Carlos Pena Set to Return to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012

For Carlos Pena, there is no place like home.

According to multiple reports, Pena will reunite with the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2012 season, as the free agent first baseman is in process to sign with the team. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, it's a one-year deal for about $7.25 million.

The Rays have addressed one of their biggest offseason needs by signing first baseman Pena. He adds the power bat that the lineup was missing last season and could be the missing piece to the Rays offense.

The fan base instantly responded to the news by displaying a very positive reaction, if Twitter is any gauge of fan sentiment on the subject.

Not only is the deal that will bring Pena back to Tropicana Field a great move to excite the fans, the deal just simply makes sense from a baseball perspective. People may look a little side-eyed at his .216 batting average over the last three seasons, but that individual statistic doesn’t tell the whole story.

The man finds a way to get on base.

His 101 walks last season were the fourth most among major league first baseman behind Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. His patience at the plate contributed to him being 10th among first baseman with a .354 on-base percentage. His overall performance paints a clearer picture than his batting average alone.

Not to mention the fact that the power Pena brings to the plate is something the team has not replaced since his departure. His  28 home runs he hit last season are two better than the 26 homers hit by Casey Kotchman and Johnny Damon combined. 

With the starting rotation solid and all of the recent offseason acquisitions, the Rays look poised to continue to make their presence known in the AL East.