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Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

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Peralta deal official—2 years with 3 club options

Posted Nov 20, 2012 by Roger Mooney

Updated Nov 20, 2012 at 05:56 PM

ROGER MOONEY
Reliever Joel Peralta has always professed his love for being a Tampa Bay Ray and pitching for Joe Maddon. His new contract could keep Peralta in a Rays uniform longer than any relief pitcher in team history.

The Rays officially announced Tuesday they signed Peralta to a two-year deal with club options for 2015, 2016 and 2017. Add the two years that Peralta has already spent in Tampa Bay and the right-hander could spend seven years with the team.

Peralta, who turns 37 in March, will earn $6 million during the first two years of the contract. The three option years are for $2.5 million each with no buyouts. Peralta will be 39 when he reaches the first option year.

“We love Joel’s competitiveness and the impact he has on the younger pitchers in our bullpen,” Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in a team release.  “He has been an integral part of our late-inning success and has proven that he can get big outs in the American League East.”

Peralta said he had been in talks with five other teams. He said two teams offered more money but he turned them down because he wants to remain with the Rays.

“It’s not just one thing, it’s many things,” Peralta said when asked earlier this month when news broke out of the Dominican Republic that he had resigned with Tampa Bay.

Peralta was second in the American League with 76 appearances during 2012. His 147 appearances over the past two seasons lead the league. He had a career-high 84 strikeouts last season while holding opposing batters to a .200 average.