Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun is reporting that the Rays have reached an agreement with free agent Luke Scott on a 1-year deal with a 2013 option.
Scott can play both corner outfield positions and first base. However, it would seem that he is more like to be the most-days DH. And if Scott is the DH, Johnny Damon’s tenure with the Rays is now likely to be over.
Scott hit .220 with 9 home runs and a .307 wOBA in 64 games last year with the Orioles. His season was cut short by a shoulder injury that required surgery.
His best year came in 2010 when Scott hit .284 with 27 home runs and a .387 wOBA.
Scott became a free agent last month after he was non-tendered by Baltimore.
When asked about upgrading the offense, Andrew Friedman sounds confident that something will get done, and it could get done soon (via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times)…
“We’re having a lot of conversations on both the trade front and also with free agents,” he said. “I’m confident that we’re going to end up with two hitters that will complement our existing offense and fit in very well. It’s very difficult to handicap the timing but I wouldn’t be surprised if something happened in the next couple weeks.”
Two possibilities are the return of Johnny Damon and/or Casey Kotchman. But as Topkin notes, bringing back both would not be the upgrade the team is seeking.
…realistically if the Rays are going to improve they’d have to upgrade at at least one of those positions, so at most only one would return.
Super-Duper Agent Scott Boras met with the media yesterday to talk about a number of his clients. One of those is former Rays DH Johnny Damon.
When asked about Damon, Boras said Damon played “very well” in 2011.
Of course, Damon did not play “very well” in 2011, with Rays DHs playing well below-average in most offensive categories. Damon is considered a positive presence in the clubhouse. And hey, that’s great. But if that is all he is going to bring to the team, then the Rays are better off hiring somebody like Cliff Floyd to be a coach. It would be a hell of a lot cheaper.
But then Boras may have accused the Rays of being stingy and suggested they could spend more money if they wanted to. But was he joking?
Boras half-jokingly suggested the Rays “have lots of money” despite their perennially low payrolls.
The Rays haven’t ruled out a return of free-agent DH Johnny Damon. Liked his offense, loved his personality.
The key words here are the proper usage of “liked” and “loved.” But do the Rays “like” his offense enough? And at what price? Damon made $5.25 million in 2011, and if he truly wants to come back (as he has stated) it will have to be at significant reduction in salary.
That’s not to say his clubhouse presence isn’t important. We love having one or two Johnny Damons around. But if his personality and experience are the only benefits, just go out and sign Cliff Floyd to be a coach. He would be a lot cheaper.
“Ten years?”…He thought for a moment…“I would assume so,” he continued, nodding his head. “I would assume so.”
We have always said this situation would get uglier before it gets better. And the Rays are certainly not the first team to threaten relocation (although they might be the first to threaten vaporization, but we digress). And there are teams that have come very close to moving before getting 11th hour deals on a new stadium.
Should we worry? Yes. Should we panic? Not yet.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Johnny Damon hopes to be back with the Rays in 2012. Also Marc Topkin speculates on which options the Rays will pick up. [TampaBay.com]
The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
THE GOOD: Joe Maddon. He can finally get that haircut…Attendance. The Rays had better attendance in October than 22 teams, including the Red Sox.
THE BAD: Swiss Cheese Lineup. There are holes all over the place. The biggest problem with the Rays lineup is the lack of depth. They have enough talent at the top of the order to carry the offense when they are doing well. But on those occasions when the heart of the order is struggling — you know, like games 3 and 4, where the 2-3-4 hitters went 1-20 — there is not enough talent in the rest of the lineup to pick up the slack. The Rays don’t need a big bat in free agency. They just need two or three bats that are league average at their position or a little better to fill in the bottom of the lineup…Evan Longoria. Dirtbag picked a hell of a time to wet his pants. In games 3 and 4 combined, Longoria went 0-7 with 5 strikeouts.
THE TELLING: Joe Maddon says he expects his entire coaching staff to return in 2012, except possibly Dave Martinez, who may be a manager someplace.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Red Sox owner John Henry: “We got the manager’s search right eight years ago with Tito and Maddon as finalists. We’ll secure a great manager this time as well.” [@John_W_Henry]
Johnny Damon and BJ Upton say they want to return in 2012. [TampaBay.com]
John Romano is already worried that people won’t remember the 2011 Rays. [TampaBay.com]
Josh Hamilton does not remember being teammates with Jeremy Hellickson in 2006. [Rays Report]
Our correspondent Jordi Scrubbings was at the game last night. Here is his report. You can also here Jordi tonight on “The Sully Baseball Show” which can be heard HERE…
When I was a younger, I rooted heart and soul for the New York Mets. My dad was a Mets fan and I followed in his footsteps. One of my fondest memories of my dad and I’s shared fandom was when Mookie Wilson’s grounder rolled through Bill Buckner’s legs in Game 6 of the World Series. Being young and skinny, my dad gave me a big hug and swung my around the living room. Although I was a happy new fan, he was overjoyed. The Mets lived to see another day.
Here I am today the roughly same age my dad was in 1986. The Rays have in many ways replaced the Mets as my true heart’s desire. The Mets are my first fan love and I will never forget them, but since 2007 day-in and day-out I’ve ridden with the Rays.
The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
THE GOOD: Sweet Swingin’. With what may have been the biggest home run for the Rays since 2008, Matt Joyce erased a 7th inning 3-2 deficit with a 3-run home run (HERE IS THE RADIO CALL). And just when you thought the Rays might going into the final day of the season trailing by a game, the Rays won. And now it is tied…Triple Your Pleasure. Before Matty Joyce went deep, defense kept the game close. With one run in already and the Yankees threatening to add more with no outs and the bases loaded. Jeremy Hellickson induced a pitcher’s BFF, the 5-4-3 around-the-horn triple play (HERE IS THE RADIO CALL).
THE BAD: O’s No Go. The Red Sox held off a late rally and beat the Orioles 8-7.
THE TELLING: Johnny Damon passed Lou Gehrig on the all-time hits list and received a standing ovation…Rays now have 90 wins for the third time in franchise history. Of course, the Rays have never won 90 games and missed the playoffs. Just sayin’…The Rays magic number is now 2. A win and Red Sox loss tomorrow, or a win tomorrow and Thursday and the Rays are in the playoffs…The Rays and Red Sox are the first teams to ever start 0-6 and win 90 games.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
All tests were negative on Casey Kotchman and he was released from the hospital last night. No word yet on whether he will be available for tonight’s game.
Thursday’s one-game playoff would be at 4:07pm. [The Heater]
James Shields was named the #Rays MVP by the local media. Jeremy Hellickson was named the top rookie. [The Heater]
Kelly Shoppach has been inducted into the Baylor University Athletics Hall of Fame. [BaylorBears]
The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
THE GOOD: Keeping Pace. The Orioles helped by beating the Red Sox for the second time in three game, rallying late. So the Rays remain 2 back (1 in the loss column). But the season is also getting late, real quick, with just nine games remaining for the Rays and seven for the Red Sox.
THE BAD: Yet Another Brutal Call. In the second inning with one run in already for the Yankees. Brett Gardner reached on a bunt single when the replay showed that he was clearly out. It wasn’t even really that close. That loaded the bases with no outs. Two batters later, Curtis Granderson unloaded the bases with a double making the score 4-0. Game over…Where’s Johnny? Oh boy, it happened again. The Rays made one final rally in the 7th inning, loading the bases with no outs. Desmond Jennings flied out to left field and was unable to bring a run home. And then BJ Upton came to the plate. Why? Because he’s been hot, Johnny Damon has been struggling, and that’s how Joe Maddon has been filling out the lineup card for two weeks. But as luck would have it (you know, the bad kind), Upton was up with the bases loaded. On the season, Upton is 2-11 (.182) with the bases loaded with a walk. He does have a grand slam. On the other hand, Damon is 6-14 (.429) with 2 walks with the bases loaded. And in his career, Damon is a .380 hitter with the sacks full. Of course Upton grounded into a double-play. We’re not blaming Upton or Maddon. We are just blaming sh*tty luck.
THE TELLING: Joe Maddonwas fined for his ejection and rant in the Red Sox series…Ben Zobristmay also miss the first game of today’s double-header having left the team to attend the birth of his daughter…Kyle Farnsworth will throw off a mound today…David Price is OK to go Friday. Saturday’s starter will either be Matt Moore or Alex Torres…Andy Sonnanstine made his first appearance for the Rays since June.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Mark Simon lays out the keys to the Wild Card race for the Rays. [ESPN]
Poor Red Sox. They are losing because they have owies. [SI.com]
Joe Maddon made an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” yesterday. Here is that interview transcribed. [SportsRadioInterviews]
Do you want to know what Matt Silverman’s favorite smart phone app is? Here you go (P.S. we gave up after the second question. So let us know if they actually discuss anything important). [ABC Action News]
If you care what Curt Schilling thinks, he doesn’t see the Red Sox making the playoffs. [ESPN]
Manny Ramirez wants to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic. [USA Today]
College football’s most popular football teams. The Gators are lower than we thought they would be. [Business Insider]
We have been arguing this for a while. But it is a bit surprising to hear of the Rays players plainly state that the Rays would be better with Manny Ramirez.
“We’d be better with Manny,” Rays infielder Sean Rodriguez said. “You’re talking about an experienced guy who can still hit. Everyone was giving him tough times because he was struggling at the beginning, but everyone goes through funks, and his just came at the beginning of the year. It’s hard to say his resume wouldn’t have helped us. Just look at what Johnny’s done for us.”
Now consider that the Rays are just three games back in the Wild Card. Is Rodriguez saying the Rays would be leading the Wild Card if Manny had accepted his suspension and not retired?
And the last line is curious, because Rodriguez lauds Johnny Damon, but doesn’t consider that Damon’s playing time would have taken the biggest hit if Manny came back on July 31. Something that wouldn’t have been a bad thing.
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun is reporting that the Rays have reached an agreement with free agent Luke Scott on a 1-year deal with a 2013 option.
