Rays ready for winter meetings, sign C Shoppach

By Joe Girvan
Bright House Sports Network

Rays' Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman is packing his bags, and getting ready for a trip to Indianapolis. The heart of Indiana might not be your first choice for a winter destination, but it is where you'll find executives from all 30 Major League Baseball teams from December 7-10. MLB's Winter Meetings are often more hype than substance, but they will give Tampa Bay a chance to address some of its needs. First and foremost, the Rays need help in the bullpen. The franchise's financial model doesn't allow for a high-priced closer, but Friedman is looking for arms. "One area that we need to really target is in the bullpen, and whether it's one new face, two new faces, and figure out a way to get a seven-man bullpen that really complements one another and has all different strengths, and so that's what we're in the process of going through right now - some on the free agent front, some on the trade front," said Friedman.

Settling the catcher position is also high on the Rays' off-season priority list, and the club has made a move. Tampa Bay acquires backstop Kelly Shoppach from Cleveland for a player to be named later. The 29-year-old hit .214 last year with 12 homers, 14 doubles and 40 RBI. He also threw out 15 of 64 (.234) would-be basestealers. Shoppach is a right-handed hitter who has a career .295 average against lefties, with a .386 OBP and .614 slugging percentage. Incumbent Dioner Navarro struggled against right-handed pitchers last season, so dealing for Shoppach doesn't seem to indicate a straight platoon is in the works. In fact, some believe the Rays will now trade Navarro. In 2008, Shoppach led all American League catchers with 21 homers. He was a second-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2001. Said Indians general manager Mark Shapiro, "Kelly's a guy who has great talent and the ability to be a complete catcher. He calls a good game, he throws well and, obviously, he hits for power. I know he strikes out a lot, but he's got great power. The more contact he makes the more a run producer he will be."