ST. PETERSBURG — Two Octobers ago, Carlos Pena stood in a hallway with a handful of writers who cover the Tampa Bay Rays and tried to describe the surreal feeling of what looked like his last day with the ball club.
The star first baseman was heading into free agency and it was a foregone conclusion that the Rays would not be able to afford to keep him on their tight payroll.
Pena spoke quietly just outside the Tropicana Field clubhouse and with a tone of wistfulness — reflecting on his four seasons with the Rays, soon to sign a one-year, $10 million deal with the Chicago Cubs.
The last thing he ever expected that subdued afternoon was the scene that unfolded Tuesday back inside the Trop — the celebratory occasion when he officially re-donned a Rays jersey emblazoned with his old No. 23.
For the 33-year-old veteran and all-time Tampa Bay home run king, it was an improbable twist in what he likes to call his ongoing story — a story that became a reality last Friday when the Rays re-signed the lefty slugger and former Gold Glove first baseman to a one-year deal worth $7.25 million.
Tuesday afternoon around 4 p.m., Pena took his seat at a table inside the stadium alongside team president Matt Silverman and soaked in the magic of the moment.
Pena invoked the word often during his lengthy press conference — to describe the 2008 season that stunned baseball and took the Rays to the World Series but fell short of a championship against the Phillies, to describe the fans, and to describe the organization he is thrilled to once again play for.
"I've always said there's certain magic that goes around here in Tampa Bay," he said. "It's something that you can't really put a finger on. And you can't express in numbers, except when you see those banners fall in April."
Pena spoke Tuesday of finishing the narrative with the Rays with one more banner — the world championship that eluded the Rays' grasp in 2008.
"It was a very sad day when I walked out of this clubhouse," he said. "Now I have another opportunity here. Because I always felt that there was still one more chapter that still needs to be written — the story — and here we have an opportunity to give it a nice ending.
"You understand it started at ‘Once upon a time there was a ballclub called the Rays.' And we haven't gotten to the last stage. So we wanted to be make sure we give it a happy ending, at least as far as I'm concerned. And we have another opportunity to write that chapter that's missing."
Pena replaces the man who replaced him, Seminole native Casey Kotchman, who maintained the high level of defense established by his predecessor while hitting .306 with 10 homers and 48 RBI. But Rays vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has been on a mission to increase the power potential of the Rays after their back-to-back ALDS ousters by the Texas Rangers.
That led to the recent signing of lefty slugger and likely DH Luke Scott to replace popular veteran Johnny Damon, who made a big impact in his one season with the Rays on and off the field. But in spite of Damon's .261 batting average, 16 homers and strong leadership, the Rays wanted more pop at the DH spot. And their hope is that the pairing of Scott and Pena — the single season (46) and career (144) home run leader for the Rays — will provide it.
Pena's offensive numbers have been down the past two seasons (a .196 batting average with 28 homers, 84 RBI and 157 strikeouts in his last season with the Rays and .225 with 28 homers and 161 strikeouts with the Cubs). Yet the chance to get his power and overall contributions back was too much for the Rays to pass up — even though it meant stretching the payroll beyond what management had intended following Scott's signing ($5 million in 2012, with an option for $6 million in 2013 with a $1 million buyout).
"We certainly didn't anticipate this at the beginning of the offseason," Silverman said. "And I don't think anyone in our front office would have thought we'd have committed $13 or $14 million to the combination of designated hitter and first baseman. The transactions came in a certain order, and we were always surveying the first base market and seeing what was out there.
"And as it started to materialize and the possibility became apparent, we pounced on (it) and decided to extend ourselves even beyond where we had extended ourselves. In part because of who Carlos is, who we know he is as a clubhouse presence, as a leader, as a fan favorite, but mostly about the play on the field. He adds a dimension of power to the lineup that we were missing last year. And he's a big part of our focus for this year. We don't take a step back on defense, which is a hallmark of our club . . . That combination gave us the courage to extend ourselves to where we are now."
Pena can't wait to get back to celebrating more triumphs with his teammates, many of who he kept in regular touch with while with the Cubs. In fact, he helped turned his Chicago teammates into Rays fans during the furious September stretch run when Tampa Bay caught and passed the Red Sox.
He'll never forget watching the Rays on TV in the Cubs' road clubhouse on the final night of the regular season, wiping out a 7-0 deficit against the Yankees to win 8-7 on Evan Longoria's walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th.
The moment that Dan Johnson tied the score 7-7 with two strikes and two outs in the bottom of the ninth with a dramatic homer to right is forever etched in his mind.
"I almost had a heart attack," he said. "What's funny is I went up to Marlon Byrd, great guy . . . and just an unbelievable teammate. And I told him with two strikes that ‘Dan Johnson is going to hit a home run right now.' He said, ‘Why do you say that?' And I said, ‘It's basically what I think a good script would be.' I talked to Marlon a lot about the magic (of the Rays). He started using that word: ‘We need to summon that magic.' . . .Sure enough, he hits a home run and I almost died, man."
"I said, ‘Let's go play the lottery right now! I just called that homer!' "
Pena had made sure the bus waited on him and his teammates as the long game played out on one of baseball's wildest nights ever. He and his teammates were crowded around the TV screens in the clubhouse, glued to the action.
"The whole, entire clubhouse erupted," he said. "And it just goes to show you how much the people in baseball respect this team, love this team and appreciate what this team has been able to accomplish."
Now Pena is back in the fold, hoping to help it accomplish more. In the meantime, here are some of his thoughts Tuesday on a variety of topics:
On whether he told his agent Scott Boras where he wanted to play:
"Scott does a great job. When you look at his trajectory as a professional, he's done record-breaking contracts, many of them. But I think one thing everyone must always keep in mind is that I make the decision at the end. A player does exactly what a player wants to do. And this is where I belong. This is where I want to be. I'm very grateful just to be back. I'm concerned with looking back at what I might have left behind. I'm more inclined to focus all my energy and put my mind 100 percent on what's coming and what's right in front of me. It's an opportunity to play for a great ball club, among unbelievable teammates and great fans. I'm more concerned . . . with making the most out of this opportunity because it's really a blessing just to be back here with the Rays."
On whether there were times last season when he missed being with the Rays:
"Of course, there were many times during the year when we'd catch games on TV or just even texting back and forth with old teammates. And you'd start thinking about what it was like and start remembering making even some old jokes. You miss your teammates. You miss the area. You even miss the beach here in St. Pete, something I really enjoyed. So you never really forget, and I never did. Even my (Cubs and former Rays) teammate Matt Garza used to share stories all the time about our great times in Tampa. And at the end of the year when Longo hit that homer, it was almost like we were there. We were really happy for the team. I was thrilled. I felt excited for the ballclub, and I wasn't even part of it."
On the difference in playing in NL ballparks and facing NL pitching regularly:
"That was pretty cool. I was excited every time I walked into a new ballpark. . . . There were many I hadn't visited and teams I hadn't played against. . . That was the most exciting part about playing in the National League, just going to places I've never been before. . . . The difference in the style of play? I noticed that the game in the National League is a little more strategic, but I'd argue specifically here in Tampa Bay — even though we play in one of the most difficult divisions in baseball — there's a lot of strategy that goes on playing for a guy like Joe Maddon. Bunts, moving runners over, double-switches, which usually confused me. It was a little more of a chess match."
On when he realized that returning to the Rays was a viable option:
"I think the process with the Rays started later in the offseason. But obviously as soon as we thought it was a possibility, from my end I think it's no secret how much I appreciate the ballclub and the area and the people around here, so it was a no-brainer that when the possibility presented itself, we needed to pay attention to it."
On his thoughts about the Rays team he's returning to:
"I'm very excited about the team we have. I think we have all the necessarily tools and pieces to really make an impact. I'm never one to go ahead and get too far ahead of ourselves. I want to make sure that we go out every single game and win that game, that inning, that we win that pitch and dominate that particular moment. . . . I'm big on staying in the present. . . .It's more manageable when you think of it that small. And that at the end, we can materialize into something pretty big, like a championship, hopefully. . . . . I think we have a lot of talent, a lot of potential, and I look forward to going out there and just going to battle with these guys."
On how it feels to rejoin a team on which he helped create the culture:
"It means the world to me. To be honest with you, even when I left, I stayed in touch with everyone in the organization — and I'm talking about from my teammates to friends in the front office, because I think we have a friendship first and a professional relationship after. I just felt there was something left to be done and that this was the perfect chance to make sure that we fill that void."
On his emotions watching the Rays battle and overtake the Red Sox down the stretch last season:
"First, I'm a professional, and I want to finish my season as strong as I possibly can. And went out with full effort and wanted to play every single game, even though we were out of contention. Because that's the way I was taught, play all the way until the end and never quit. . . . I played my heart out and fought for (the Cubs). But obviously you can't ignore what goes on in the major leagues, especially when you have so many special friends on the Rays, and they're in the hunt for October. And not only me, but the whole Cubs clubhouse understood how special this ballclub was because I let 'em know how cool it was to play here and what this place was all about. And we were all pulling for the Rays. . . . It was hard to see all the celebration and not want to join in. I wasn't part of that, but I did feel part of it."
On how he's had some good offensive numbers and struggles at the plate, and whether he's a different hitter now:
"Yes. I think throughout my career I've had to endure many difficulties as a hitter. I've had to make many adjustments. I've had success, and I've also failed many times. And I always say that that makes me better. . . The way I view it is that through all my difficulties, I've gained something from every single one of them, which makes me a better hitter today.
On his long-distance conversation Tuesday morning with manager Joe Maddon, vacationing in Rome:
"I thought it was cool. ‘Man, I'm getting a call from Europe right now.' We talked about a spot I wanted him to go in Europe . . . I think the last thing we talked about was baseball. He was like, 'I'm so happy to have you back.' ‘OK, so where you at?' ‘I'm in Rome.' And then we went on and on about non-baseball related stuff."
One month from now, when the Rays reconvene in Port Charlotte with a familiar presence back in their midst, there will be plenty of time to talk about that.
