According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Rays have exercised both Big Game James Shields $7.5 million and Kyle Farnsworths $3.3 million one year options. However, they declined Kelly Shoppach’s $3.2 million option.
Is it an understatement to say that picking up both Shield and Farnsy were easy decisions? I’d say so!
Shields posted a 2.82 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 249 1/3 innings in 2011, including a league leading 11 complete games and for shutouts. It’s safe to say that Shields trade value has sky-rocketed through the roof though Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has made mention that he’d prefer to preserve the Rays pitching depth. Farnsworth posted a 2.18 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 57 2/3 innings out of the bullpen in 2011 as the Rays “closer”.
Great news! I was hoping that they would decline Shoppach and get Farnsworth an option. I still have a feeling that Shields may be traded though.
The Rays Rant- http://yossif.mlblogs.com/
I’m not really sure how I feel about not picking up Shoppach. True, he is a free agent now and the Rays could possibly pick him up for cheaper, I just don’t like the catchers in AAA nor do I like Jaso at the moment. Jaso, Chrinos, and Lobaton are sub par at best, and though Shoppach wasn’t the best, he was the best Rays had. Plus, he had a decent season behind the plate and offensively he started to show promise toward the end of the season; something the other three hadn’t shown in 2011. Hopefully they could use that $3.2 million toward someone better. I think it was wise to pick up Shields if only as a leverage point. Then again, I think he is also more consistent than Price, Niemann, and Davis. I’d say trade Niemann if anything to make room for Moore or Cobb. Also dare I say possibly trade Price after 2012 depending on his season.