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2013 Contract Issues: Tampa Bay Rays

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The Rays are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:

Eligible For Free Agency (6)

  • Carlos Pena - Pena isn't hitting for much power yet, but he's drawing lots of walks and he's a capable defender at first base, according to The Fielding Bible Volume III. The Rays will need a first baseman next offseason, when Pena figures to obtain another one-year deal as a free agent. 
  • B.J. Upton - Upton has positioned himself for a multiyear deal worth $50MM-plus on the open market and the Rays aren't likely to submit the winning bid for their longtime center fielder. The Rays could make Upton a qualifying offer, since he'd probably have surplus trade value on a one-year deal in the $12-13MM range.
  • Kyle Farnsworth - Farnsworth hasn't pitched this year due to elbow soreness. The 36-year-old will likely be looking at a one-year or minor league deal next offseason.
  • Joel Peralta - Peralta has a 23K/6BB ratio in a league-leading 24 appearances this year. He could be a fit in next year's 'pen, but the Rays don't get overly attached to their relievers, so there are no guarantees for Peralta.
  • Jeff Keppinger - Keppinger can hit lefties and play all over the infield, so he's a valuable bench player for manager Joe Maddon.
  • J.P. Howell - Howell's rewarding the Rays for their decision to tender him a contract. But like Farnsworth and Peralta, he doesn't have any guarantees going forward.

Contract Options (4)

  • James Shields: $9MM club option with a $1.5MM buyout. The Rays will exercise Shields' option after the season.
  • Luke Scott: $6MM club option with a $1MM buyout. Scott has eight home runs and a .789 OPS now, and if he continues hitting this option could seem team-friendly by the end of the season.
  • Fernando Rodney: $2.5MM club option with a $250K buyout. When the Rays signed Rodney, many people, myself included, criticized the team for guaranteeing the walk-prone right-hander a roster spot and $2MM. Rodney has been sensational so far this season with a career-best walk rate and his best strikeout rate since 2008. If the season ended today the Rays would exercise this option.
  • Jose Molina: $1.8MM club option with a $300K buyout. The Rays' decision will likely depend on their assessment of Molina's defense and the development of Robinson Chirinos and Jose Lobaton (both presently on the disabled list).

Arbitration Eligible (8)

Price could end up close to $7MM his second time through arbitration and Niemann could approach $5MM. Joyce figures to be in the $3MM range next year and should lead the Rays' first-time eligible players. Gimenez and Brignac both have an OPS below .500, so they'll want to start hitting to ensure they aren't non-tendered.

2013 Payroll Obligation

The Rays have committed $18.6MM to next year's team, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. Their payroll sits at $63.6MM this year, but that's not necessarily predictive, since the team's payroll has fluctuated a fair amount under the ownership of Stuart Sternberg.

Rangers Claim John Gaub

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The Rangers claimed left-handed pitcher John Gaub off of waivers from the Rays, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune tweets. The Rays had designated Gaub for assignment three days ago to create roster space for Drew Sutton.

Gaub, 27, appeared in four games for the Cubs last season and has a 3.81 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 6.3 BB/9 across parts of four Triple-A seasons. The Rays claimed him off of waivers from the Cubs in April then stashed him at Triple-A. Robbie Ross is the Rangers' lone left-handed reliever at the moment, so Gaub provides some depth.

Rays Designate John Gaub For Assignment

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The Rays have designated left-hander John Gaub for assignment, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).  The move will allow the Rays to make room on the 40-man roster for the recently-acquired Drew Sutton.

Gaub, 27, appeared in four games for the Cubs last season and was picked up off of waivers by the Rays in early April.  The lefty owns a 3.81 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 6.3 BB/9 across parts of four Triple-A seasons. 

Rays Acquire Drew Sutton

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The Rays announced that they acquired Drew Sutton from the Pirates for a player to be named. The infielder's stay in Pittsburgh was a short one; the Pirates acquired him from the Braves for cash considerations less than 24 hours ago. The Rays expect Sutton to join them tonight, at which point they'll make a corresponding move.

Sutton has a .258/.322/.403 batting line line in 178 MLB plate appearances with the Reds, Red Sox and Indians. The 28-year-old has MLB experience at all four infield positions and both corner outfield positions. He signed a minor league deal with Atlanta this past offseason and played 38 games for Triple-A Gwinnett before yesterday's trade.

The switch-hitting Sutton will provide Rays manager Joe Maddon with infield depth while Evan Longoria and Brandon Allen recover from their respective leg injuries. Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune first tweeted the news.

Phillies, Rays Swap Rich Thompson For Kyle Hudson

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The Phillies have traded outfielder Rich Thompson to the Rays for outfielder Kyle Hudson, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter). Both players have been playing in Triple-A this season.

Thompson, 33, has hit .307/.390/.398 in 101 plate appearances for Philadelphia's top minor league affiliate this season. He's a .276/.349/.383 career hitter in over 3,400 plate appearances at Triple-A, where he's spent the last five years with the Phillies' organization. Thompson has one big league plate appearances to his credit, coming with the Royals back in 2004.

Hudson, 25, has hit .291/.378/.318 in 133 Triple-A plate appearances this season. He had four singles in 29 plate appearances for the Orioles last year, resulting in a .143/.143/.143 batting line. The Rays originally acquired him from the Rangers at the end of Spring Training.

Minor Moves: Johnson, Mahay, Thurston, Bates, Garko

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Tonight's minor moves..

  • The Rockies signed former Cardinals left-hander Tyler Johnson to a minor league deal, according to the CBSSports.com transactions page.  Johnson, who won a ring with the Cards in 2006, has been out of affiliated baseball since 2009.
  • The Reds released left-hander Ron Mahay, according to the International League transactions page.  The 40-year-old signed a minor league deal with the club in January and appeared in 14 games for their Triple-A affiliate this season.  The veteran last pitched in the majors for the Twins in 2010 and was signed and released by the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Cardinals in 2011.
  • The Twins have released infielder Joe Thurston and first baseman Aaron Bates, according to Dustin Morse of the Twins (via Twitter).  Thurston, 32, hooked on with Minnesota in late April after being cut by the Phillies.  Once considered a top asset in the Dodgers' farm system, Thurston has yet to see significant time in the majors outside of his 124 game 2009 campaign with the Cardinals.
  • The Rays signed former major-leaguer Ryan Garko to a minor league deal, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).  The first baseman spent time in Korea last year.
  • Orioles infielder Zelous Wheeler has cleared waivers and been assigned to Double-A Bowie.  Wheeler was DFA'd by Baltimore on Friday.

Cafardo On Red Sox, Youkilis, Beckett, Nationals

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In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders what is at the root of the Red Sox’s pitching woes.  Some around baseball feel that the club’s hurlers are missing catcher Jason Varitek.  “He did a lot for that team in terms of getting the staff ready for each team,’’ said an American League GM. “They depended on him like no team depended on a catcher anywhere in baseball, with the possible exception of St. Louis, where Yadier Molina seems to have that effect.’’  Here’s more from Cafardo..

  • An AL GM told Cafardo that there could be a market for embattled Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, but the club would have to be willing to eat more than half of his contract.  Beckett will earn $15.75MM each year through 2014.
  • If Red Sox Kevin Youkilis can show he’s healthy, there’s a strong third base market out there for Boston. A National League special assignment scout told Cafardo that the Giants and Phillies are looking while the Rays could factor in, even though they say they aren’t in search of an answer at third base.
  • The Nationals would like to deal left-hander John Lannan but teams appear more interested in Chien Ming-Wang. The Nationals also have a good thing going and have created competition on their staff, as Wang and Lannan could push the other five. 
  • One American League GM doesn’t see the Phillies parting with Cole Hamels via trade.  “The [Blue] Jays are looking to do something big,” said an American League GM. “I just don’t see the Phillies bailing out on Hamels. They can still win it.“
  • The Rangers probably won’t let Josh Hamilton leave in free agency, but if he does look elsewhere, the Dodgers could be a fit for him with their new-found dollars.  Signing Hamilton would also allow the club to let Andre Ethier head into the market.

AL East Notes: Reynolds, Keppinger, Rivera

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Joe DiMaggio hit the first of his 361 career home runs against the Athletics on this date in 1936. The present-day Yankees and C.C. Sabathia host David Price and the Rays tonight in New York. Here are some AL East-related links in the meantime…

AL East Notes: Rays, Matsui, Keppinger, Yankees

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The weather is now cooperating in the Bronx as the Rays looks to put an end to their three-game skid tonight against the Yankees.  Here's a look at Tampa Bay and other items out of the American League East..

  • If called up to the majors, Hideki Matsui will make a salary of about $900K, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  Last season, the veteran earned $4.25MM with Oakland, the previous low of his career.  In the meantime, Matsui will earn $10K a month with Triple-A Durham.
  • Jeff Keppinger's absence from the Rays and placement on the restricted list is related to his ongoing divorce case, writes Topkin.  Keppinger's case is set to go before a judge on May 29th when the Rays are at home facing the White Sox.  Within the Matsui article, Topkin notes that the infielder could still get paid for missed games with MLB approval.
  • While some have speculated that the Yankees could look to fortify the backend of their bullpen with an out-of-house addition, Mariano Rivera likes what he has seen out of David Robertson, writes Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Heyman On Montero, Rivera, Rodney, Hamilton

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Though offseason additions such as Albert Pujols and Heath Bell have disappointed so far this year, other free agent signings are playing well for new teams. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com puts together a list of 25 such players, including C.J. Wilson, Bartolo Colon and Edwin Jackson. Here’s more from Heyman:

  • Heyman hears negotiations between the Diamondbacks and Miguel Montero could start up again soon (Twitter link). Montero, a free agent this offseason, has been seeking a four-year, $52MM deal.
  • The Yankees want Mariano Rivera back in 2013, but he'll have to wait until the season ends to discuss a contract, per team policy (Twitter link).
  • The Angels continue seeking relief help, Heyman tweets. However, few teams are looking to sell just yet.
  • Fernando Rodney says he signed with the Rays because they believed in his ability. "With the Angels they tried to change my mechanics to throw more strikes,'' Rodney recalled. "Here they told me, you come here, we're not going to change anything.''
  • Heyman suggests the Mets should extend manager Terry Collins for doing a “terrific job” (Twitter link).
  • One management person suggested a five-year, $100MM deal could work for the Rangers and Josh Hamilton, Heyman reports. One agent says a seven or eight-year deal worth $25-30MM per season seems more appropriate, assuming there’s protection for the Rangers. For more on Hamilton’s next contract, check out this post from earlier today.
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