NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tampa Bay Rays appear to have found their first baseman, agreeing to a one-year deal with free agent James Loney on the first day of baseball’s Winter Meetings. FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal was first to report a deal between Loney and the Rays was close Sunday night and multiple outlets reported Monday morning that the contract was done, pending the completion of a physical. Loney will reportedly make $2 million in 2013, with another $1 million possible if he reaches certain at-bat or games played milestones. The 28-year-old was traded from the Dodgers to the Red Sox last summer as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett to the Dodgers. The left-handed hitting Loney hit just .249 with six home runs and 41 RBI between the two teams in 2012, including a .230 mark with two home runs in 30 games with Boston. Loney is a career .282 hitter and has 73 home runs and 459 RBI in parts of seven big league seasons, all with the Dodgers prior to last summer. He had at least 88 RBI in three straight seasons from 2008-10. Carlos Pena, the Rays’ first baseman in 2012, is a free agent. An official announcement on the signing is not expected Monday but Rays manager Joe Maddon is scheduled to speak with the media at 5:30 for his previously scheduled session at the Gaylord Opryand Resort.
