Kazmir signs for $3.785-million; Shields next?

The Rays avoided arbitration with ace LHP Scott Kazmir after all, agreeing to a one-year deal for $3.785-million just ,minutes before the team-imposed noon deadline to halt talks.

The Rays are also working on signing starter James Shields to a long-term deal, possibly for as long as six- or seven-years, that will keep him with the team into his free-agency years.

As recently as mid-morning, Kazmir said he expected to end up in arbitration but negotiations continued and the sides came to agreement at 11:51 a.m. "Nine minutes to spare,'' Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman said. "It was always our intent to avoid going to a hearing and it took both sides moving some to get a deal done,'' he said.

Kazmir, 24 next week, made $424,300 last season while going 13-9 with a 3.48 ERA and leading the AL with 239 strikeouts.

Comments

[sam]

this isnt that bad, we can lock him up and then sign him to a long-term deal next year

[Ryan S]

Unreal. I'm so excited to be a Rays fan I cant wait until the season starts!!! Could the Rays actually push for a WC birth this year? Note to Rays front office: no 3rd place in AL East, no more Maddon.

[rayray]

Thankyou Lord.......Agree with you Sam & once Kaz comrads with players in the clubhouse and begin to have fun laughing and smiling w/that baby, see the progress & strides the team make this year, I think he'll be more willing to resign to a long term deal even if it's slightly less than market value or what another team is willing to pay him b/c he says he really likes the Bay Area(& the no state tax)how could you not, but was just getting frustrated with the front office frugalness. So, if a Rays player is taken care financially(even if it's not the maximum $ they could have made), I think it means something to them to be here for the sweet times knowing where the franchise has been. Plus the community will go bannanas and they will all be cherished & loved like no other.

I think our young core of players know / believe they can be apart of something special when we turn the corner and start winning / contending for postseason play b/c they can forever be known as the Rays originators of winning and cement their place in the organiztion's history with the creation of everlasting memories....

Another great day in Tampa Bay!!!! Go Rays!!!!

Go Rays!

[Jorge]

Going to have to make another trip. The 2nd band wagon leaves the trop at 2:30 p.m.

After 10 frustrating years as a fan, I can truly say I am excited about Spring Training. Unbelievable day. A 2fer. Great Job Rays!!! Everything is falling into place for our first post season appearance.

WOOO WOOO - Band Wagon Whistle

[Jeffrey Blustein]

This could be a really exciting team. Too bad they aren't in the NL

[Ryan S]

Jeffery, I couldnt agree more with you. If they were in the NL East or maybe in NL Central they could be considered favorites to win the division.

GO RAYS!!!

[David]

1 year isn't enough for Kazmir.

Hopefully there are team options attached.
This seems extremely risky, if Kazmir has another great season he could double his value, and although the Rays are doing their best in terms of spending money, we remain a low-market team and still can't compete for Kazmir in free-agency.

[CharlieRay]

I'm excited too but for a different reason. I'm excited to see the real fans show up. Excited to see someone besides me being excited. Now that real excitement. Now lets all get excited together. See you at the Trop. Go Rays

[Ryan S]

David,

All this did was avoid arbitration with Kazmir. We still have him under control for 2 more (arbitration eligible) years after this one so don't get too worried. LONG TERM DEAL, LONG TERM DEAL!!! Lets chant that at the Trop every time Kaz is on the bump!!

GO RAYS!!!!

[Sean]

This is a great day. The front office is really doing everything in there power to keep everyone here. They know what they have in Kazmir, and I really believe the only thing stopping them from signing him to a longterm deal is Kazmir himself. He doesn't want to be on a losing team which, I agree with him on that. But I think when they turn it around he will want to stick around.

[yay]

great day for rays organization that would be icing on the cake if they could lock up shields for 6 or 7 years great moves by the front office

[frantman2]

I wonder how much seeing Pena's deal convinced Kazmir the Rays were serious and helped him decide to get the deal done.

[buc4good]

Somebody explain what's so great about locking Kazmir up for one year. Where's the multiyear deal, Rays?

[ryan callahan]

Wow. This is a great day for the rays. The only things that could make it much better would be to have kazmir to a longer deal, and to get the shields deal done.

[Joe]

Great moves.

To answer the question about a 1 year deal. It's more than that. The Rays control him for the next 3 years. The deal they are talking about is just how much they have to pay him. He's their for 3 more years.....the hope would be to get him to sign for longer than the 3 so he doesn't leave after 3. It wasn't like he wasn't going to be a Ray if they didn't sign the one year deal......if he didn't sign it, it would have went to arbitration and that person would have decided how much he got paid.

[Einhard]

Exactly right, Joe, and of course it takes two to deal. It is Kazmir who can decide if he wants to extend now, and he may quite properly want to wait and see. The Rays are obviously looking to lock up their young stars.

[Ignatius]

That seems awfully low for a guy who led the AL in strike outs. Doesn't it?

If you look around MLB there are some no-name middle relievers making more than that.

[rays&bucsfan]

OK, we really need to sign shields. let's get this done. i think, though, that the deals with kazmir and pena will hopefully be enough to convince shields and his agents that our organization is willing to pay what he deserves. i'm VERY excited for baseball season to start again. sign shields, and GO RAYS. let's show 'em this year.

[Einhard]

I think, Ignatius, that is because in arbitration each side presents a figure and the arbitrator selects one or the other. One of his criteria is service time, which means that no matter how good Kazmir is, if he submits a number way out of line with pitchers who have been up for just a bit more than 3 years, the arbitrator is likely to award the lower number. Kazmir earned a bit more than $400,000 last year and could not ask for much more than a $3-4 million raise and hope to win.

In this case, I think the Rays were going to offer something around $2 million and Kazmir around $4 million. Neither side could be sure who would win the case, and the Rays did not want a hearing where they would have to badmouth Kazmir to make their case. My guess is (and I am only guessing about the numbers) that the Rays negotiated closer to Scott's figure than their own in order to avoid that hearing.

I also think that Kazmir is eligible for arbitration again next year, so if he has an outstanding year, he will be able to ask for considerably more given another year of service time. The Rays can keep him (so long as they offer him arbitration) another 2 years and probably would like to negotiate a longer term deal as his price will keep going up if he pitches well. It is Kazmir who has to weigh the risk of losing value against a possible huge payday and decide whether the security of a deal to buy out his arbitration years and perhaps free agent years at a likely lower salary is worth it.

It is not simply a case of the Rays signing him. Each side has to evaluate its situation, and it is more likely that Kazmir is unwilling to extend than that the Rays are not offering "enough". For example, suppose the Rays were to offer 6 years at $15 million per year, generous and far more than Scott will get this year or next; he may still want to see if Santana, who is older than Scott will be when he hits free agency, gets $20 million per year and take the chance that when his turn comes he can match or surpass that.

[CharlieRay]

I'm excited to see the real fans show up. Have you ever seen so many people this excited over the Rays and not 1 negative said. Go Rays and keep up the good blog's. more important we need you to show up and drown out the NYY & BOS at the Trop.

[rayray]

Ditto CharlieRay, it awesome to hear real excitement from real Rays fans posting like I feel.

Hopefully we can get off to a gr8 start w/17 of first 27 games @Trop so that a buzz can build which lead to crowds swelling in our favor. How nice would it be too see & hear the Trop rocking nearly full w/Rays fans. Man, thats been a long time coming & I can barely wait for it to get here.

I'm urging all Rays fans to bring the passion & excitement with them to Trop & encourage others around them to noisely back the home so that the players really feel that home support which can be contagious in the clubhouse in developing that winning mentality/attitude, & they will begin to not only believe thay can win, but KNOW they can win just as much as their opponent; so, there will/should be no more mental disadvantages from the Rays standpoint which give me more hope than in other season before. Go Rays!

[JTB]

hopefully a 4-5 year extension will get done sometime this year or next offseason. the rays can go a long way towards locking up kaz through a year or two of free agency by guaranteeing his last two arbitration years at a rate favorable to kaz...which sounds like what they're trying to do with shields.

[jeff]

ROCKIN' WITH KAZMIR

[CharlieRay]

I see Longoria has been added # 1 to the depth chart for the first time. Is this a hint he will start the year with the Rays. Works for me.