Joel Peralta Re-Signs With Tampa Bay Rays

Sep 14, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher

(62) pitches during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Rays won 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times is reporting that (potential Tigers free agent target) Joel Peralta and the Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a deal that would bring the veteran right-handed reliever back for another two seasons (at least). Here’s the scoop:

"The Rays and free-agent RHP Joel Peralta have agreed to terms on a new contract.Details are not yet available. There were Twitter reports out of the Dominican Republic this morning that they had agreed on a two-year deal for $6-million, with a $2.5-million option for 2015."

I would have loved to see the Tigers give Peralta basically that exact deal, but apparently Peralta had made it known that he wanted to return to Tampa. I’m sure he could have been pried away for more money or more years, but I wouldn’t have loved for the Tigers to offer much more than he got.

Peralta would have been my ideal relief candidate, but he’s definitely not a guy that a team would want to overpay for, and the Tigers may have been doing that had they offered him a third guaranteed year or a higher annual rate (if the reports from the Dominican Republic are to be believed).