Jan 05
Jon Heyman adds some clarity to the possibility of Rafael Soriano signing with the Yankees, something that has produced conflicting reports recently. Heyman says the Yankees interest likely hinges on Andy Pettitte. If Pettitte retires, Heyman says the Yankees “could go for Soriano.” But if Pettitte comes back for another year, the Yankees will pass.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- If you missed our post late last night, the Rays could be close to dealing Matt Garza to the Cubs. [Rays Index]
- In the same report, the Rangers are reportedly pursuing Rafael Soriano. [Sun-Times]
- If the Rays can’t Read the rest of this entry »
Dec 31
The Rays are one of several teams interested in signing lefty reliever Brian Fuentes. Ken Rosenthal says Fuentes is looking for $5 million per season and a multi-year deal. The Rays can probably afford $5 million, but we can’t imagine they offer more than a one-year deal plus an option.
Some have speculated that the Rays may have an advantage over the other teams because they can offer Fuentes an opportunity to save games. That may be true, but only if the Rays are offering about the same amount of money. We would be shocked if Fuentes turned down significantly more money just so that he can pitch the 9th inning for a team that may contend over the 8th inning for a team that will contend.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Marc Topkin says the Rays “could be close to getting a new closer.” [TampaBay.com]
- MLB Trade Rumors weighs the pros and cons of the Rays signing Brian Fuentes. [MLB Trade Rumors]
- Ken Rosenthal reports that the Yankees are not pursuing Rafael Soriano. [Fox Sports]
Dec 17
The Rays found a relief pitcher. They signed Joel Peralta to a one-year deal for $900K. Peralta was non-tendered by the Nationals despite a 2.02 ERA (3.02 FIP) in 49 innings.
And before anybody starts wondering if this is the next Joaquin Benoit, Sky Kalkman suggests he is more like Dan Wheeler.
Joel Peralta is the Rays new Dan Wheeler. Pitch him when a home run is no worse than a walk and a strikeout more valuable than ground ball.
Yay?
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Bobby Jenks has agreed to a contract with the Red Sox. [MLB Trade Rumors]
- The Tampa Chamber of Congress approved the funding of a caucus to research stadium financing for a new Rays stadium. [TampaBay.com]
- First a source said the Yankees were “exploring” the idea of signing Rafael Soriano as a set-up guy. But then the Yankees downplayed that report, saying Soriano was too expensive. [NY Daily News]
- This is scary> Josh Freeman eats Taco Bell five nights a week…Yikes. Eventually that is going to catch up to him, and let’s face it, habits don’t die easily. If Freeman isn’t careful, he will be the next JaMarcus Russell. [Joe Bucs Fan]
Dec 12
Buster Olney thinks baseball should just get rid of divisions for the sake of competitive balance. The plan would call for the top 5 teams in each league to qualify for the playoffs.
So rather than competing directly with the Red Sox and Yankees every year, the Rays would also be competing with the rest of the American League.
What is the downside? A balanced schedule means more trips to the west coast and the 10pm start times that come with those games. But in the end, that might be a small price to pay for a better shot at making the playoffs each season.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- The Rangers called the Rays and asked about James Shields and Matt Garza. [Boston Globe]
- The Angels have signed Scott Downs which probably takes them out of the Rafael Soriano sweepstakes. [ESPN LA]
- The Rays are still looking for Read the rest of this entry »
Nov 30
Mark Saxon reports that the Angels have have met with Scott Boras about several of his clients and that Rafael Soriano may be on top of their wishlist…
Soriano appears to be the Angels’ top target among the Boras clients. They’re looking for a reliable closer so they can use Fernando Rodney, Kevin Jepsen and Jordan Walden as a trio of hard-throwing setup men. Rodney struggled in the ninth inning after the Angels traded closer Brian Fuentes.
Keep in mind, the Angels are not the Rays friend right now. They are among the leading candidates to sign both Soriano and Carl Crawford. While moving both out of the division will be nice, it also hurts the Rays 2011 draft.
The Angels first-round pick is Read the rest of this entry »
Nov 24
Now that the GM meetings are over we are two weeks from the winter meetings. Let’s recap all the Rays rumors we have heard so far. If there are any we are missing, please let us know in the comments…
Carl Crawford:
Jason Bartlett:
Nov 24
Former Rays prospect Josh Hamilton was voted the 2010 American League MVP. He took 22 of the 28 first-place votes.
Evan Longoria finished sixth showing up on 27 of the 28 ballots including two fourth-place votes. Carl Crawford was seventh, receiving votes from 21 of the 28 voters including one second-place vote and six fourth-place votes. Rafael Soriano finished 12th with seven votes, including one fourth-place vote (you can see the complete voting here).
Notes on the 2010 MVP voting…
- Evan Longoria’s fifth-place showing is the best-ever for the Rays, surpassing Ben Zobrist, who finished eighth last year.
- Carl Crawford’s second-place vote, was the highest-ever for the Rays, surpassing a third-place vote for Carlos Pena in 2008.
- This was the second time three Rays received votes. In 2008, Carlos Pena finished 9th, Evan Longoria was 11th and Jason Bartlett was 18th.
Rays in the MVP voting… Read the rest of this entry »
Nov 24
The Rays offered arbitration to free agents Grant Balfour, Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano, Randy Choate, Brad Hawpe, Joaquin Benoit and Chad Qualls. The Rays declined to offer arbitration to Dan Wheeler or Carlos Pena.
Offering a free agent arbitration is necessary if the Rays want to receive draft pick compensation if those free agents sign with another team. The risk is that the player could decide they will get more in arbitration than on the free agent market. If the player accepts the offer, the Rays could be stuck with a player they don’t want or at a price they don’t want to pay.
In the cases of Wheeler and Pena, both would have almost certainly accepted. The Rays may want both players back, but they don’t want to pay what either could have gotten in arbitration.
Balfour and Qualls could choose to accept arbitration and the Rays may be more than happy to have both back on one-year deals at a salary similar to what they made last year.
Crawford, Soriano and Choate will decline arbitration knowing they will get more money and years on the free agent market. And Benoit has already signed with the Tigers. Offering him arbitration is just a formality to make sure the Rays receive a compensation draft pick.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Nov 22
With the Rule 5 draft pending, the Rays made some roster moves this weekend (via Marc Topkin). First, they declined the option on Jose Ruiz, who had defected from Cuba. Ruiz, 1B, was considered a hot commodity before signing a cheap one-year deal with a four-year option.
In addition, the Rays also added catcher Nevin Ashley and right-handed pitchers Alex Cobb, Dane de la Rosa and Albert Suarez to the 40-man roster.
Ashley hit .255 with a .333 OBP and 7 home runs for double-A Montgomery. Cobb was 7-5 with a 2.86 ERA (2.80 FIP) in 22 starts with Montgomery. De la Rosa went 9-3 with a 1.97 ERA (2.79 FIP) in 47 relief appearances in double-A. He struck out 75 in 73 innings. Suarez made 11 starts for low-A Bowling Green, going 2-5 with a 3.89 ERA (4.62 FIP).
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Nov 17
Carl Crawford is a Type A free agent. This means that if when Crawford signs with another team, the Rays will receive a compensation draft pick in the 2011 draft (between the first and second round) as well as a draft pick from the team that signs Crawford. Where exactly the second pick falls depends on a couple of factors.
First of all, the top 18 picks of the first round (this includes three compensation picks awarded for unsigned 2010 draft picks) are protected. So if a team picks in the top 15 and signs a Type A free agent, they will only give up a second round pick.
Also, things get more complicated if a team signs more than one Type A free agent. In that case, the team that loses the higher-ranked free agent (all players are given a ranking based on certain stats) will get the higher pick. The second team would get the next highest pick.
So what about Crawford? Read the rest of this entry »
