The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

click above image for boxscore

THE GOOD: Gabe Kapler. Kapler hit a home run last night that put the Rays up 2-0. It was nice to hear from him, we had forgotten he was still in the league. It was his first HR since the stretch in June when he homered in 4 straight starts. And prior to last night he had only 1 RBI since the all-star break.

THE BAD: Another Getaway Day Disaster. The Rays are now 4-15 in the final game of the last 19 road series and 23-21 in all other road games. And once again the offense took a while to wake up, not getting their first hit until 2 outs in the 6th…JP Howell. In his last 6 save opportunities, Howell has blown 3.

THE TELLING: The Rays now trail the Red Sox by 4 games in the Wild Card, but remain 1.5 behind the Rangers.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Scott Kazmir

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Way back in February we learned that before signing Pat Burrell, the Rays offered Bobby Abreu a one-year deal for $7.5 million. Now Lee Jenkins of SI.com spoke with Abreu and Jenkins says it was a two-year deal for about $16 million. We are splitting hairs here, but maybe the second year was an option? That might make both reports kinda correct. By the way, Abreu eventually signed for 1-year and $5 million. He is hitting .307-12-84 with 26 stolen bases and plays defense. Just sayin’(thanks Tyler). [SI.com]
• Last night was a rough one for umpires. [St. Pete Times]
• Carl Crawford’s back was feeling much better yesterday and he still hopes to play Friday. [Tampa Tribune]
• John Romano wonders aloud if the pressure of being the closer is getting to JP Howell. He has not been the same since giving up the game-winning home run in Seattle. [The Point After]
• Rays the Stakes takes a closer look at Carlos Pena’s recent surge. [Rays the Stakes]
• Minor Leaguer Darin Downs, who suffered a fractured skull after being hit by a line drive has been released from the hospital. [Rays Report]

Lots o’ linkety goodness today, so let’s get to it.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Cal Ripken Jr., co-founder of the Ripken Group, which owns the Charlotte Stone Crabs, will be in attendance on opening night (April 9) for the Stone Crabs inaugural season. No word yet if he will further distance himself from his Orioles roots by wearing a Stone Crabs jersey, only months after donning a Rays jersey at The Trop.
• We can’t remember the last member of the Rays who had an agent that talked as much as the agent for Dioner Navarro. Yesterday, Kendall Almerico stirred the pot a bit when negotiations for a long-term contract reached an impasse. Almerico warned that Navarro’s future with the Rays may depend on how the Rays treat Navi during next week’s arbitration hearing. [The Heater]
• Cliff Floyd has agreed to a one-year deal with the Padres. And no, the Padres did not switch to the AL this off-season, which means Dr. Huxtable will somehow attempt to play the outfield, something he hasn’t done since 2007. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, before the Rays landed Pat Burrell with a two-year, $16 million deal, the Rays had offered Bobby Abreu a one-year, $7.5 million contract (thanks Joe). [ESPN]
• Drays Bay is the latest to express their “dislike” for those trying to project which team will be “The Next Rays.” Then Drays Bay proceeds to tell us that the Pirates will be the next Rays…What’s the word for that? Hippocampus? Hippopotamus? [Drays Bay]
• A year ago we would have projected this for Jake McGee, but Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus wonders if Wade Davis might play the same role that David Price played down the stretch and in the playoffs last season (thanks TP). [Baseball Prospectus]

[The Rays] found lightning in a bottle twice last year in filling their closer role, beginning the year with Troy Percival there, and then finishing it with power lefty David Price, the best pitching prospect in the game, getting key outs in the post-season. With Price likely moving to the rotation in 2009, the Rays might try to strike gold again with another electric arm in their warehouse of top-flight prospects, as righty Wade Davis has mid-90s heat and a nasty power curveball, leaving many scout to wonder if the current starting pitcher prospect could just flat-out dominate in shorter bullpen stints.

• This picture of Derek Rodriguez is stock and it has always bothered us. His face is too close to the camera. It feels like his nose it poking us in the eye. And by the way, Bill Chastain says one of the more interesting subplots of Spring Training will be to see how good Rodriguez truly is. [MLB]
• The Rays are 12/1 to win the World Series in 2009.  The Yankees are the favorites at 5/2 with the Cubs and Mets at 7/1 and the Red Sox at 15/2. For those not familiar with betting lines, these odds are not necessarily based on who Vegas thinks will win. Rather, the odds are more a reflection of who they think the gamblers will bet on. And in bets like World Series and Super Bowl odds, a gambler is most likely to bet on their favorite team. So unless they are not even considered a contender, the teams with the most fans will always have the shortest odds. [The Spread]
• The Rays Party is counting down their top 20 prospects. Today is #17, Kyle Lobstein. [The Rays Party]

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe feels the Rays will add one of Jason Giambi, Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell or Adam Dunn.

Seems as if the prices for these guys are dropping rapidly, and the Rays might be able to add a pretty good hitter to replace Cliff Floyd and/or Rocco Baldelli.

It may seem that way on the surface, but some of these pieces are going to start falling very quickly. To no surprise, we are now hearing that the A’s and Giambi will soon be talking contract. And when push comes to shove, we feel the Cubs won’t let Bradley get away. Bradley may prefer the situation in St. Pete, but at some point the Cubs offer will be too much money to leave on the table.

Of course, that still leaves Burrell and Dunn, both of whom would provide the “impact bat” Andrew Friedman is seeking. But other teams like the Yankees and Angels may become interested if they fail to land either Mark Teixeira or Manny Ramirez. This could force the Rays to become more active in their pursuit of Burrell or Dunn.

And now Jon Heyman is reporting that the Rays and Burrell “are talking” and Heyman calls Burrell a “real possibility” for the Rays.

Burrell originally sought a three-year deal, but in a tough outfield/DH market he might have to settle for a one-year deal. Burrell’s outfield defense has slipped in recent years, but the Rays are mostly looking for offense.

Heyman also adds Bobby Abreu, Ken Griffey and Garret Anderson to the list of targets for the Rays, although this group is clearly “plan B.”

So if Burrell could stand to make more money from playoff-caliber teams like the Angels and Yankees, then why talk to the Rays now? Why not wait? Because the worst-case scenario may scare Burrell.

What if the Angels don’t want Burrell and the Yankees get Manny? What if Giambi signs a deal with the A’s for only $8-9 million, thus lowering an already low bar? And what if the Rays instead sign a Dunn or Griffey, taking a potent offense that will make a DH look very good in 2009, out of the bidding? If this scenario plays-out, Burrell could be forced to sign with a second-division team with a weak offense that will hurt his numbers in 2009 and hurt his chances of making a big score in next season’s free agent market. And he will have to sign for less than he could get from the Rays now.

While we liked the idea of Giambi or Bradley in a Rays’ uniform, we never thought it was a real possibility. But with the current state of the market, Pat Burrell and the Rays could be a marriage of convenience for both sides.

It’s the offseason of hope [Boston Globe]
A’s To Talk Contract With Giambi Soon [MLB Trade Rumors]
Burrell could fill Rays’ DH need [SI.com]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• It is not in our nature to be mysterious, but we can’t talk about it and we can’t talk about why. [Joe Bucs Fan]
  
• Andrew Friedman says the Rays would like to improve their performance against lefties, but will not do it at the expense of hitting righties who account for 70-75% of the games over the course of a season. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Rays Digest takes a look at the middle infielders in the Rays’ system. [Rays Digest]
• Rays Prospects takes a closer look at the Columbus Catfish hitters from last season. [Rays Prospects]
• The Examiner takes a look back at the Rays’ game of the year. [The Examiner]
• Rays Prospects has the winter league stats updated through last Thursday. [Rays Prospects]

Let’s use this post for minor updates on previous rumors we have heard from the winter meetings and other minor tidbits. Unless something new or substantial comes along, we will continue to update this post the rest of the day.

[Update: 1:46pm] Andrew Friedman says the Rays have not made any formal offers to any free agents but have discussed parameters.

[Update: 1:21pm] Jayson Stark is reporting that the Angels have begun negotiating with Raul Ibanez as he is their backup plan should Mark Teixeira sign elsewhere…Just spit-ballin’ here, but we have to think that Ibanez is low on the Rays’ wish list.

[Update: 12:16pm] About 13 picks have gone by in the Rule 5 draft and nobody has taken Eddie Morlan. Is it possible nobody think Morlan can be hidden in a major league bullpen?

[Update: 12:00pm] Buster Olney chimes in on the Rays quest for a power hitter, noting that the situation is very good for the Rays with 8 top-level free agents and only 6 teams that appear to be in the market for a corner outfielder/DH type. He also notes that the free agents may find the Rays a very attractive one-year option. The Rays speedy lineup and solid bats could mean a solid season for one of the free agents as they gear up for another free agent run after the ’09 season when the market may be more favorable…Another benefit to the Rays signing one of these free agents to a one-year deal on the cheap is the secondary benefit of the two draft picks the Rays would receive when the player leaves next season.

[Update: 11:33am] MLB Trade Rumors has a few links regarding Rocco Baldelli. The Red Sox may be backing off of Baldelli and the Reds may be interested. Rocco’s agent initiated talks with the Reds, which seems strange as Rocco would seem to prefer an AL team where he can DH. But later, Joe McDonald reported on a situation at the roulette table in which Dusty Baker and Co. were betting “on No. 5 for Rocco Baldelli.” Seriously.

[Update: 11:28am] Mark Feinsand of the Daily News is saying the White Sox are the leading contender to land the services of Bobby Abreu, noting that the Rays “won’t offer the kind of money he’s looking for.”

[From The Hangover] Two writers are reporting that Milton Bradley has become the Cubs top target to play right field with Raul Ibanez possibly as a fall-back plan. The Rays will likely wait out the negotiations and hope that Bradley and the Cubs fail to reach a deal. If that happens, the Rays may be next in line for Bradley despite the acquisition of Matt Joyce. With the Rays, Bradley can spend a considerable amount of time at DH…Right now it looks as if the Rays top two targets, Bradley and Jason Giambi are both likely heading elsewhere. Would the Rays prefer Ibanez or Bobby Abreu at $8-10 million (and a first round draft pick in the case of Ibanez) over Ken Griffey at $3-4 million?

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Milton Bradley got off a plane in Las Vegas at the Winter Meetings and went straight to lunch with Rays officials.

Jon Heyman adds that the Rays may be considering several of the top right field/DH free agents including Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, and Raul Ibanez. Ibanez is the only member of that group that would cost the Rays a first round draft pick as a Type A free agent.

Heyman also mentions that Ken Griffey Jr would “love to play near his Orlando hometown.”

We have said previously that with the Rays already pushing $60 million in payroll for 2009, Griffey at $3-4 million might be more realistic than the other names, even if the market pushes their salaries down. Then again, if the Rays can move salary in other areas (Edwin Jackson), that might be enough to justify adding one of the players listed above at $8-10 million for one season.

Rays Take Milton Bradley To Lunch [MLB Trade Rumors]
Griffey could be good fit for Rays [SI.com]
Griffey Could Be Good Fit For Rays [Rays Index]

[Update: 3:40pm] Now it looks like the Cubs and Padres have figured out how to move Peavy without a third team. Of course, the Rays could still try to work with the Padres on a deal for Giles, but this seems less likely now.

[9:56am]In case you missed it late last night, there is a rumor going around the winter meetings that the Rays may be getting involved in the Jake Peavy talks as a third team, with their eyes set on Brian Giles. There was talk last August that the Rays tried to land Giles but were blocked when the Red Sox put in a claim on the outfielder.

There is no mention of what the Padres would want from the Rays, but the holdup in a potential Cubs deal (for Peavy) is the lack of Cubs prospects that are close to the majors. The Padres were also looking for a major league shortstop from the Braves.

So we have to believe the Padres will be asking for something like Andy Sonnanstine. The Rays would probably rather a package include Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac. Would Edwin Jackson get the deal done?

It seems unlikely that the Rays would be willing to part with a top pitcher for Giles (136 OPS+ in ’08) if the Rays could potentially land a free agent like Bobby Abreu (120 OPS+, 3 years younger) for the same price and without having to give up any prospects. The Padres could make it more enticing by eating some of the $9 million salary [Ed. note: As per the comments, Giles' salary goes to $11 million in '09 if he is traded]. Giles is in the last year of his deal.

Of course, all this means nothing if Giles is unwilling to be traded. Giles has full veto power as a 10-and-5 player (10 year veteran, 5 years with current team) and vetoed two deals (Red Sox and A’s) late last season.

Rays Rumored Third Team In Peavy Deal; Possibly Targeting Giles Again [Rays Index]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Jayson Stark says the Jeremy Hermida is exactly the type of player the Rays are looking for and wonders if a deal can be had for Jason Bartlett and either Andy Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson…Considering what else is out there, this seems like too steep a price. [ESPN]
• Ryan Fagan of The Sporting News says Rocco Baldelli’s best option is to stick with the Rays…This is something we have long said. With the Rays, Rocco has a team that has been loyal when most would not and with the Rays, Rocco has a team that is very familiar with his condition and how best to utilize his talents at this point of his career. This is why the Rays will slow-play this hand, waiting out the market and Rocco. [The Sporting News]
• Dayn Perry says the Rays have “fewer needs to address [this offseason] than any other team in baseball.” We are not sure what attendance has to do with the Rays offseason plans but Perry brings it up out of leftfield at the end of the piece noting that teams usually show an attendance spike the year after a successful playoff run. [Fox Sports]
• Marc Lancaster reports that the Andrew Friedman is getting calls from players that would not normally be interested in signing with the Rays, noting that these players want to play with the Rays and are willing to accomodate the Rays (ie. switching positions) to make it happen. [Tampa Tribune]
• Marc Lancaster says the Rays greatest asset right now is their pitching depth and if a trade is made at the winter meetings it will probably involve a starting pitcher. [Tampa Tribune]
• Mets Fever says the Mets will have a hard time landing Edwin Jackson, noting the Metropolitans don’t have outfield depth. [Mets Fever]
• Rays Digest takes a look at pitching prospect Nick Barnese, who was #22 on our most recent Trade Value Index. RD compares Barnese’s makeup to Matt Garza and analyzes his pitch repertoire. If you are not into reading the usual rhetoric about the depth of pitching in the organization and just want to read about Barnese, skip to the 9th paragraph. [Rays Digest]
• MLB.com has their list of the top 50 prospects. The list is topped by David Price and includes four Rays farmhands in total. Tim Beckham (22), Wade Davis (31) and Jeremy Hellickson (39) are also on the list. [MLB]
• Rays Prospects is profiling the top hitting prospects in the organization. #13 is… [Rays Prospects]
• David Chalk continues to crank out his list of the top Devil Rays of all time. #18 is… [Bugs and Cranks]
• Bud Selig and Major League Baseball make too much money and are too concerned about the image of the sport to ever put a team in Las Vegas. Still, it is a bit disheartening to hear the mayor of Las Vegas salivating over the Rays. [St. Pete Times]
• Montgomery Biscuits GM Greg Rauch is at the winter meetings in Vegas to find a radio broadcaster. [Montgomery Advertiser]

Last month the Rays let go the lady that played the part of the mascot, Raymond. Do you think you can fill his enormous shoes? Here is your chance. The Rays have released an official announcement seeking a new “Raymond”. Some of the key requirements…

• Play a pivotal role in pumping up the crowd, while helping create a positive and energetic experience for all fans.
• Must be able to take on the brand and personality of Raymond, including but not limited to the signature “belly-wiggle”
• Must be able to cause little children to have nightmares*
• Be able to kick Wall E. Monster’s ass**

*Or is that just us?
**We might have made that up

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Yankees are also interested in Rocco Baldelli, joining the Rays, Red Sox and Phillies. The Phillies still seem like a long shot considering Rocco would receive more playing time with a team that uses a DH. [Fox Sports]
• Peter Gammons says the Rays are in a “great position” with the current market. There is a glut of RF/DH types and nobody is spending any money. And the money that will be spent will primarily go to pitching. That could lead to a player that would normally not fit in the Rays’ budget to suddenly be on their radar. We still think a Ken Griffey Jr at $3-4 million makes more sense than a Bobby Abreu or Jason Giambi at $8-10 million even if it is considered a “bargain”. Of course the other advantage not being spoken yet is that some of these players may be willing to sign a one-year deal and hope the market rebounds next season. This is why teams chose not to offer arbitration to a number of players even though those teams will not receive the draft pick compensation that normally comes from losing a good free agent. [ESPN]
• A Pinellas County official met with a community advisory group about sites that could potentially be a future home of the Rays. The community group hopes to have a recommendation for the city and county by late 2009 or early 2010. Aaron Sharockman of the St. Pete Times reports that a new stadium likely would not open until 2014 and maybe not until 2016. [St. Pete Times]
• Troy Percival’s surgery “went well.” [The Heater]
• Trever Miller finally inked a deal with the Cardinals, however it was only for one year, rather than the originally stated two year deal. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• The Examiner looks at 6 potential replacements for Trever Miller in the Rays’ bullpen. The top choice is Arthur Rhodes, although Brian Shouse offers similar numbers against lefties and might come a little cheaper. [The Examiner]
• Rise of the Rays argues for trading Carl Crawford and his 2009 salary of $8.25 million. [Rise of the Rays]
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks continues his countdown of the 25 greatest Devil Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]

Devil Rays (off day)

Quick side note: You know what is great about yesterday’s off-day? At least one more day of people talking about how the Yankees are in last place tied with the Devil Rays. It is like informing a guy that his wife cheated on him with 5 guys at once. Really, it should be enough that she cheated…

Like many people, ESPN annoys the hell out of us on most days. Too much screaming, too much material that has nothing to do with sports (Who are the Sklar Brothers and why are they EVER on Sportscenter?) and way too much bias in their coverage. Seriously, ESPN didn’t even know NASCAR existed until they started broadcasting the races. Now it is wall-to-wall left-turns. Well, we are going to put aside our distaste and ask you guys to go visit their website today because they actually noticed there are baseball players that play for teams other than the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Today, ESPN.com has a poll asking readers who they believe were the top players for the month of May. It seems as if somebody actually does pay attention to Devil Rays players for their on-field accomplishments. James Shields is one of ten choices for pitcher-of-the-month. That’s nice. What is really impressive is that Shields is one of six choices for MVP for the month of May. So get your butts over there and start stuffing the virtual ballot box for James the Greater.

Carlos Pena is also mentioned as one of the candidates for “Biggest Surprise”. Anytime a guy has to be a spring training non-roster invitee for one of the worst teams in baseball and is among the league leaders in home runs…that qualifies as a “surprise”. (with thanks to Jim).

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rays have trailed at some point in 19 of their 22 wins this season, which leads the majors. For some reason the team doesn’t wake up until the second half of the game. We are just spit-ballin’ here, but maybe Joe Maddon should have the team play 3-4 simulated innings before each game.
• It is no surprise that the Rays have looked into what the market would be for Elijah Dukes. It is also no surprise that no team is willing to part with any significant pieces and it is also no surprise that Jayson Stark reports that at least 20 teams would line up to sign Dukes if he is released.
• Bobby Abreu makes $15 million and can’t hit his way out of a paper bag these days. His problem? Apparently it is all Scott Kazmir’s fault. This is just like a Yankees fan. Always trying to one-up the Mets fans. It won’t work this time. Your Kid K-envy will never be as great as Mets fan’s.
• Seriously Mets fans just can’t let it go and it makes us giggle to no end. It has been three years since the trade and now Mets fans actually want you to believe their team is better because they traded Kazmir. (Excuse us for a second….) Ok, we are back. Very difficult to type while laughing…Just so we are all on the same page…because the Mets have Oliver Perez and he is pretty good, that justifies trading Scott Kazmir for a guy that won 10 games in 2+ years? Why do we get the feeling that Mets fans will continue to give us joy for years to come?

Blue Jays 5, Orioles 3. Troy Glaus drove in three including a 2-run home run in the 8th that proved to be the game-winner off of Danys Baez. Meantime, the Jays may have finally found a suitable replacement in the bullpen as Jeremy Accardo converted his second save and is yet to allow a run in 17.2 innings.

NOTE FROM AROUND THE AL EAST…

• Melvin Mora and Jay Payton nearly came to blows in the dugout following last night’s loss. Mora became heated when Payton mocked Sanjaya from American Idol*.
  
• Miguel Tejada’s excuse for only hitting two home runs this season? He is not a home run hitter of course. Maybe he forgot to take his “B-12″ this season.
• Remember all the talk about the Yankees scoring a 1,000 runs this season? Not so much anymore. Alex Rodriguez has 1 home run in May. Bobby Abreu is in such a bad slump, that he has tried to bunt for a bas hit on several occasions in the past few weeks. Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano are both struggling. $200 million just doesn’t go as far as it used to.
• Roger Clemens had his first workout for the Yankees in Tampa. Must be a slow news day in the AL East.

* Might not be true.