The Rays have signed 32-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jesus Feliciano to a minor league deal. Feliciano played in 129 games in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 114 for 425 (.268 avg, .662 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 4 homers, 39 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He last played in the majors back in 2010 with the Mets. He has played in 54 games in his major league career so far and he is 25 for 108 (.231 avg, .563 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 0 homers, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Feliciano will be a longshot to make the Rays this spring, so he will likely start the 2012 season in AAA-ball.

The Rays have signed 28-year old lefty swinging infielder Will Rhymes to a minor league deal. Rhymes played in 29 games for the Tigers last year and he was 20 for 85 (.235 avg, .594 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 0 homers, 2 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 83 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 78 for 276 (.283 avg, .711 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 1 homer, 21 RBIs and 1 stolen base. This was a good low risk signing for the Rays as Rhymes has had some success in his big league career so far.

The Rays have signed 27-year old righty reliever Romulo Sanchez to a minor league deal. Sanchez pitched in 15 games (0 starts) in Japan last year and he was 0-2 with a 4.96 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors back in 2010 with the Yankees. Sanchez has pitched in 28 games (0 starts) in his first three years in the majors and he is 1-0 with 1 save, a 4.04 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Sanchez will be a longshot to win a job in the Rays’ pen this spring.

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed 33-year old lefty swinging 1B Carlos Pena to a 1-year deal worth $7.25 million bucks. Pena played in 153 games for the Rays last year and he was 111 of 493 (.225 avg, .819 OPS) with 72 runs scored, 28 homers, 80 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has played in 566 games in his first four years with the Rays and he is 461 for 1,935 (.238 avg, .884 OPS) with 330 runs scored, 144 homers, 407 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Pena has been to 1 All-Star Game, won 1 Gold Glove and he is the Rays’ all-time home run leader with 144 of them. Pena has now played in 1,226 games in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 982 for 4,113 (.239 avg, .838 OPS) with 631 runs scored, 258 homers, 730 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. This was a great signing for the Rays as Pena will add a lot of power to the lineup while providing the team with Gold Glove caliber D at 1B in 2012.

The Tampa Bay Rays have been slow playing this winter. They are seemingly waiting for some bargains to appear in the free agency market, while also talking trades to several teams. Here is a look at the new guys already on board for the 2012 season:

In the field: The Rays wanted to shore up the defense behind the plate which led them to sign veteran Jose Molina. But, he’s more of a backup than a starter at this point in his career, so the Rays are likely looking for someone to share time with him behind the plate in 2012. The Rays also have signed lefty swinging Luke Scott to be their new DH. He will replace Johnny Damon at DH and he will bring a lot of power to the position….as long as he can stay healthy. The Rays also inked lefty swinging 1B Juan Miranda and he also has a nice power stroke.

On the mound: The Rays have focused solely on improving the bullpen as they are well stocked with starting pitching. Righty Fernando Rodney was signed as a free agent and he will team with Joel Peralta to give the Rays a nice pair of set-up men for closer Kyle Farnsworth. The Rays also acquired righty relievers Burke Badenhop and Josh Lueke in separate deals and they will both have a chance to bolster the Rays’ pen in 2012.

Overall: The Rays are not done yet by a long shot. They need another catcher, a legit shortstop and a new starting 1B before the 2012 season begins.