Rays agree to long term deal with Shields

Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports, the Tampa Bay Rays have signed right-hander James Shields to a guaranteed 4-year deal but also includes 3 option years as well as incentives.

When all is said and done, the deal could be as long as 7-years totaling $44M.

Rays looking to sign Shields long term

Bill Chastain has an article out this morning, he says the Rays are working on signing right-hander James Shields to a long term deal, possibly a 7-year deal.

The news comes on the heals of the team avoiding arbitration with Carlos Pena, signing him to a 3-year $24.125M contract. They also signed Scott Kazmir to a 1-year $3.785M deal.

The Rays are optimistic that a contract can be complete, maybe as soon as next week. Shields finished the 2007 season with a 12-8 record and a 3.85 ERA.