The Tampa Bay Rays have signed 34-year old righty reliever Joe Nelson to a 1-year, $1.3 million dollar contract. He pitched in 59 games (0 starts) for the Marlins last season and he was 3-1 with 1 save, a 2.00 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Nelson only allowed 42 hits last season while whiffing 60 batters in only 54 innings for the Marlins. He has now pitched in 107 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 4-2 with 10 saves, a 4.09 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. This was a good signing for the Rays as it adds depth to a already strong bullpen.

The Tampa Bay Rays decided not to tender 28-year old righty swinging outfielder Jonny Gomes a contract thus making him a free agent. Gomes played in 77 games last season for the Rays and he was 28 for 154 (.182 avg, .665 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 8 homers, 21 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. He has now played in 415 games in his major league career and he is 297 for 1,264 (.235 avg, .784 OPS) with 186 runs scored, 66 homers, 184 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. Gomes has also whiffed a simply stunning 413 times in his major league career and that will need to change if he’s going to hook on with another team. Gomes will be remembered for his power bat and the fact that he was a enforcer when benches cleared. Still, the Rays won’t have much of a hard time finding a better player than him to back up in the outfield.

The Tampa Bay Rays have selected 25-year old righty reliever Derek Rodriguez in the Rule 5 Draft. He pitched in 49 games (1 start) in AA + AAA ball last season and he was 5-2 with 2 saves, a 3.29 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. Rodriguez only allowed 54 hits while whiffing 88 batters in 79.1 innings last season. He will likely have a decent shot of making the Rays’ bullpen in 2009.

The Rays have acquired 24-year old lefty swinging outfielder Matt Joyce from the Tigers for Edwin Jackson. Joyce will likely compete for the starting job in RF and he will be the favorite there in spring training. He was the #7 prospect in the Tigers’ system coming into the 2008 season according to Baseball America. He played in 92 games for the Tigers last season and he was 61 for 242 (.252 avg, .831 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 12 homers and 33 RBIs. Joyce also played in 56 games in AAA ball last year and he was 54 for 200 (.270 avg, .902 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 13 homers and 41 RBIs. 25-year old righty starting pitcher Edwin Jackson had a career year in 2008 so the Rays didn’t mind trading him to make room for David Price in the rotation. Jackson pitched in 32 games (31 starts) for the Rays last season and he was 14-11 with a 4.42 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. He has now pitched in 106 games (77 starts) in his major league career and he is 25-30 with a 5.15 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP.