I will now present to you Wednesday in Luke Scott rumors. I'll be poaching from his Rotoworld page. In chronological order:
Luke Scott Signing With Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are signing free agent OF/DH Luke Scott to a one-year contract with a 2013 option.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays have “talked about” free agent Luke Scott.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays appear to be moving close to a deal with free agent Luke Scott.
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Rays have signed Luke Scott to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013, pending a physical.
Indeed, here’s Dan Connolly. Luke Scott isn’t officially a member of the Rays just yet, but all he has to do is pass a physical exam, which generally isn’t the most difficult thing to do.
No word yet on terms. Scott made $6.4 million a year ago, but a year ago, Scott was pretty bad. I would presume that he is taking something of a pay cut.
There was talk that a high number of teams had interest in Scott, but the Rays make a lot of sense. Though they have B.J. Upton, Matt Joyce and Desmond Jennings in the outfield, they had an opening at DH, which Scott can fill. It doesn't hurt that he brings a little versatility, either, since he plays defense better than the picture above would suggest.
Yes, Scott struggled last season, posting a 92 OPS+. But he was also playing through injury and underwent surgery to repair horrible damage in his shoulder, which could very easily explain the statistics. Scott is supposedly all better now, and between 2008-2010, he batted .266/.348/.497. Even allowing for some age-related decline, there might still be a somewhat valuable player in there.
The Tampa Bay Rays made a move. I think it's a good move. It's getting boring writing this.
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