Off-Season (click image for random Wikipedia page)
In the latest, “Joe Maddon will sign an extension soon, we swear” story, Marc Topkin reports that the two sides are closing in on a three-year extension.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Carlos Pena turned down an $8 million offer from the Indians (he took a $7.25M deal with the Rays). [Cleveland.com]
JB Long interviewed Matt Joyce recently for Bay News 9. Admits he was not looking forward to playing first base, so he was happy the team signed Carlos Pena. [Video]
Rocco Baldelli is happy and comfortable with the way his career ended. [HeraldNews.com]
Here are some pics from a recent fundraising event Jeremy Hellickson attended at his high school. [Des Moines Register]
BRaysBall Talk looks at how to survive FanFest. [BRaysBall Talk]
Rays Colored Glasses takes a look at the history of professional baseball in the Bay Area prior to the Rays. [Part 1, Part 2]
Stuart Sternberg was on hand Saturday night to accept Joe Maddon’s Manager of the Year award and Jeremy Hellickson’s Rookie of the Year award. Sternberg, showing his lighter side, joked that he drove down from posh Westchester County because the team couldn’t afford airfare for Maddon and Hellickson. He also said that the awards would later be put up for auction to help pay for Carlos Pena’s new contract.
Off-Season (click image for random Wikipedia page)
We are back from our little mini-vacation and find that John Sickels of Minor League Ball ranks the Rays farm system as just the seventh-best in baseball...
Impact depth behind Matt Moore has slipped but this is still a robust organization.
Although, we would point out that Moore is pretty damn good. And depending on who you talk to, is probably the best prospect in baseball.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
The Tigers are interested in Johnny Damon. [MLBTR]
But according to Joel Sherman, Johnny Damon “badly” wants to sign with the Yankees. Of course, Damon had zero interest in the Yankees two weeks ago when he thought he still had a shot with the Rays. [@Joelsherman1]
The A’s are “very interested” in signing Manny Ramirez. But it is unclear if that interest has changed with the A’s signing another former Rays player, Johnny Gomes. [MLBTR]
Off-Season (click image for random Wikipedia page)
Another former Rays player may be heading to a division rival. This time it is Johnny Damon. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Yankees have spoken with Damon about being their DH.
It is interesting that Damon wasn’t even good enough to get an offer from the Rays but now he could end up with the Yankees. But it is even more telling that the Yankees newfound payroll constraints are limiting is forcing them to now look at a DH that even the Rays wouldn’t take.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Rays FanFest will be held on February 18.
Andrew Friedman said the Rays are still looking for a bat, but that player doesn’t necessarily have to play first base. [TampaBay.com]
Marc Topkin says an extension for Joe Maddon may not happen until the end of January because the skipper just left for a European vacation. [TampaBay.com]
Maddon is in the final year of a contract that will pay him approximately $1.3 million in 2012. And like the Rays key players, Maddon is due for a significant raise.
We have speculated previously that Maddon’s next deal will probably be similar to Joe Girardi’s 3-year, $9 million deal, which is still well-below the 10-year, $50 million contract Mike Scioscia signed with the Angels.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Jon Heyman speculates that the Rays and Indians may be competing for Carlos Pena and/or Casey Kotchman. [@JonHeymanCBS]
Willy Aybar has finally been released from jail in the Dominican Republic after his latest arrest for domestic assault. [Dominican Today]
We’re not sure how 15 of the 30 teams can be “winter winners,” but the Rays are one of them. [CBS Sports]
Joe Maddon is entering the final year of his three-year contract that will pay him $1.3-1.4 million in 2012. And the Rays and Maddon have started talking about an extension (via Marc Topkin of TampaBay.com)…
“We’ve been talking a little bit in general, it’s just basic stuff…I’m a Ray. I have a lot of faith in being a Ray as I continue along. I’ve talked about that this for me is the best place to work in major-league baseball. Of course, everybody is looking for security, we all want security…For me it’s just about having an open conversation. We never would negotiate in public, anything like that. It’s just about an ongoing conversation right now, and we’ll see how it all or when it plays out. But I’m not worried about anything.”
So, what kind of security is it going to take? Ozzie Guillen recently became one of the highest-paid managers in baseball when he signed a four-year, $16 million deal with the Marlins. Of the current managers, that appears to trail only Mike Scioscia’s ten-year, $50 million deal.
Maddon probably is going to make that much coin. But Joe Girardi’s three-year, $9 million deal is probably in the ballpark.
The last we saw Joe Maddon, his white mane was out of control, thanks to a spring training declaration that he would go the entire season without a haircut (he later admitted to getting a mid-season trim).
Even I got on board, letting my hair go for the 2011 season. I didn’t cave until my two-year-old told me one night that I had “lion hair.” And as much as she loves Simba, it was time to end the madness.
At the opening of the 2011 Winter Meetings, Joe Maddon met with the media and answered a number of questions. You can read the full transcript HERE. But if you want the Cliffs Notes version, you will find it below…
On who will play shortstop…
It’s an open competition is what it is [between Sean Rodriguez and Reid Brignac]. I thought Sean did really well at the end of last year. Sean probably exceeded our expectations what he’s going to be able to do defensively. Even as offense I think there’s a lot of room for improvement there, too. But Sean is a wonderful baseball player and that’s why we love to have him on the field. Reid one of the better young defenders, I think, at shortstop in the game. Obviously did not have the offensive year that we were looking for, so he needs to really pick up there. Again, talking to both of them, they’re both aware that they’ll be battling it out for that job in Spring Training.
On the bullpen…
You’ve got Kyle [Farnsworth] and Joel [Peralta] and then [Jake McGee and Brandon Gomes], I don’t know exactly where J.P. Read the rest of this entry »
Ramos missed a good chunk of the 2011 season with a throat infection and bronchitis. And even though Ramos is once again healthy, the Rays did not renew his contract. Instead, Stan Boroski who served as the bullpen coach during Ramos’ absence, will be the new bullpen coach.
Joe Maddon, who has one year remaining on his contract, has yet to sign a new deal.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
New Rays catcher Jose Molina made an appearance on a local radio show. Cowbell Clankers has the audio. [Cowbell Clankers]
