Incumbent catcher Dioner Navarro welcomes the addition of Kelly Shoppach, agent
said Tuesday night.
“Navi looks forward to working with Kelly next season. You can never have too much talent behind the plate,” Almerico said via text messages. ” Hopefully the Rays can make some other constructive moves at the winter meetings that will help get the team back to the World Series.’’
The addition of Shoppach could lead to Navarro’s departure as a non-tender or through a trade, but Almerico said Navarro hopes that is not the case.
“Navi will certainly respect any decision the Rays make about his future but he truly wants to continue his career in Tampa Bay in frontof the fans he loves,” Almerico said.
Navarro is recovering from early October surgery on his left elbow but should be ready for the start of spring training with no limitations, Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman said.
Thomas Gemkow is the editor-in-chief of TampaBayRaysFan.com. Founded in January of 2009, TampaBayRaysFan.com is a compilation of all the best of the Rays, from across the web. The website can be followed on Twitter
