Rays Rumors: James Shields, B.J. Upton and Matt Joyce

The Tampa Bay Rays have assets to trade this summer, including James Shields, B.J. Upton and Matt Joyce, but it’s unclear if the club will be buyers or sellers, reports Buster Olney of ESPN.

Tampa Bay continues to be one of the more interesting players in the whole buy/sell thing, because the Rays have assets to sell – James Shields, B.J. Upton and Matt Joyce among them. Upton is making $7 million this year, and Joyce will reach arbitration for the first time this winter.

The Rays are currently sporting a record of 45-41, good for third place in the American League East, 7 ½ games behind the division-leading New York Yankees. While this appears to be a hefty total to overcome, Tampa Bay is only half a game out of the AL’s final wild-card spot.

Shields’ contract includes team options of $9 and $12 million for 2013-14, and Upton is a free agent after the season. Joyce is under team control through the 2015 season as he’s getting set to enter his first year of arbitration eligibility.

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Do you expect the Rays to buy or sell this summer?

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