Navarro, Rays strike deal

Rays manager Joe Maddon spoke recently about what a luxury it would be to have a pair of experienced major league catchers on his roster and, for now at least, he has his wish.

The Rays and catcher Dioner Navarro agreed to a one-year deal Saturday for the same $2.1 million Navarro received in arbitration after his All-Star 2008 season, ending speculation the Rays would cut ties with Navarro after trading for Kelly Shoppach earlier this month.

"We felt like Navie - he'd be the first to say it - he had a down year last year. But we feel he's capable of a lot more, and the way we look at it we have a lot of depth at this position that a lot of teams would want," Rays executive vice president of baseball Andrew Friedman said late Saturday night.

Navarro was one of three Rays to agree to one-year contracts before Saturday's midnight deadline for tendering contracts to arbitration eligible players.

Pitchers Randy Choate ($700,000) and Lance Cormier ($1.2 million) also agreed to terms.

The Rays didn't tender contracts to right fielder Gabe Gross and catcher Shawn Riggans.

That leaves pitchers Matt Garza, J.P. Howell and Grant Balfour, All-Star shortstop Jason Bartlett, center fielder B.J. Upton and Shoppach in the arbitration process.

Friedman can still trade Navarro, and there are several teams interested in the catcher, who turns 26 in February. But Friedman said he expects to have both Navarro and Shoppach on the Opening Day roster.

"I feel like we're a better team with both," he said.

Navarro's improvement behind the plate and his success at the plate were big keys to the Rays run to the 2008 World Series. He hit a career-high .295 and drove in 54 runs. Plus he threw out 35.7 percent of all would-be base stealers.

Those numbers dipped in '09, when Navarro struggled to hit .218 and threw out only 23.7 percent of base stealers. His batting average was above .230 only once (April 13) and he batted .182 against right-handed pitchers.

The trade for Shoppach seemed to signal the end of the Navarro Era, but Friedman said Saturday that isn't necessarily the case.

"He's highly motivated to have a good season next year," Friedman said.

Gross became the odd-man out in the right-field platoon after batting .227 with six home runs in 2009. The Rays expect rookie Matt Joyce to become the left-handed bat in that platoon.

Friedman left the door open for Riggans to return to the organization, but the catcher's inability to stay healthy during forced Friedman's hand.

"Obviously, the injury history is real," Friedman said.

Riggans made his second straight Opening Day roster in 2009 but played in only seven games because of tendinitis in his right shoulder.

Choate was a non-roster invitee to spring training last February. The left-hander didn't make the team out of camp but was recalled from Triple A Durham on May 25 and eventually led all major league pitchers with 29 one-batter relief appearances.

Cormier settled in as the Rays long man and led the bullpen with 77 1/3 innings pitched.