Arkansas native Pat Burrell signs with Tampa Bay

On Monday afternoon, the Rays signed the free-agent slugger to a two-year, $16 million deal.

"First of all, at the end of last year, obviously, I got to know the [Rays] pretty well," Burrell said. "And coming into free agency, the thing that was most important to me was to go somewhere where I thought I had as good a chance or better to repeat and go back to the World Series."

Burrell, who pledged to donate a portion of the contract to the Rays Baseball Foundation -- the official charity of the Rays -- fills the team's need at designated hitter. The 32-year-old also gives the Rays a much-needed power boost from the right side.

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