Carlos Gomez, who started 100 games in center field with the Texas Rangers last season, agreed to a significant pay cut in a one-year deal with Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
Gomez will earn a base salary of $4 million, with $500,000 available in incentives. That represents a 65-percent reduction from last year's salary of $11.5 million.
Gomez wanted to remain with the Rangers, who added him after his release by Houston in 2016. Gomez took the extraordinary step of chartering a helicopter to meet with general manager Jon Daniels during his recent visit-scouting trip to the Dominican Republic.
The Rangers preferred to go with the younger and less expensive Delino DeShields in center.
Gomez played well after returning to the majors with the Rangers in 2016. He hit .284 with eight homers, 24 RBIs and a .905 OPS. He was a plus-4 for defensive runs saved, according to baseball-reference.com.
Gomez slipped last season. He hit .255 with 17 homers, 51 RBIs and an .802 OPS. He was a minus-4 for defensive runs saved.