Rays: Rays' Cox on his way to Japan

Rays' Cox on his way to Japan

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

ST. PETERSBURG -- When Steve Cox heard the Yokohama Bay Stars had interest in bringing him to Japan, he didn't know what to think. After agreeing to a lucrative multiyear deal that guarantees him $6.2-million and could be worth in excess of $10-million, he can't wait to go.

"My family and I are really, really excited," Cox said Tuesday night. "I was shocked when my agent first called and said there had been some interest expressed. I was like, 'Oh, man ... ' He said it could be a couple-year deal and you never know what's going to happen. So we looked into it, and it kept looking better and better. It couldn't have happened at a better time."

Under terms of the deal, which will become official Thursday when Cox clears waivers and is officially released by the Devil Rays, Cox will get a salary of $2.75-million each of the first two seasons and either a $4-million salary or a $700,000 buyout in the third. He can earn more than $1-million each season in incentives.

The deal should be profitable for the Rays, who will receive undisclosed compensation from the Bay Stars. Payments to U.S. teams typically range from $100,000 to $1-million, and Cox is one of the most accomplished players to head east in recent seasons.

Cox, 28, had been the Rays' starting first baseman since the July 2001 trade of Fred McGriff, but he was inconsistent much of last season, hitting .254 with 16 home runs and 72 RBIs.

The emergence of Aubrey Huff as the starting first baseman and a plan to use Greg Vaughn as the designated hitter left Cox without a position for the coming season, and a salary that was likely to approach $1-million through arbitration may have left him without a team as well.

"I'm totally for this," Cox said. "Who would have thought this opportunity would come up after the mediocre year I had? I would love to stay there for years and years. My personality, and my wife's personality, is that we adapt pretty quickly. I hope I really love it over there."

The Bay Stars also signed Hernando High product Tyrone Woods, who had been playing in Korea, for what was reported in Japan to be about $400,000 for one year.