Tampa Bay Rays exercising contract options for 2013 season – MLB Update
Tampa Bay Rays are working to complete their 2012 big league roster during the offseason period. In an effort to retain their best players, the Rays offered starting pitcher James Shields a $9.5 million contract on Wednesday.
James was absolutely sensational for the Rays last season. He produced some impressive performance in pressure games to impress the former skipper Joe Maddon. Although the Rays were outclassed by the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles in the American
League East Division, Shields did a decent job on the mound.
More importantly, he was one of the most consistent and reliable pitchers in Rays’ pitching rotation. Shields has now pitched in 200 or more innings in five consecutive season. Striking-out 233 batters with a decent 3.52 ERA, he had his share of his success
in the American League.
“I think I made pretty good pitches for the most part ... Sometimes those are going to go your way, sometimes they're not going to go your way. As long as I feel good on the mound I'm good. I minimized my damage and hopefully I can get on a nice little roll
here,” said Shields in an interview.
“I've definitely got to get better at going deeper into games, minimize my pitches and really stay away from that big inning,”
he further added.
According to sources, Shields was offered a $9.5 million contract instead of a $1.5 million buyout option. It seems the Rays want to build a team that is capable of winning the World Series title. It will be interesting to see if James, who finished 2012
season with a 15-10 record, can give similar results in the next season to earn a huge pay-day.
Catcher Jose Molina could also be offered a $1.5 million contract rather than a $300,000 buyout. Molina had one of the finest seasons of his career as he batted .223 with career high eight home-runs and 32 RBI’s in 102 games. The 37-year-old Molina is an
extremely experienced professional and he is likely to provide some impetus to the Rays’ batting line-up.
It will be interesting to see what moves Tampa Bay Rays make during the offseason as they will be looking to improve their depth and come out strong during Spring Training.
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