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It's been a slow off-season so far. The Rays have resigned Jose Molina, but haven't announced it yet. The Rays are one of several teams interested in Luis Ayala. Whoopee! The Rays have resigned Juan Carlos Oviedo after buying out his $2 million option, but we don't know for how much.
So what is there to talk about in all this? Not much. I scouted and hypothesized about Juan Carlos Oviedo when he was signed last year, and nothing much has changed, except that he's a year older, and we know that the Rays didn't think he was worth $2 million. That's part of what makes Andrew Friedman good at his job. The question he asks himself isn't "Should I sign this player or should I not?" Rather, the question is "Can I sign this player at a price where he's a good bet to provide surplus value?" If so, his signs him. If not, he doesn't.
Last year, the Oviedo signing was a low-risk shot in the dark. He was a reliever with upside who was coming back from Tommy John surgery. This year, (as Danny said in his predictions), the Rays are well-positioned to know what they're getting with Oviedo. They know better than any other team how he's recovered and what to expect going forward. When the actual dollar amount is finally announced, it will tell us what to expect.
UPDATE - 12:35 PM
The Rays must have a lot of confidence on the guy everyone wants to call a closer.
First reported by SB Nation's Chris Cotillo, Oviedo has landed a major league deal with the Rays, meaning the team will not have the benefit of storing him in Durham to sort out his pitching. The deal seems to indicate that Oviedo, who has not pitched at the major league level since 2011, will be in full health.
Now let's see that change up. -DR
