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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 6:29 a.m., Friday, January 18, 2008

Baseball: Pena, Rays agree on 3-year, $24.1M deal

By FRED GOODALL
AP Sports Writer

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Carlos Pena's breakout season also landed the American League comeback player of the year a hefty pay raise.

The 28-year-old slugger and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided arbitration, reached a preliminary agreement on a three-year contract worth $24,125,000. Pena must pass a physical to complete the deal, which would pay him $6 million this year, $8 million next year and $10,125,000 in 2010.

Until that is finalized, the sides agreed Friday to a $6 million, one-year contract. That means they didn't have to exchange salary arbitration figures.

Pena set career highs for home runs (48), RBIs (121) and slugging percentage (.627) while earning $1.2 million in 2007. He set a season franchise record for homers, finishing with the fourth-highest total in the majors behind Alex Rodriguez, Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard.

He was sixth in RBIs and became the first player to hit 40-plus homers the season after being released by another team. A .252 career hitter, Pena was released by Boston in 2006 after spending most of the year in the minors and appearing in just 18 games for the Red Sox.

Outfielder Jonny Gomes agreed Thursday to a one-year deal worth $1,275,000. Left-hander Scott Kazmir is Tampa Bay's last remaining player in arbitration.