The Tampa Bay Rays announced Friday that they have signed three players to minor-league deals with invites to Major League spring training: infielder Rickie Weeks and pitchers Cory Rasmus and David Carpenter.
Weeks, who was taken with the second overall pick in 2003 immediately after Tampa Bay took Delmon Young, spent 2016 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, hitting .239 / .327 / .450 with nine home runs and 27 RBI. Weeks was an All-Star in 2011 following a 2010 season that saw him play in 160 games and hit .269 with 29 homers and 83 RBI.
Rasmus, 27, was a first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2006, and has spend the majority of his big-league career with the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander appeared in 19 games last season, going 0-2 with a 5.84 earned run average. He is the younger brother of outfielder Colby Rasmus, who the Rays signed to a one-year deal earlier this week.
Carpenter, 31, spent 2016 with the the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League before the Los Angeles Angels signed him to their top minor-league affiliate, the Salt Lake Bees, after being in camp with the Rays. The right-hander went 1-1 with a 7.80 ERA in 15 appearances in Salt Lake.