The Tampa Bay Rays' 2012 Bullpen: New Faces, New Roles, And Upside Galore

The Rays will not only be changing some of the personnel in their 2012 bullpen, but they may be changing their roles too.

VIDEO: Matt Moore, Andrew Friedman Talk To Media About Moore's Contract

Tampa Bay Rays Sign Top Pitcher Of 2017 Free Agent Market

Tampa Bay Rays Sign Phenom Matt Moore To Long-Term Contract

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed pitching stud Matt Moore to a five year, $14 million contract, with three team options that could keep Moore in Tampa Bay until he's 30 years old.

Jose Molina Officially Signs With Rays; Andrew Friedman Strikes Again

It took 10 days from the initial report for all the details to be finalized, but the Tampa Bay Rays have officially signed catcher Jose Molina. Jon Heyman (ESPN) broke the story, and Ken Rosenthal (FOX Sports) and Jayson Stark (ESPN) have filled in the details on Molina’s contract. Molina’s contract is a one-year deal worth $1.5 million, with a $1.5 million club option for 2013 ($300,000 buyout).

This news comes on the heels of the John Jaso-Josh Lueke trade between the Rays and the Mariners, as the Rays were likely hoping to trade away Jaso before officially announcing the deal and decreasing their trade leverage. Also, the timing of this move helps mitigate some of the bad press the Rays might have received after trading for Lueke, who committed a rape back in 2008 when he was with the Texas Rangers.

While Jaso is a better offensive player than Jose Molina, this move should improve the Rays in 2012. Molina is one of the best defensive catchers in the majors, and based on recent research on catcher defense, the difference between him and Jaso on defense is worth around 4 wins.

The Rays are only committing a guaranteed $1.8 million to Molina — considerably less the Kelly Shoppach’s $3.2 million option for 2012 — yet they managed to improve their team, add a strong defensive catcher, and add some bullpen depth. All in all, it’s been an impressive month of November for Andrew Friedman.

For a chance to chime in about this news, join the conversation at SB Nation’s fan site on Tampa Bay, DRaysBay.

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