Tampa Rays attempt a cleanup, sign on Pena
Carlos Pena of the Tampa Rays passed a physical test and finalized a three year deal worth $ 24,125,000 with the team. He is the third player who has been signed on after Scott Kazmir and John Shields. This is a very important step towards a better future for the team from Tampa Bay which is the weakest baseball franchisee in the country.
Pena who was the American League comeback player of the year agreed to a $ 6 million, one year contract that allowed the Rays to meet a self-imposed deadline to sign him on before the matter of salary went into arbitration.
Pena, 29 underwent the test on Thursday as the final step towards completing the deal through which he will earn $ 8 million in 2009 and $ 10,125,000 in 2010. He scored career highs of 48 homers and 121 RBIs in the past year and set a season franchise record for homers and finished with the fourth highest in the major league after Alex Rodriguez, Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard.
The year also yielded a career best average of .282 for the slugger and a team high of 99 runs and he became the first person to hit 40-plus homers in the season after being released by another team. He had signed on with the Rays after leaving Boston and the New York Yankees whom the played for in the minors in 2006.
These signings have come along with the signings of free agents Troy Percival and Cliff Floyd and show the willingness of the ownership to increase the payroll from $ 24 million to $ 40 million. This is seen as a move to improve the image of the team which has taken quite a beating in baseball circles.
Hopefully the effort from the team management will pay off in the near future.
