According to Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times, the Tampa Bay Rays are close to signing veteran catcher Jose Molina. Smith adds that although the Rays have not commented on the situation, and probably won’t comment until it becomes official, the deal appears imminent.

The veteran backup catcher made only $1.2 million last season and according to Smith, that would fit perfectly with the Rays’ price tag. He also has a lot of experience catching in the AL East, and fits perfectly with the “kind of catching platoon the Rays desire,” says Smith.

Molina, 36, hit .281/.342/.415 with 3 HR’s and 15 RBI’s in 171 AB’s for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011.

Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.