Feb 07
According to Marc Topkin, Evan Longoria will report to camp “10-15 pounds leaner and considerably looser, emphasizing flexibility over strength.” The goal is to avoid injuries that have limited Longoria’s playing time in previous years.
Over course, every year dozens of players show up to camp in the best shape of their lives, or with more muscle, or less muscle. And sometimes it makes a difference and sometimes it doesn’t. So we will just have to wait and see.
Then again, five of those pounds Longoria lost probably came when he lost his mullet in favor of a shaved head.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Evan Longoria will be signing autographs on Sunday night at a mall in Garden City, NY. Seems like he did this last year also, but we couldn’t find the report.
- Former Rays outfielder Justin Ruggiano has signed a minor league deal with the Astros.
- Johnny Damon remains on the Yankees radar. [ESPN]
- Jason Bartlett might end up back in the AL East. [MLBTR]
- Could the Bucs land one of the Giants’ Super Bowl heroes? [JoeBucsFan]
Dec 17
Finally, the Jason Bartlett trade to the Padres is official. The Rays will send Bartlett and a player to be named later to the Padres for four players. In addition to Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos, who were the original participants, the Rays will also receive infielder Cole Figueroa and right handed relief pitcher Brandon Gomes.
After the jump read more about the four players acquired from the Padres…
Read the rest of this entry »
Dec 16
Despite an earlier report that the Rays and Bobby Jenks were close to a deal last night, Ken Rosenthal reports that the Rays are just one team in on the closer. Rosenthal says there is “heavy action” on Jenks (which almost never a good sign for the Rays) and that the Yankees “and others” are also interested.
Despite a 4.44 ERA in 2010, Jenks was actually a very good closer. His 2.59 FIP suggests he was just the victim of some bad luck or some really bad defense.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Don Zimmer had a pacemaker installed. [The Heater]
- The Rays signed Jonah Bayliss to a minor league deal. Bayliss is a 30-year old right-handed reliever, who last saw action in the big leagues in 2007 with the Pirates.
- The Jason Bartlett trade is still “better than 50-50″ to get done according to Jon Heyman. Jed Hoyer, the Padres GM adds that the two sides are working on “several different issues.” [MLB Trade Rumors]
- The Marlins officially announced Read the rest of this entry »
Dec 15
It is no mystery that Gary Sheffield wants to play for the Rays. What we don’t know is how interested the Rays are in Sheffield. Now comes word that Joe Maddon had dinner with Sheff last Friday.
Maddon clarified that it was just “to get to know him better” and that Sheffield could help the Rays “down the road.”
We think the most telling quote from Sheffield is when he says he turned down a job last April because he didn’t get to play in Spring Training. Guess he didn’t want to play that bad after all.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- So now it turns out that Cesar Ramos is only on the DL due to some roster shuffling. Maybe he is not the reason the Jason Bartlett trade hasn’t been officially announced yet. [Rays Report]
- First Carl Crawford said his heart is in Boston. Now apparently his bookstore will be too. Maybe. [Over the Monster]
- Which contract was the better deal, Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth? [Hardball Talk]
Dec 14
Wondering why the Rays still haven’t announced the Jason Bartlett trade as being official? Well, we now (probably) know which pitcher is holding up the deal. Cesar Ramos is listed as being on the DL for his Mexican League team and hasn’t pitched in a nearly a month (big hat tip to RaysRenegade.com).
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- The Rays have re-inked JP Howell to a one-year, $1.1 million deal. The deal also includes “some incentives” which are undoubtedly linked to the number of times he can say “dude” during the season. [The Heater]
- Even more importantly, Cliff Lee has spurned the Yankees advances and will sign with the Phillies. [MLB Trade Rumors]
- The Nationals are “aggressively pursuing” a trade for either Zack Greinke or Matt Garza. But a major league source told Read the rest of this entry »
Dec 13
On this date one year ago, the Blue Jays signed Jose Bautista to a one-year, $2.4 million contract. Not many people took notice until Bautista started hitting home runs at a Ruthian rate. He would finish the season with 54. You can be certain, that the Rays are hoping to find the next Bautista this year.
At the other end of the spectrum, today is also the three-year anniversary of Alex Rodriguez’ 10-year, $275 million contract he signed with the Yankees.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- The Marlins are “working to sign” Randy Choate. As a Type B free agent, the Rays would receive a pick between the first and second-rounds if Choate signs with another team. [MLB Trade Rumors]
- Ken Rosenthal wonders if Matt Garza is a better trade option for teams than Zack Greinke. [Fox Sports]
- Jason Bartlett was the second-worst player in the big leagues at turning the double-play. [ESPN]
- Rays Prospects offers their top 30 Rays prospects. [Rays Prospects]
Dec 09
In case you missed it late last night, Carl Crawford agreed to a seven-year, $142 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. Yes, the Red Sox.
—-
Why did the Rays raise the ticket prices for an entire section by 65 percent? Was it because that section is filled with season-ticket holders who are not likely to give up their seats? If so, that is a hell of a way to treat their most loyal customers.
“Hey guys, sorry, but next season there will be no Crawford, no Pena, no Soriano, no Balfour, no Benoit and no Bartlett. Oh and by the way, we just raised your ticket prices 65%. Thanks for being a fan.”
Sometimes you have to wonder if the Rays even want fans to show up at the Trop.
Geez, it is like they are trying to get out of their lease.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Even thought Jason Bartlett confirmed the trade, there was some speculation that the trade had hit a snag. But now it is being reported as official, again. [MLB Trade Rumors]
- So somebody in the Chicago media was surprised that Carlos Pena “speaks English perfectly.” Sad. [Business Insider]
- Carlos Pena says he was disappointed Read the rest of this entry »
Dec 08
[UPDATE] Jason Bartlett has been traded to the Padres for relief pitchers Cesar Ramos and Adam Russell.
Joel Sherman says the Rays will trade Jason Bartlett and that it could happen tonight. He adds that it is down to the Padres or the Pirates. [Twitter]
Dec 08
Carlos Pena’s days with the Rays are officially over. Ken Rosenthal, who apparently never sleeps, reported at 3:00 this morning that Pena has agreed on a contract with the Cubs. The deal is for one-year and $10 million.
The deal comes on the heels of Scott Boras’ second meeting with the Cubs last night. That meeting included Greg Maddux, a former Boras client, who was employed to help recruit Pena.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun says Nolan Reimold is not going to be traded. Several others have reported that the deal is now dead. [Twitter]
- Jon Heyman says the Rays could keep Jason Bartlett in 2011. If they did, there is a good chance he would be the highest paid player on the 2011 roster. [Twitter]
- WEEI is reporting that the Red Sox “have not ruled out” signing Carl Crawford. [WEEI]
- Jon Morosi says the Tigers are not “involved” in the Carl Crawford sweepstakes at his current asking price. [Twitter]
- Anybody anxious to see
Read the rest of this entry »
Dec 07
Now Brittany Ghiroli is reporting (via Twitter) that there will not be a trade today and that it is starting to look “less likely to happen at all.”
We are still very early in the process and the Rays are operating from a position of power. Is this was March, this deal would probably be done by now. But the Rays know they don’t have to move Jason Bartlett now and appear content to try and wait for somebody to meet their price.
According to Marc Topkin, Evan Longoria will report to camp “10-15 pounds leaner and considerably looser, emphasizing flexibility over strength.” The goal is to avoid injuries that have limited Longoria’s playing time in previous years.
