MLB Free Agency: Tampa Bay Rays Shore Up Power Deficit in Lineup

Despite being in one of the smallest baseball markets in the MLB, the Tampa Bay Rays seemingly find a way to be a competitor every season.

Their success has been the result of good scouting in past MLB drafts and the grooming of talent the club has in their farm system.

The Rays usually go unnoticed in the free-agent period and this offseason was no different. However, the Rays have made solid acquisitions that could go a long way for the team as they try and compete for the AL East division title.

On Jan. 12, the Rays signed outfielder Luke Scott. He will take over as the team's primary option at the designated hitter position, which the Rays hope will establish some more power in the middle of the lineup.

The Rays were ranked 15th in runs and 25th in batting average last season. Johnny Damon, the team's previous designated hitter, only hit 16 home runs and batted in 73 runs.

In Scott's last full season in 2010, he hit 27 home runs with a batting average of .284. 

Then, the Rays went out and signed fan favorite Carlos Pena. After hitting 144 home runs and batting in 407 runs in his four seasons with the Rays, Pena signed with the Chicago Cubs and hit 28 home runs. The Cubs let him go, however, and the Rays jumped on the chance to bring Pena back to Tampa Bay.

If you look at the Rays' former first baseman, Casey Kotchman, you will notice that Pena brings a much bigger bat into the lineup. Kotchman led the team with a .306 batting average last season, but only had 38 RBIs and 10 HRs.

The additions of Scott and Pena will be crucial to the Rays' success this season, because it provides some protection in the lineup for Evan Longoria. 

Longoria led the team in 2011 with only 31 HRs and 99 RBI. Bringing in players like Pena and Scott, who can contribute at least another 80-90 RBI, will significantly increase the Rays' power output. They were last in the AL East with only 172 home runs in 2011.

Plus, the addition of power in the middle of the lineup will help the Rays compete with the Yankees' and Red Sox's power. If the Rays pitchers got off to a slow start against teams, including their AL East rivals, it was a steep climb for the Rays to come back from four or five runs down, simply because they just lacked the power to produce runs when they needed to.

If the Rays can start scoring more runs through these acquisitions and close the gap between their offense and the AL East offenses, they will be an even bigger competitor to the Yankees and Red Sox and in the American League. The pitching staff won't feel pressure if they give up more than one or two runs. 

These signings will go a long way in establishing the team's confidence in their offense, which should benefit the Rays significantly this season.