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Rays will exercise $10.25 million option on James Shields

Tampa Bay Rays starter Shields pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays  during a MLB American League baseball game in St. Petersburg

Tampa Bay Rays starter James Shields pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the third inning of a MLB American League baseball game in St. Petersburg, Florida, September 21, 2012. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

REUTERS

In one of the biggest no-brainer calls of the offseason, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Rays have informed right-hander James Shields that they’ll exercise his $10.25 million option for 2013.

Shields is a tremendous bargain at that price after bouncing back from a rough 2010 season to throw 477 innings with a 3.15 ERA and 448/123 K/BB ratio during the past two years.

He’s cracked 200 innings in six straight seasons, struck out a career-high 8.8 batters per nine innings this year, and because they were smart enough to lock him up to a long-term extension early the Rays also hold an option on Shields for 2014.

The only question now is whether a team that’s always heavy on young pitching and always light on payroll room will shop Shields around this winter.