James Shields and Tampa Bay Rays agree to one year $9.5 million deal – MLB Update
Tampa Bay Rays have started to take care of their offseason to do list. According to a leading sports website, the Rays have offered starting pitcher James Shields $9.5 million for the next year. The Rays could have chosen to go with the $1.5 million option
but after careful consideration they decided otherwise.
Shields is one of the best Rays’ pitchers in 2012 season. Not only did he pitch with control and accuracy, he also came out with his best stuff in pressure situations. His 15-10 record with a decent 3.52 ERA explains why the Rays agreed to pay such a hefty
amount to the right hand starter.
The 30-year-old Shields is a durable and reliable option as he hardly misses any games. He has now pitched 200 or more innings in five consecutive seasons. Showing great composure and temperament, Shields finished the past season ranked third in innings
pitched, fourth in strike-outs and 12th in ERA.
Rays have also offered to pay a $12 million salary to Shields for 2014 season with $1 million buyout. It will be interesting to see if he can continue the good work to cement his place on Rays’ big league roster.
“We definitely have a good pitching staff ... We have to put everything together. You can't just pitch and not score runs. You can't just not play defense. You've got to do it all. Over the last couple of years, we've pitched, we've had
timely hitting, we've had really good defense. This year, there were some points in the season where we didn't have that. And that's kind of what cost us,” said Shields in an interview.
Other players who have been offered a contract by the Rays include closer Fernando Rodney and catcher Jose Molina. Rodney won the Comebacker of the Year Award after posting some impressive numbers. He made 48 saves for the Rays in his first season with the
team. The 35-year-old had a staggering .60 ERA, a record low for any reliever with 50 innings pitched. Rodney had been picked up by the Rays for $2.5 million option instead of paying him a $250,000 buyout.
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