Report: Rays Remain Interested In Kelvim Escobar

So about that other reliever we talked about earlier...

Reports out of Venezuela (via Jorge Arangure) say that the Tampa Bay Rays remain interested in free agent pitcher Kelvim Escobar, and by the words of Escobar the feeling is mutual. The report also states that Escobar will work exclusively in relief to limit the toll on his arm. Here are some of the tweets:

Venezuelan journalist Efrain Zavarce reports that Mets have offered Kelvim Escobar a minor league deal.Rays are also interested

Also, Escobar tells Zavarce that he will pitch as reliever to avoid taxing his injured shoulder, which has kept him on DL past 2 yrs

Escobar:"Tampa would be a good place.They have a need for relief pitching.Last year they lost several games because of the bullpen."

Escobar continued: "Now with Rafael Soriano and possibly me, Tampa could be better."

I tend to agree with the last statement.

While the mutual attraction appears to be there, Arangure says it looks like the Mets are the favorite because they have been most aggressive.  The reliever is schedule to pitch on Friday in Winter League ball. It will be interested to see which team, if any, makes a move soon after. For more on Escobar and why he makes sense for the Rays click below.

Why The Rays Should Target Kelvim Escobar