platoon with Andruw Jones.
Also Kotchman didn’t get regular ABs until 2007 so its more like 4 years.
When have the Rays ever signed any significant help at the deadline? They always stay put.
I know I’ll catch flack for blaspheming like this, but here goes.
There are also several questions about their starting rotation. We all know what they are going to get out of Price, but beyond that who knows what they are going to get. Which Shields shows up? Does Hellickson regress as hard as his stats suggest he might? Does Moore come up and dominate from day one, or does he struggle as a rookie in the AL East? Then there’s the choice between Niemann and Davis for the 5 spot.
What major questions about their bullpen? While it wasn’t one of the very best bullpens in MLB, it wasn’t bad either and they’re bringing back basically all of the bullpen that they ended with last season except for Juan Cruz and Andy Sonnanstine (which is basically addition by subtraction). They’ve already added Badenhop, Lueke, and Rodney as depth/bullpen options. I really don’t see what needs to be addressed.
They certainly aren’t crippled…but it’s a tight division most likely anyway.
Counting on Oswalt being healthy over a season is counting on quite a bit.
I think it would be better to add the WC when the Astros move over, so that all the changes occur at once. Seems more stable that way.
You can play that game with any rotation. The Sox have Lester to count on and then nothing but major questions after that. Which Beckett do you get and does he stay healthy? Is Buckholz healthy and/or does he fall back (his FIP was substantially higher than his ERA in both 2010 and 2011)? Can Aceves make the transition to the rotation and be succssful? Can Bard do the same? Does a lack of depth hurt? Will any Sox pitcher throw 200+ innings?
I’d take the supposed questions of the Rays starting 5 over the Sox any day of the week. Not to mention the depth the Rays have if there are any injuries.
I read somewhere (maybe ESPN?) that Selig is working on 2 things since his extension. Expanding playoffs and San Jose
League average 1B for a whole year is a huge improvement. Their combo of Dan Johnson/Kotchman was 25th out of 30 for combined OPS at 1B (.745). They got league worst (30th) production in Runs and RBI’s from the 1B position, and second worst (29th) in HR’s.
Again, there’s no constructing that needs to be done. This isn’t like after 2010, they are bringing back basically their whole bullpen from last year. And while I may agree bullpens can be volatile (you can say that about any bullpen in the majors), I don’t see what about this current bullpen for the Rays is at any more risk than others. Farnsworth wasn’t a reclamation project (he posted a 3.34 ERA the year before the Rays signed him), nor was Peralta (posted a 2.02 ERA the year before as well). Juan Cruz was, but his contribution last year was minimal and he’s gone this year. Rodney is this year’s “reclamation” I guess, but he wasn’t signed to work the 8th/9th innings, so even if he fails the impact should be low and plenty of options to replace him from within.
Wrong, Kotchman worth 2.8 WAR last year and Pena is projected for 2.7 WAR this year; Pena is simply replacing Kotchman.
Yes, but when you add in a weak offense, and mediocre bullpen, rotation questions become a lot more serious.
Yes, but when you add in a weak offense, and mediocre bullpen, rotation questions become a lot more serious.
Low balled projected war of the entire team before the Rays signed Pena (Canzler/Scott platoon) was higher than the Sox’s WAR this season. When you have the pitching the Rays have and just enough offense, that goes a long way.
Kotchman wasn’t the Rays only 1B last year. Dan Johnson started the first month or so and produced a -0.8 WAR, so the Rays “1B” as a whole produced only 2.0 WAR (and considering their actual output, seems a slight bit high). A number that Pena should be able to exceed.
Mediocre bullpen? They were in the top 5 of lowest ERA.
They got 0.7 WAR out of their bullpen last year (compared to the Red Sox 7.7 WAR from their ‘pen); the Rays’ ‘pen had the sixth worst FIP, second worst xFIP, third worst FIP-, and second worst SIERA.
I was apparently being generous when I said mediocre.
@mainesox Matt Moore is better than the whole sox rotation Good night!
I don’t know of anyone who actually projects team WAR, but the Red Sox put up 59.5 WAR as a team last year and the Rays put up 46.5 WAR as a team, so who ever made that projection is ridiculous. Nothing the Rays did, and nothing they have in the system is making up over 13 WAR this season.
WAR is a less than an ideal stat for bullpens really as its dependant upon how often they are used. The Rays bullpen only threw 391 innings last year compared to the Sox’s 517. The ERA and BAA difference between the Rays and Sox’s bullpen last year was minimal.
and wildcard
Right, which is why I also used four other stats that also said that the Rays’ bullpen wasn’t good.
sounds like you need A LOT of help
On base percentage.
Hey, look on the bright side, the Rays added 58 more strikeouts with Pena/Scott over Damon/Kotchman. Oh, wait …
On base percentage makes sense, but if you look at their career averages, its much closer than you might think …
Pena/Scott: .351
Damon/Kotchman: .345
In 2011, a different story …
Pena/Scott: .329
Damon/Kotchman: .352
So considering the Rays finished with a better record than the Sox despite putting up a WAR value of 13 lower than the Sox, I would venture to guess thats not the most and only viable stastic to look at….but keep clining to it if thats what makes you feel better
FIP will always be negative for RAYS pitchers as by almost all defensive statistics, were the top defensive team in the majors last year. With only 1B changing, that likely won’t change much. FIP accounts for the “bell curve”, and the Rays defense is well beyond that. Again, ERA was nearly identical to the Sox as well as BAA.
I
‘ll reply to this post since I can’t see the last one, but you actually prove my point with FIP. What FIP does is excentially state how a pitcher would perform with a league average defense (taking defense out). But since the Rays have an extraordinary defense, their pitching should always outperform FIP. They are the extreme of the bell curve like I said. FIP is only stating that this is how “kyle farnsworth would perform on an average defense team”. He’s not on an average defense team, hence the matter of FIP not mattering for the Rays BP pitchers. And hence why their ERA backs me up.
How good the defense is has nothing to do with FIP, as a metter of fact, that is the exact purpose of FIP, to eliminate defense having anytthingn to do with the number. Nice try though.
Right, because wins is clearly the best way to evaluate a team. “but keep clin(g)ing to it if that(‘)s what makes you feel better.”
Why should he be able to exceed that? He’s had twice as many seasons at, or below, that number than above it.
Funny that before I point that out, you clearly outline that Pena is a “2-3 WAR” 1B, your words, not mine….but I guess now he’ll have trouble with that, and again, WAR is not the only stastic, and by far is not the be all end all stat
The Sox were the best team on paper the last 2 years. The collapse really hurt peoples perception of them. I’m just wondering if it hurt the players perception of themselves. I do think that the Sox have taken a step back with their pitching moves, and the Yanks are much improved.
If it was so clearly the best stat, then why did it fail so miserably in deciphering who made the playoffs last year? And by the way, I have no problem with WAR, but like many STATS, it isn’t conclusive and without reproach, something you obviously miss.
well this year they certainly have plenty of trade options.. i mean they have 7 sps thatd fit into most teams rotations… shields, price, hellickson, davis , moore, nieman, and cobb….they certainly could fill a void if the injury bug happened to strike not to mention brignac/s rodrieguez with t beckham and hak lee waiting in on deck…not a big deal but enough to supplement a tweak or 2
You guys should have learned by now to not question any of the Rays moves…every year is the same!
Seriously what are you even saying.. OBP is much more of a useful statistic than BA… Plus Scott and Pena hit for damage where Damon and Kotchman are single hitters
Pena was signed before Prince
Dont tell that MaineSox he does not want to believe.. reality will come hard
Um…Howard…I guess, Lance Berkman kinda?….ok I give up.
Anthony Rizzo or Yonder Alonso hypothetically?