Rays 1B Carlos Pena passed his physical exam on Thursday, leaving only the paperwork to be finalized on the three-year, $24.125-million deal announced last week. Pena had agreed to a one-year, $6-million deal in the interim until he returned to the Tampa Bay area from the Dominican Republic, where he had been working out.

RHP James Shields said one of the reasons he agreed to the potential seven-year, $44-million deal was because he wanted to be with the Rays for a long time. And as part of that, he may move from Las Vegas to the Tampa Bay area. His daughter is due to start kindergarten in the fall, and Shields and his wife are contemplating relocating. ... As part of his contract, Shields will donate up to $650,000 to the team charitable foundation.

LHP Casey Fossum is the latest ex-Ray to find a new home, agreeing to a minor-league deal with the Pirates. Former Rays reliever Dan Miceli is also attempting a comeback, agreeing to a minor-league deal with the Red Sox.