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Sam Fuld will not be tendered a contract by the Rays before tonight's deadline, according to Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Fuld, 32, spent three seasons with the Rays after coming over from the Cubs in the Matt Garza trade. He appeared in 268 games over three years for the Rays, starting 147 of them, hitting .230/.301/.326 with five home runs and 35 steals. Says Topkin (quoting 2013 stats):
Fuld will become a free agent, and will consider all options after non-tender by #Rays. Hit .199-2-17, played 119 games, 48 starts
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) December 2, 2013
He was mainly used as a defensive replacement and left-handed pinch hitter, but with the team having David DeJesus, Desmond Jennings, and Wil Myers as the starters, with Sean Rodriguez (assuming he's tendered) and Ben Zobrist as more than capable fill-ins, it's not a surprise Fuld will be let go.
He had some memorable plays in his Rays tenure, most notably his game saving catch against the White Sox which helped end the teams 0-6 start to the season, and his two out, walk-off triple while trailing by one verses Kansas City.
The catch:
Sam Fuld Superman Song - The Vanity Belles - Superman (via mrdollyllama)
Walk-off triple via SportsGrid: