Tampa Bay Signs Pena to Three-Year Deal

Peña, 29, was Named American League Comeback Player of the Year by Major League Baseball

The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to terms with first baseman Carlos Peña on a one-year contract that can extend through 2010, pending the completion of a physical.

ST. PETERSBURG - The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to terms with first baseman Carlos Peña on a one-year contract that can extend through 2010, pending the completion of a physical.

The potential three-year contract would pay Peña $24.125 million over three years. As part of his contract, Peña will donate $225,000 to the Rays Baseball Foundation, the team's charitable foundation that supports youth and education programs in the Tampa Bay region.

Peña, 29, enjoyed an historic campaign in 2007, his first year with the Rays. Named American League Comeback Player of the Year by Major League Baseball and The Sporting News, he set career highs and club records with 46 home runs, 121 RBI, 103 walks, a .411 on-base percentage and .627 slugging percentage.

Other honors included an AL Silver Slugger Award, the first in Rays history; team MVP by the Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA); the Paul C. Smith Champion Award for his professionalism on and off the field; and the Sporting News AL All-Star Team.

The Orlando resident made last year's Opening Day Roster after coming to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. He placed among league leaders in home runs (2nd in AL, 4th in Majors) and RBI (4th in AL, 6th in Majors), and his 10.7 at-bats-to-homers ratio led the majors.

Peña tied for the Major League lead with 26 home runs after the All-Star break and in September set a club record for any month with 13 homers. He also established career highs with a .282 average (138-490), 148 games played, hits, at-bats, 99 runs scored, and 29 doubles.

Peña became the 11th player in AL history to total 100 walks, 45 home runs and 120 RBI in a single season. His 46 homers eclipsed the Rays previous record (34) by 12 and his previous career high (27) by 19.

The home run total is tied for ninth most in history for a player in his first year with a new team, and he also became the first player ever to hit 40 or more homers the year after being released. The increase of 45 homers from 2006 (one homer) to 2007 is the second-largest in Major League history.

The left-handed hitter drove in seven runs on Sept. 5 vs. Baltimore, setting a franchise record. He also slugged eight home runs against the New York Yankees, tied for the most by any player against one team in 2007.

Peña is a seven-year Major League veteran, having previously played for the Texas Rangers (2001), Oakland Athletics (2002), Detroit Tigers (2002-05) and Boston Red Sox (2006). He owns a .252 career average with 132 homers, 364 RBI, a .350 OBP and .497 SLG. The Rangers selected him 10th overall in the first round of the 1998 June Draft.

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