Tampa Bay Rays (21 days until pitchers and catchers report) Yesterday the Tampa Bay Rays announced that they had on a contract that could be for as long as seven years and worth just under $38 million. With incentives the deal could reach as much as $44 million. The last three years of the deal are team options which gives the team a fair amount of insurance in case of an injury or an unexpected drop in performance. This is a great deal for the Rays. They get a young proven pitcher for a belowmarket price and do not have to worry about going to arbitration with him in two years. But,wholesale ray lewis jersey 365djerseys.com R2, despite what many are saying this is not a deal about retaining the young talent. Shields was going to be here for the next five years without a new deal. And projecting Shields and the team ahead to the 2013 and 2014 seasons is a crapshoot at best. What kind of pitcher will he be six years from now? What will the team look like six years from now,cheap colts jerseys? Nobody knows the answers to those questions. No. This is not about retaining the young talent. Marc Lancaster is the only writer, whether it be professional, blogger or message board specialist, we have seen yet that “gets it”. The Rays didn’t have to do this deal, which guarantees Shields at least $11.25 million during the next four seasons and could max out at $44 million with options and incentives. Shields would have been under Tampa Bay’s control through 2012 anyway, and the cost to keep him wasn’t likely to reach outrageous levels even if he continued to improve once he entered his arbitration years. But the Rays saw an opportunity to make a statement after Shields had his agent contact them last fall to gauge their interest in a longterm deal, even though he had just pitched his first full season in the majors. Here was the rare player with enough faith in the organization that he was willing to surrender his first two years of free agency. Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said he liked the message that rewarding Shields with a longterm deal so early in his career would send to Tampa Bay’s young players. The Rays certainly wouldn’t mind if some of the team’s more established players, the rest of baseball and their fan base picked up on it, too. This deal does send a message. Not a message to the fans that the Rays will do whatever it takes to keep the young talent. If that was the case why isn’t Scott Kazmir under a longterm contract yet? He is due to be a free agent before Shields. Or what about Carl Crawford, who is set to become a free agent in three years, two years sooner than Shields would have hit the market,cheap miami heat jerseys 365djerseys.com N1. No. The real message is about rewarding the younger players that perform well. Yesterday in ““, and the day before in , we speculated that the new contract would most likely only give Shields a slight bump in salary in 2008 and 2009, the two seasons prior to when he would be arbitration eligible. Teams do not have to open the wallets in a players first three seasons, no matter how well they perform on the field. The Rays showed they are willing to reward the younger players. A move that will be noticed by other players within the Rays organization and hopefully by players in other organizations. The Rays did not have to give Shields much more than $0.50,Cheap Oakland Raiders Jerseys.7 for the next two seasons. Players that sign longterm deals prior to their arbitration years almost never make more than that in those seasons. Shields, however, will make $2.5 million combined the next two years. To us that is the biggest surprise of the contract. In the grand scheme of things, it does not seem like much to us, but to a player like Shields, who was not a “,NaVorro Bowman Jersey;bonus baby” firstround draft pick, a raise of more than 150% is a big deal. A big deal that the team hopes won’t go unnoticed by the other players. Perform well and we will reward you. Shields’ deal could be worth $44 million. [] Shields deal sends message [] DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…