[Update: The Heater is reporting that the Rays and Scott Kazmir have reportedly agreed to a 1-year deal and avoided arbitration. The deal is for about $3.5 million]

Today the Tampa Bay Rays have reached an agreement with Carlos Pena on a 3-year deal worth just over $24 million. The deal calls for Pena to make $6 million this season, $8 million in 2009 and $10.125 million in 2010.

The deal keeps Pena from going to arbitration and eliminates his first year of free agency (2010). His $6 million salary this season will make Pena the Rays highest paid player and the highest salary for a Devil Ray since Aubrey Huff made $6.9 million in 2006. Assuming the Rays pick up Carl Crawford’s 2009 option ($8.25 million), Pena will be the second-highest paid player in 2009.

With the noon deadline having come and gone, there is still no word on whether or not the Rays were able to reach a deal with Scott Kazmir, the team’s lone remaining arbitration-eligible player. If a deal is not reached today, Kazmir and the Rays will go to arbitration to settle his 2008 salary.

The contract pushes the Rays’ estimated opening day payroll of approximately $42 million (based on $4 million salary for Kazmir).

Pena, Rays reach preliminary agreement on a 3-year deal worth $24,125,000 [Yahoo! Sports]